Welcome to another episode of Badass Puppy Owner! While puppies certainly have far more than 12 temperament traits, there are 12 in particular that we focus on during the evaluation process. We discuss how assertiveness and confidence are equally important, but don’t always go hand in hand, before diving into the kind of owners that are right for puppies with each of these traits. You’ll learn why your correction always needs to exceed the dog’s level of intensity, and hear how the framework of traits guides us as we place puppies with their parents-to-be. Next, we dive into what motivates dogs, and how to match their motivation level with your lifestyle, before exploring nerve strength management and honoring your dog’s stress signals to build trust. Certain contexts require higher levels of tolerance for inappropriate touch, and we explore how to measure and match this trait with the right home, before discussing how to match your dog’s energy level with the home you are able to provide. We discuss sight and sound sensitivity, remedial training, prey drive, tenderheartedness, dog-friendliness, and more, before letting you know what you miss when you choose a dog based on color and gender alone. Thanks for tuning in!
Key Points from This Episode:
- An introduction to today’s topic: the 12 temperament traits we focus on when evaluating our puppies.
- The evaluation test that has been 10 years in the making.
- The traits: assertiveness, confidence, motivation level, nerve strength, touch tolerance, energy level, sound sensitivity, sight sensitivity, play drive, human focus, tenderheartedness, and dog friendliness.
- What is meant by assertiveness: bossiness, and ability to take what they want when they want it.
- Why we would want or not want an assertive puppy.
- Where assertiveness can be helpful, and where it can be challenging.
- Why your correction has to be greater than the dog’s level of intensity.
- The purpose of this language and framework: to give dogs a voice and find the right homes.
- Why confidence and assertiveness do not always go hand in hand.
- Your role in developing a dog’s confidence.
- Why low motivation in puppies is good for families who work all day.
- Why a higher level of nerve strength is good for dogs.
- Stress signals, including yawning, avoidance, and panting.
- How honoring stress signals builds trust with an owner.
- Managing nerve strength as opposed to trying to change it.
- Touch tolerance, compliance, reciprocity, and touching.
- Why energy level is a fixed trait.
- Why it is so important to know your breed, and to buy from an empowered breeder.
- How confidence affects energy.
- Sight and sound sensitivity and why they are unstable traits.
- The importance of a variety of sound exposure from an early age.
- The natural sound and sight sensitivity of toy poodles.
- Why anything after 16 weeks is remedial training.
- The importance of training your kids and your child.
- How having a sectioned off area in your home can benefit your dog.
- Prey drive, determination, and tracking.
- What high human focus is perfect for.
- Tenderheartedness: how influenced a puppy is by unpredictable human emotion.
- Why dog-friendliness can be difficult to gauge early on and why this is important to know.
- Compatibility, testing, and observation.
- What you miss out on when you choose a puppy based on color and gender only.
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Jeanette Forrey
4E Kennels
4E Kennels on Facebook
4E Kennels on Instagram