Volhard Puppy Aptitude Test for your Rottweiler

The Right Rottweiler for You!

The most difficult decision for you as a dog lover is choosing the right Rottweiler puppy with the best temperament and personality. Your Rottweiler puppy should be a wonderful addition to the family, provided that you have chosen the right puppy from a reliable Rottweiler breeder that uses the Volhard Puppy Aptitude testing to place their puppies.

The Volhard PAT is the best way to determine the temperament of a Rottweiler Puppy, it is a complete temperament and aptitude test for Rottweilers Puppies.

Puppy Temperament and Aptitude Test

All of our puppies are put through Volhard test when they are 42 to 49 days old, it is the perfect time to perform an aptitude test for Rottweiler puppy.

At this age, the puppy has already developed enough cognitive functionality to react to test stimuli. It must be done by a person unknown to the dog (outside trainers) and must include one puppy at a time, in a quiet and unknown environment (just a room or a place that he has never entered).

DO NOT test under the following conditions:

If your Rottweiler pup was vaccinated the same day or the day before the test
If you have fed the puppy a large meal in the last 4 hours

During the test, try to keep your voice down and avoid sudden movements to make your puppy feel comfortable and not intimidate the puppy. Remember, what counts is the puppy’s first reaction and the recovery.

The test process has the following segments:

Call (Social Attraction with People)

Indicates: Sociability skills of the puppy.

How to do it: The breeder brings the puppy and leaves him alone with you. Stand about four feet from the dog and crouch down. Call it with a warm voice and clapping.

Interpretation and Scoring: Your puppy comes to you quickly, seemingly excited.

Jump and bite your hand = 1 point
Hit the paw and lick your hand = 2 points
The puppy does not lean on you = 3 points.

During the test, notice if your puppy:

Arrives quickly but not sprint towards you = 4 points;
Arrives with Hesitation = 5 points;
Refuses to come to you or backs away = 6 points (in this case, we advise to let the Rottweiler smell your hand, caress him and encouragingly talk to him to improve his confidence. It will help you prepare him for the next stage).

Follow (eagerness to follow an individual)

Indicates: Independence, interaction with humans, and ease of training.
How to do it: Get up and walk away slowly. Call the puppy and mark the test points.
Interpretation and Scoring: The dog follows soon, excited.

Follows with tail up, stands between your feet, bites feet = 1 point
Follows with tail up, stands between your feet, doesn’t bite = 2 points
Does not stand between your feet or lean on you = 3 points

You must note the following points during the aptitude test for Rottweiler puppy.

Follows soon, showing submission = 4 points
Follows hesitatingly = 5 points
Does not follow you and walks away = 6 Points

Restriction (Dominant or Submissive behavior in Social Domain)

Indicates: Submission, ease of training.

How to do it: For this stage of the Volhard test, crouch and turn the puppy carefully so that it stays with the back to the ground and maintains it in this position with one hand in the chest, without much pressure, for up to 30 seconds. During this time, look at him with a gentle expression and try to establish eye contact. Observe the reaction without speaking.

Interpretation and Scoring:

Your puppy struggles a lot and wants to leave and bites = 1 point
Resists or debates = 2 points
Accepts, without avoiding visual contact with the examiner = 3 points
Hesitant but accepts = 4 points
Does not debate = 5 points
Does not debate and strive to avoid visual contact = 6 points

Stroking (Ease of control by affection)

Indicates: Independence, dominance, acceptance of people, and ease of training.

How to do it: Let the puppy stand or sit down, crouch beside it and stroke it from head to tail with one hand. Observe the reaction for choosing the right Rottweiler puppy.

Interpretation and Scoring:

Jump, hit with paws, bite, growls = 1 point
Jump, hit with paws = 2 points
Receptive, rubs on the examiner and tries to lick his face = 3 points
Very receptive, lick the examiner’s hand = 4 points
Roll on the floor and lick the hand = 5 points
Moves away = 6 points.

Elevation (Ease of Control in a Risky Situation)

Indicates: Dominance, fear.

How to do: Maintain your squatting position, take the puppy in your hands under your chest and lift it about 30 cm, for up to 30 seconds.

Interpretation and Scoring: The dog debates and

Bites = 1 point
Does not bite = 2 points
Accepts, thinks, accepts = 3 points
The dog does not resist and stays relaxed = 4 points
Tense = 5 points
Stays still = 6 points

Search or Fetch (Willingness to do something for the owner)

Indicates: Ease of training, interaction with humans, obedience.

How to do it: Your puppy should still be crouched, wave with a crumpled paper (ball) and throw it about a meter in front of the dog, in a visible place, encouraging him to look.

Interpretation and Scoring:

The dog picks up the paper and moves away = 1 point
Picks up, does not bring and does not move away = 2 points
Picks up and brings = 3 points
Goes to the paper but returns without it = 4 points
Begins to go to paper but loses interest = 5 points
Does not go to paper = 6 points

Paw pressure (Sensitivity to touch)

Indicates: Sensitivity to pain.

How to do it: Continue crouched and gently squeeze the fingers of a dog’s front paw with the thumb and forefinger. Gradually increase the pressure and mentally count from one to ten or stop before your puppy reacts. If your puppy doesn’t let you touch its paw then you can use the ear.
Interpretation and Scoring

From 8 to 10 = 1 point
6 to 8 = 2 points
5 or 6 = 3 points
3 to 5 = 4 points
2 to 3 = 5 points
1 or 2 = 6 points.

Noise or Sound Sensitivity (Reaction to sounds)

Indicates: Sensitivity to noise, or fear of noise.

How to do it: Place the puppy in the center of the area and stand next to it. The observer, facing the puppy and not too close, hits a spoon in a pan, both of metal, once.
Interpretation and Scoring: Play or make a sound for the puppy that he is unfamiliar with and note the reactions.

Is excited and moves towards the sound = 1 point
Goes towards the sound but is not excited to do so = 2 points
Notices the sound with lack of curiosity = 3 points
Does not go towards the sound and does not show curiosity = 4 points
Shrinks, walks away and hides = 5 points
Your puppy ignores the sound = 6 points

Chase (Reaction to something that moves)

Indicates: Potential for chasing people, animals and moving objects as well as visual sensitivity.

How to make: Place the puppy in the center of the area. Tie a washcloth to the end of a guide and, standing next to it, throw it closer to the floor. Pull it back little by little three times and notice the reaction that prevails.

Interpretation and Scoring:

The dog attacks and bites = 1 point
Takes the towel without attacking = 2 points
Investigates with interest = 3 points
Looks curious but does not investigate = 4 points
Runs away or hides = 5 points
Ignores = 6 points

Sensitivity to Surprise (Reaction to unexpected situation)

Indicates: Stability, balance.

How to do it: stand five feet from the dog, open an umbrella and put it on the ground for him to investigate.
Interpretation and Scoring:

Advance and bite = 1 point
Approach and snatch without biting = 2 points
Approach, investigate but do not snatch = 3 points
Stands still and looks = 4 points
Goes away and hides = 5 points
Ignores = 6 points

After completing the test, your breeder will know if the puppy is the right addition to your home. The ideal test scores for aptitude test for Rottweiler puppy should be between 3 to 5 but the scores may vary from puppy to puppy.