Testing the Hovawart puppy's character and temperament
Hovawarts need a fair and resolute leader and need their instincts fulfilled in order to happily coexist with their human family. This is why we always have hovawart puppies temperament tested before we let them go to their new owners. It is also a reason why we quiz prospective owners about there experiences with dogs and about there lifestyle and expectations.
In any litter of hovawart puppies some will be more reserved and others bolder, but all of them should be curious and like to explore. Some have a higher tolerance to pain and some are more sensitive, some may get spooked by loud noises whilst others are not bothered at all. Some pups in a litter are more submissive and usually easier to train, whilst others by nature will be more dominant, requiring a more experienced owner who knows how to handle this.
We check how well a pup tolerates being handled when placed in a submissive position. The more dominant pup will not tolerate this as well as the puppy who is more submissive. We take note of how the puppy approaches humans and it's littermates. Similarly with play and interaction we can quickly spot the dominant puppy, and at feeding time we observe who is the most assertive, pushy, and gets the food first, but also which pup tries the least.
The puppy temperament test provides us with even more information about a pup from independent people and amongst other things helps highlight any extremes of behaviour. We use all the information to help us make well informed decisions regarding “puppy and new owner combinations”, giving both pup and human the best possible start in their new partnership together.
