Character test results

Thank you to all 8 dogs and owners that attended our Club’s first Character Test today and to the Assessor Jude Brendon. It was a first for Jude with a GSD aged 5 and Long Coat Weimaraner aged 9 both obtaining Excellent.

4 Rottweilers attended, 2 achieved Excellent and 2 Good Passes. Jude said the 20 month old Rottie would easily gain Excellent next time. 1 Irish Water Spaniel achieved Good Pass and an Australian Shepherd achieved Excellent. The club holds all the result sheets as well their owners keeping a copy and the Assessor has a copy. All were presented with their club Certificates.

Here is the Assessor's report:

The Great Swiss Mountain Dog Club of Great Britain

Temperament Assessment
Cricklade, Wiltshire
27 February 2010

Thank you to the Great Swiss Mountain Dog Club of Great Britain for inviting me to do this Temperament Assessment.

The venue, Cricklade in Wiltshire, is a very attractive little town with Saxon origins and is where the River Thames has its source. It is a good place for a temperament assessment as there is traffic, plenty of people of all ages walking about, together with a variety of dogs, pushchairs and mobility scooters which the supermarket supply to their customers!

The test consisted of a walk around the town where both dog and handler got into a telephone kiosk. On the way back they walked past two people who came round the corner one with an umbrella and the other with a football rattle. The dog was also left tied up for a short time whilst the owner went out of sight briefly and we were also able to see how each dog behaved off lead in the hall.

There were eight dogs taking the assessment, four Rotts, one GSD, one Long Coated Weimaraner, one Irish Water Spaniel and one Australian Shepherd. I can’t pretend I wasn’t disappointed that there weren’t any Great Swiss but it was a pleasure to put these eight dogs through their paces. The Great Swiss had prior engagements but will attend for the next test. They were all lovely dogs with very interested and understanding owners.

It is the first time I have test a GSD, a Weimaraner of any coat or an Irish Water Spaniel , this made it a very interesting assessment for me as each breed has its own ‘character’ but also demonstrated that the test is not breed specific.

Three dogs passed and five passed excellent.

It was a very enjoyable day, we managed to dodge most of the rain, only one test was rained on. I would like to express my appreciation for Kimberley’s hard work in putting the event on and for making sure it ran smoothly as well as for making us feel so welcome. Thank you.

Jude Brendon
Temperament Assessor