The trainers at All About Dogs are available to do behavioral assessments on dogs.

One problem with adopting a dog from the shelter or a rescue group is that you don’t really know much about the dog until you take it home. A behavioral assessment cannot reveal everything about a dog, but it can provide a lot of useful information. The number one criteria the trainers are looking for is social drive. Why? Because a social dog is far less likely to bite. Sociability is the best barrier against aggression.  For example, the other day one of Colleen’s boys stepped on her dog's tail. . . on purpose! The dog didn’t bite him (and neither did Colleen, but she fussed quite a bit more than the dog) because the dog knew that the boy didn’t really mean to hurt him. The dog knew that because this particular dog loves people and, even though they sometimes do really thoughtless things, he assume they mean well.

Now imagine if the dog didn’t really like people, didn’t really want to hang out with them, didn’t really enjoy being close or being petted. What would that dog have done to a 5-year-old boy standing on his tail? Growled, certainly, but he might even have bitten him. The dog would have had no reason to justify inconsiderate behavior as anything other than an attack. And when attacked, it’s only reasonable to attack back.

During a behavioral assessment, the first thing the trainers do is a safety SCAN checking if the dog is Sexually mature, Cautious of them or the environment, Aroused, and/or showing No signs of friendliness. A dog having any (or several) of these factors needs to be handled with extra care.

After they’ve tested for general sociability, they’ll pet the dog in a smooth, repetitive motion. They want to see if the dog enjoys it. How does the dog react during the stroking, in between strokes (when it can anticipate that another will be coming), and afterwards (does the dog move closer, nuzzle up for more, or go out to the end of the leash)?

The tooth check is next. The trainer will lift up the dog’s lips and gently hold for 5 seconds, repeated 5 times. This is not about looking at the dog’s teeth; rather it’s a good way to see how a dog will react when its owner does something the dog doesn’t want. The dog will be rated according to how easy or hard it was to complete the exercise.

After that, the dog will be given a pig’s ear or rawhide. The trainer will (using a fake hand!) come near and stroke the dog’s back. They’ll be checking to see if the dog is uncomfortable with them coming closer. Then they’ll try, still using the fake hand, to reach for the treat. Many people say, “Why would you do that? It’s not fair to take something from a dog who is eating.” Well, they’re half right. 

The problem is that dogs see food everywhere and people sometimes forget that. I can’t think of how many times Colleen has taken a gum wrapper, Kleenex, napkin, piece of bark, Beanie Baby, granola bar wrapper, chicken bone, or plastic army guy from her dog! Yes, some of those things might have been dangerous if they dog ate them, but, hey, they tasted good!

So the pig’s ear is a way to test how likely the dog is to guard a coveted item and what form the dog’s defense will probably take (e.g., moving away, growling, snapping). The trainers also repeat the test with a bowl of dog food.

Once the dog has passed all of these assessments, the trainers will check for prior training. Some of these dogs really know their stuff! They’ll give the dog a hug to see how well it handles restraint. They’ll ask a stranger to come in and just stand looking at the dog to see how the dog reacts.

The trainers know that a dog that passes all of these assessments is not guaranteed to be a perfect match for its adoptive family, but at least the odds are in their favor.

Next time you are considering adopting a dog, please ask the rescue group what kind of behavioral assessment they provide or ask All About Dogs to provide one for you.  The sad fact is that sometimes the nicest dog is not always the cutest. For example, recently the trainers tested an overweight 5-year-old chocolate lab mix who, while very strong, had a nice personality and a great ability to chill out. She would be a wonderful addition to someone’s home, but she’s not the youngest, smallest, cutest, or even the lightest color. And all of that will work against her in the shelter beauty pageant.