|
Temperament
Temperament is
described as the dog's overall outlook on life. The sociability,
playfulness, desire to be active and to explore the immediate
environment and a number of other such behaviors provide us with some
insight into a dog's temperament.
The ideal dog will
have an even temperament, that is to say it will not become overly
emotional when exposed to a wide variety of NORMAL daily sights, sounds
and activities. It will have a strong desire to play and be active but
will also have the capacity to be reserved and cautious in a quiet
environment.
A dog with the
proper temperament will be sociable. When walked toward a group of
people the dog may appear alert and cautious or may appear aloof, in any
case it should be a good citizen and must not display unwarranted
aggression.
A dog with proper
temperament will investigate intriguing sounds and strange looking
objects; it will appear to be inquisitive and not at all hesitant about
venturing out away from the handler to investigate something that
catches its attention. The dog should constantly look for something to
do if only to be active and feel the thrill of life.
Courage is defined
as the lack of fear in a threatening environment. The ideal dog will
stand tall in the face of threat and when pushed will hold his ground
with aggression. This is not to say a dog should go off the deep end
when a threat occurs but neither should it stand totally passive and in
any case it MUST NOT RETREAT. At the conclusion of threat the dog should
return to its normal state but may remain vigilant and alert for some
time. A good courage test will involve some sort of confrontation with a
man to produce a level of threat. This test is to determine the dog’s
nerves and temperament, not to test its courage of heart.
It is important to
be realistic when testing a dog for courage, do not for example expect
to see a green dog act as courageous as a fully trained two year old
dog. You must always consider the dogs age, mental maturity, previous
training and a number of such factors when conducting a courage test.
Remember almost any untrained dog can be intimidated with overwhelming
threat, the goal of a courage test is not to force a dog into submission
but to determine the point at which courage begins to appear and the
point at which it begins to diminish.
|
