Département de la détention et la protection des animaux

Département de la détention et la protection des animaux
de la Faculté Vetsuisse Université de Berne
(Directeur: Prof. Dr. A. Steiger)
Travail fait sous la surveillance du
Dr. Sabine G. Gebhardt-Henrich
Reliability and validity of a test of character in Hovawart dogs
Thèse inaugurale
pour l'obtention du titre de Docteur
de la Faculté Vetsuisse Université de Berne
présentée par
Caroline Paroz
de Saicourt, BE
2007
1
Travail accepté comme thèse
par la Faculté Vetsuisse Université de Berne,
sur proposition du Prof. Dr. M. Vandevelde
Berne, le
Le Doyen de la
Faculté Vetsuisse Université de Berne
2
Index
1 Abstract, Zusammenfassung, Résumé ............................................................................. 5
1.1 Abstract .................................................................................................................. 5
1.2 Zusammenfassung ................................................................................................. 5
1.3 Résumé .................................................................................................................. 6
2 Reliability and validity of a test of character in Hovawart dogs ......................................... 8
Abstract ............................................................................................................................ 8
2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 8
2.2 Materials and methods ............................................................................................. 10
2.2.1 Test of Character (TC) ....................................................................................... 10
2.2.2 Subjects ............................................................................................................. 13
2.2.3 Questionnaire .................................................................................................... 14
2.2.4 Reliability ........................................................................................................... 14
2.2.5 Statistical analyses ............................................................................................ 14
2.3 Results ..................................................................................................................... 15
2.3.1 Agreement between judges ............................................................................... 15
2.3.2 Comparison between problematic and control dogs .......................................... 18
2.4 Discussion ................................................................................................................ 21
2.4.1 Agreement between judges ............................................................................... 21
2.4.2 Comparison between problematic and control dogs .......................................... 23
Acknowledgments .......................................................................................................... 23
References ..................................................................................................................... 25
3 Appendix ......................................................................................................................... 27
3.1 Appendix: Protocol of examination for the TC of juvenile dogs . ........................... 28
3.2 Appendix: Protocol of examination for the TC for the breeding approval ............. 29
3.3 Appendix: PennBARQ questionnaire in French .................................................... 41
3
3.4 Appendix: PennBARQ questionnaire in German .................................................. 56
3.5 Appendix: Pictures during the TC in spring ........................................................... 72
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1 Abstract, Zusammenfassung, Résumé
1.1 Abstract
The reliability of 6 judges who assessed the behaviour of dogs simultaneously in the test
of character (TC) of the Swiss Hovawart Club (SHC) was examined in spring, summer and
autumn 2006. The reliabilities were calculated using the Spearman-Brown prediction
formula and Spearman rank correlations for quantitative traits and the kappa coefficient for
binomial variables. Secondly, in a retrospective study the validity of the TC was studied by
comparing the results of TC of dogs which (later) showed behaviour problems related to
aggression with the results of behaviourally inconspicuous dogs. Problematic dogs were
reported to the club because they had to be euthanised or rehomed with different owners
because of their behaviour problems. The behaviour problems were quantified by using a
questionnaire for the owner who had reported the problems. Generally, the reliability
between the 6 judges was high, but there were differences in the degree of agreement on
the three different dates. The result of the retrospective study indicated that the
behaviourally inconspicuous dogs had generally better scored in the TC than problematic
dogs. When dogs with a problem of aggressiveness and their matched control dogs were
compared, there were significant differences in the trait "playing" in the questionnaire and
the TC. Dogs who later displayed aggressive behaviour played less enthusiastically than
dogs who remained non-aggressive. However the other traits which were assessed in the
TC were not useful to predict which dogs will develop problems of aggressiveness later.
1.2 Zusammenfassung
Erstens prüften wir die Zuverlässigkeit von 6 Richtern, die gleichzeitig das Verhalten von
Hunden an Wesensprüfungen (WP) (Junghundebegutachtung und Körung) des
schweizerischen Hovawart Klubs
(SHC) im Frühling, Sommer und Herbst 2006
einschätzten. Zweitens studierten wir in einer retrospektiven Studie die Validität der
Junghunde-Begutachtung durch Vergleich der Resultate von Wesenprüfungen von
Hunden, welche (später) Aggressivität zeigten, mit den Resultaten von Hunden, die nie
Verhaltensprobleme zeigten. 47 Hunde, die während des Jahres 2006 entweder an
Junghunde-Begutachtungen oder an Körungen getestet wurden, haben am ersten Teil
dieser Studie teilgenommen. Jeder Hund wurde gleichzeitig von 6 Richtern beobachtet
und nach jeder Prüfung mussten die 6 Richter allein das Protokoll der Prüfung auszufüllen.
Nachher haben sie die Resultate besprochen und das offizielle Protokoll der Prüfung
zusammen ausgefüllt.
Für den zweiten Teil wurde 15 Hunde genommen, die laut Klub wegen
Aggressionsverhalten euthanasiert oder umplatziert werden mussten. Wir verglichen diese
Hunde mit 15 Hunden, die keine Verhaltensprobleme hatten, um eine Kontrollgruppe zu
formen. Für jeden Hund mit einem Problem fanden wir einen Kontrollhund desselben
Alters, desselben Geschlechtes, und welcher die WP am selben Tag machte. Die
Verhaltensprobleme wurden durch Verwenden eines Fragebogens für den Halter, der über
die Probleme berichtet hatte, eingeschätzt. Wir konnten dann die Resultate der
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Fragebogen mit den Resultaten der Junghunde-Begutachtung vergleichen.
Die Zuverlässigkeit wurde mit der Spearman-Brown Voraussage-Formel berechnet, der
Spearman Korrelationskoeffizient wurde für quantitative Merkmale benützt und der Kappa
Koeffizientl für binomische Variablen.
Im Allgemeinen war die Zuverlässigkeit zwischen den 6 Richtern hoch, es gab aber
Unterschiede der Übereinstimmung an den drei verschiedenen Testdaten. Das Resultat
der retrospektiven Studie zeigt, dass die unauffälligen Hunde allgemein bessere Noten für
die Junghunde-Begutachtung hatten als die problematischen Hunde. Wenn Hunde mit
Aggressivität und die Kontrollhunde in Bezug auf den Fragebogen und die JunghundeBegutachtung verglichen wurden, gab es signifikante Unterschiede im Verhalten "Spielen".
Hunde, die später aggressives Verhalten zeigten, spielten weniger enthusiastisch als
Hunde, die nicht aggressiv blieben. Jedoch waren die anderen Merkmale, die mit der
Junghunde-Begutachtung eingeschätzt wurden, nicht brauchbar, um vorauszusagen,
welche Hunde später Probleme mit Aggressivität entwickeln werden.
Die Art, wie das Prüfungsprotokoll ausgefüllt wird, und die Anzahl von 6 Richtern beim
SHC ist optimal. Es soll aber immer eine genügende Zahl von erfahrenen Richtern bei
jeder Prüfung haben, und sie müssen die Möglichkeit haben, die Bewertungen zu
besprechen. Das beeinflusst die Übereinstimmung zwischen den Richtern und die
Aussagekraft der Bewertung positiv. Die Wesenprüfungen sind ein gutes Instrument, um
eine erste Selektion der Hunden auszuüben; es gibt eine hohe Wahrscheinlichkeit, dass
ein Hund, welcher bereits in diesem Alter Schwierigkeiten zeigt, ein problematischer Hund
zu werden. Das Verhalten "Spielen" schien als einziges Verhaltensmerkmal relevant für
die Risikobewertung, ob ein Hund später ein Problem mit Aggressivität zeigte.
1.3 Résumé
Premièrement, nous avons examiné la fiabilité de 6 juges qui évaluaient le comportement
des chiens pendant les test de caractère (TC) (le TC du jeune chien et le TC pour
l'approbation à l'élevage) du club suisse du Hovawart (SHC) au printemps, été et automne
2006. Deuxièmement, nous avons étudié la validité de l'examen du jeune chien dans une
étude rétrospective par la comparaison des résultats du TC des chiens qui ont montré
(plus tard) de l'agressivité, avec les résultats des chiens qui n'ont jamais montré de
problème de comportement.
Les 47 chiens qui ont été testés pendant 2006, soit au TC du jeune chien soit au TC pour
l'approbation à l'élevage, ont participé à la première partie de cette étude. Chaque chien
était observé simultanément par 6 juges et après chaque examen ces 6 juges devaient
remplir seul le procès-verbal de l'examen. Plus tard, ils ont discuté les résultats et ont
rempli ensemble le procès-verbal de l'examen.
Pour la deuxième partie, 15 chiens, qui selon le SHC ont dû être déplacés de leur famille
ou euthanasiés pour cause d'agressivité, ont été retenu. Nous avons comparé ces chiens
avec 15 chiens qui n'ont eu aucun problème de comportement jusqu'à ce jour, pour former
un groupe de contrôle. Pour chaque chien problématique, nous avons trouvé un chien de
contrôle du même âge, du même sexe, et qui a fait le TC le même jour. Les problèmes de
comportement ont été évalués grâce à un questionnaire adressé au propriétaire du chien,
qui a rapporté le ou les problèmes. Ensuite, nous avons pu comparer les résultats des
questionnaires avec les résultats du TC du jeune chien.
La fiabilité a été calculée avec la formule de prédiction Spearman-Brown, le coefficient de
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corrélation de Spearman a été utilisé pour les caractéristiques quantitatives et la mesure
de la conformité par Kendall pour les variables binômes.
En général la fiabilité a été grande entre les 6 juges, mais il y a eu des différences de
concordance aux trois diverses dates. Le résultat de l'étude rétrospective a montré que les
chiens de contrôle ont eu en général de meilleures notes pour le TC du jeune chien que
les chiens problématiques. Quand des chiens agressifs et avec leur contrôle ont été
comparés par rapport au questionnaire et le TC du jeune chien, il y a eu des différences
significatives pour la caractéristique "Jouer". Les chiens qui ont montré plus tard de
l'agressivité, ont joué avec moins d'enthousiasme que les chiens de contrôle. Cependant
les autres caractéristiques qui sont évaluées par le TC du jeune chien n'ont pas été utiles
pour prédire quels chiens développeront plus tard des problèmes d'agressivité.
La manière, dont le procès-verbal des TC est rempli, et la quantité de 6 juges au SHC est
optimale. Néanmoins il doit toujours avoir un nombre suffisant des juges expérimentés à
chaque examen, et ils doivent avoir la possibilité de discuter entre eux les évaluations.
Cela influence positivement la concordance entre les juges et la signifiance de
l'évaluation. Les TC sont un bon instrument pour effectuer la première sélection des
chiens; il y a une forte vraisemblance qu'un chien qui montre déjà à cet âge des difficultés,
devienne un chien problématique. La caractéristique "Jouer" semble être l'unique signe
important pour l'évaluation du risque, si un chien montra plus tard un problème
d'agressivité.
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2 Reliability and validity of a test of character in Hovawart dogs
Caroline Paroz, Sabine G. Gebhardt-Henrich, Andreas Steiger
Division of Animal Housing and Welfare, Vetsuisse-Faculty of University of Berne,
Bremgartenstrasse 109a, CH 3012 Berne, Switzerland
(Manuscript submitted to Applied Animal Behaviour Science)
Abstract
The reliability of 6 judges who assessed the behaviour of dogs simultaneously in the test
of character (TC) of the Swiss Hovawart Club (SHC) was examined in spring, summer and
autumn 2006. The reliabilities were calculated using the Spearman-Brown prediction
formula and Spearman rank correlations for quantitative traits and the kappa coefficient for
binomial variables. Secondly, the validity of the TC in a retrospective study was studied by
comparing the results of TC of dogs which (later) showed behaviour problems related to
aggression with the results of behaviourally inconspicuous dogs. Problematic dogs were
reported to the club because they had to be euthanised or re-homed with different owners
because of their behaviour problems. The behaviour problems were quantified by using a
questionnaire for the owner who had reported the problems. Generally, the reliability
between the 6 judges was high, but there were differences of agreement on the three
different dates. The results of the retrospective study indicated that the behaviourally
inconspicuous dogs had generally better scored in the TC than problematic dogs. When
dogs with a problem of aggressiveness and their matched control dogs were compared,
there were significant differences in the trait "playing" in the questionnaire and the TC.
Dogs who later displayed aggressive behaviour played less enthusiastically than dogs who
remained non-aggressive. However the other traits which were assessed in the TC were
not useful to predict which dogs will develop problems of aggressiveness later.
Keywords
Hovawart dog, test of character, behaviour, reliability, number of judges, agressiveness
2.1 Introduction
The behaviour of dogs is of growing public concern. In today‘s world, dogs are expected to
behave without endangering or annoying people. It is important to identify a potentially
problematic dog early, possibly during a test of character (TC). Many studies have been
done on this subject, but the researchers studying the character of dogs come from varied
backgrounds and publish in a broad range of journals (Jones and Gosling, 2005). In their
review Jones and Gosling (2005 p. 49) stressed that future research should assess the
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reliability and validity of behavioural coding. Standardized behaviour tests for the purpose
of evaluating the character or temperament of dogs in regard to people and the
environment have been applied in Switzerland in various breeds for breeding purposes.
Every breed club uses its own test with different request profiles, so that there are as many
tests as clubs (Scherrer, 2007). Besides their use as selection criteria, TCs are also used
as aptitude tests. The objectives of aptitude tests are to predict the suitability and future
performance of the dogs, e.g. as police dogs (Slabbert, 1999), guide dogs for the blind
(Wilsson and Sundgren, 1997a,b, 1998)), family dogs (Venzl et al., 1989), and shelter
dogs (Weiss and Gary, 1997; van der Borg et al., 1991).
A particularly important factor is the judge, because he/she must objectively and
accurately interpret the behaviour of the dogs. The SHC is probably the only breed club in
Switzerland where each dog is evaluated by 6 judges simultaneously. The judges decide
which dogs will be allowed to breed; therefore their decision influences the future of the
breed. A fundamental topic in psychology regarding behavioural/personality tests in
particular is the extent to which two observers or judges agree with one another in their
impressions of a common target (Gosling et al., 2003; Lloyd et al., 2007; Kenny, 1991).
The agreement question is closely related to the accuracy question. In social perception,
exact accuracy is rare, and only partial accuracy is the norm. It is possible for two judges
not to agree, with both being partially accurate. Technically, agreement is neither a
necessary nor a sufficient condition for accuracy; however, agreement and accuracy are
linked. Six factors can determine agreement (Kenny, 1991):
1. Acquaintance: It means the sheer amount of information to which the judge is exposed.
The more the six judges see of a dog‘s behaviour, the more they will agree. Judges who
are still in training might not observe exactly what an experienced judge can observe and
will thus differ slightly in their judgement.
2. Overlap: It is the extent of the set of target behaviour which the judges observe at the
same time. It plays a pivotal role in determining the degree of agreement. The six judges
are probably not always concentrated simultaneously and consequently do not share the
same observations of a dog. Since they are not at the exact same place they observe the
dog from different angles and distances.
3. Shared meaning system: It means to what extent an act is given the same meaning by
the six judges. If six judges see a dog engaged in a behaviour they may not label that
behaviour in the same way, especially when judges still in training take part in the
evaluation.
4. Consistency: It measures how consistent the dog‘s behaviour is across situations, e.g.
dogs might behave differently at home than during the TC. The six judges observe the dog
only during the test and must describe its behaviour with the best possible reliability.
5. Extraneous information: this means to what extent the judges rate the target on the
basis of extraneous information, that is information not based on the dog‘s behaviour
during the test. The majority of the judges know the kennels and breeders of the examined
dogs. It is difficult to disregard personal opinions and feelings, although the judges must
remain as objective as possible.
6. Communication takes place when the judges share their impressions of the dogs with
each other. Six judges can be in agreement because they communicate their impressions
and mutually influence one another which can give us a more objective judgement. In this
situation it is likely that agreement can be used to forecast accuracy (Kenny, 1991).
The aim of this project was to examine the TC of the Swiss Hovawart Club (SHC). The
Hovawart is a fairly large (58-70 cm) and strongly built working and companion dog. In
9
Switzerland the SHC promotes this breed solely as a companion dog. We analysed two
aspects of the tests: The first part dealt with the reliability of the judges. Breeding approval
is an important decision for the future of the dog and the breed and it is based on the result
of the TC. If TCs should have any value they must predict every-day behaviour in the real
world (Gosling and Vazire, 2002). Therefore, the second part was a retrospective study, in
order to examine whether the behaviour test achieved the objectives laid down by the
SHC. We compared the TCs of dogs which (later) showed behaviour problems related to
aggression with behaviourally inconspicuous dogs. We wanted to see if these dogs with
behaviour problems (at a later date) had been judged differently at the TC than the
unproblematic dogs. If it is possible to recognize such dogs promptly and instruct the dog
leader regarding potential future problems some incidences of euthanasia or re-homing
might be avoided.
2.2 Materials and methods
2.2.1 Test of Character (TC)
Since 1960 the Swiss Hovawart Club has applied two standardized TCs which are based
on Seiferle and Leonhardt (1984). One test examines the juvenile dog between 7 and 13
months of age and the other test evaluates the aptitude for breeding from 18 months of
age onwards. The TC of the juvenile dog does not influence the breeding approval. During
each test six judges observe the dogs‘ behaviour in detail and describe the character of
the dogs. The parts of the test proceed one after another without a pause and they
increase in intensity to test the stability of the behaviour. Besides these various test
elements, the performance of the dog is judged generally during the entire exam
(temperament and relationship with the handler for the juvenile and the older dogs,
excitability and calming down only for the older ones). The TC is divided into 5 different
parts for the juvenile dogs and 10 parts for the breeding approval.
2.2.1.1 TC of juvenile dogs
2.2.1.1.1 Encounter with a single person
The dog (not on the leash) and its handler go for a walk approximately 20 meters outside
the area and suddenly an unknown person (a judge) behind a tree becomes visible to the
dog. The judge greets the handler and the dog with physical contact. Then they go back
together to the test area. With this test the judge evaluates the behaviour of the dog during
contact with a stranger in an unusual environment and can thereby determine its
fearlessness and self-confidence in front of human beings.
2.2.1.1.2 Play behaviour
First the handler plays with the dog while holding a tug toy in his hands, inciting the dog to
bite, grip and dragging it. Then the judge takes the toy and continues the animation.
2.2.1.1.3 Broad lane
Dog and handler walk through a broad lane of standing people (between 6 and 15 persons
including the 6 judges). The judges can stroke or touch the dog at any time while she is
passing.
2.2.1.1.4 Optical and acoustical test in broad lane
Several optical and acoustical objects (umbrella, cloth, cow bell, horn, cans filled with
10
stones ...) are presented to the dog in a playful manner in the broad lane. There should be
no provocation or intimidation; it should be a game for the dog. These objects are then
thrown on the ground, so that the dog has the opportunity to make contact with them. The
desired behaviour is a solved, attentive attitude which expresses its control faced with all
these phenomena and its interest in these objects. The encounter with these objects
should turn into a kind of game. It is important to judge the behaviour in its entirety and not
to emphasise an isolated reaction.
2.2.1.1.5 General behaviour
a) Temperament (physical flexibility and intensity of reaction to different environmental
stimuli): the dog should be normal to lively in temperament and interested in the
environment.
b) Relationship with the handler: the dog should show a good to pronounced
relationship with his handler, without sticking to her.
2.2.1.2 TC for the breeding approval
2.2.1.2.1 Encounter with a single person
The judge greets the handler and the dog (not on a leash) with physical contact. He/she
explains the procedure of the test to the handler.
2.2.1.2.2 Broad and narrow lane
Dog and handler walk through a broad lane of standing people (between 6 and 15 persons
including the 6 judges). The judges can stroke and touch the dog at any time while he is
passing. Then, the people move to form a narrow lane (less than a metre). The dog should
pass with his handler and should not show signs of anxiety or fear.
2.2.1.2.3 Optical and acoustical test in broad lane
The same test as for the juvenile dogs (see 2.2.1.1.4)
2.2.1.2.4 Holding of the dog by a stranger
The judge holds the dog by the collar, while the handler moves approximately 15 meters
away. The dog must keep quiet.
2.2.1.2.5 Circle
a) Call into the circle: the handler goes into the middle of a circle of a maximum of 10
people, who are facing outwards. The handler calls his dog once. The dog should
come to him inside the circle directly or after a detour.
b) Closing of the circle: the circle is opened and the people turn inwards. The handler
and the dog stand in the middle. Suddenly the 10 people run towards the dog and
make the circle smaller. The dog can be frightened; she must, however, overcome
this fear of the people shortly afterwards.
2.2.1.2.6 Bang effect
The reaction to a bang is tested with a starting clapboard. The judge walks approximately
10 metres in front of the dog and his handler, suddenly he starts up the clapboard, without
the dog seeing him, he puts the clapboard on the ground and continues to walk. The
handler stops when he hears the bang, and then he walks to the site of the clapboard. The
dog can be surprised by the bang but should not be afraid of the clapboard or the judge.
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2.2.1.2.7 Play behaviour
The same test as for the juvenile dogs (see 2.2.1.1.2)
2.2.1.2.8 General behaviour
a) Excitability: during the whole test the dog should be able to control itself although
the pressure rises. He should react neither nervously nor over sensitively.
b) Calming down: during the whole test the dog should be able to control herself
although the pressure rises during the test. She should be able to calm down after
every test element.
c) Temperament (physical flexibility and intensity of reaction to different environmental
stimuli): the dog should be normal to lively in temperament and interested in the
environment.
d) Relationship with the handler: the dog should show a good to pronounced
attachment to his handler, without sticking to him.
The test is always done at the same place in Switzerland. A cord (streamer of building site)
defines the sector of examination which is approximately 60 m2. During the examination
the dog is free in this area; she should not cross the border and should not be at the heel
of the handler. As few commands as possible should be given, to enable the dog to react
independently in the various situations. Some tests can be repeated until the reaction of
the dog can be clearly judged. Each dog is judged simultaneously by 6 judges and after
each examination these 6 judges meet in order to discuss the results and to fill out the
official protocol of the examination together (see Appendix 1). The protocol is a subjective
grading recorded verbally; words and expressions which vary in intensity are used. The
most experienced judge underlines the expressions of the protocol which correspond to
the character of the dog by considering the comments of the 5 other judges. To be able to
analyse the judgment of the various judges, we transformed the verbal grades into
numerical scores (Tab. 1).
Table 1: Transformation of the verbal grades into scores for several traits. Traits with the
answer "yes" or "no" (presence of aggression, result: pass/fail) were not transformed.
a) TC for the juvenile dog (Desired scores
are shown in bold)
Score self-confidence
play with handler
play with stranger
temperament
relationship with the
handler
1
looking
threatened,
impressed
no interest, does
not bite
lethargic
is lacking, is under
pressure
2
slightly
impressed
bites with
inhibition
sluggish
very independent,
indifferent
3
feeling insecure
bites slightly
playfully
slightly lively
loose
4
slightly feeling
insecure
bites playfully
calm
good
5
curious
plays slightly
enthusiastically
normal
pronounced
12
6
self-confident
7
plays
enthusiastically
lively
very pronounced
plays very
enthusiastically
very lively,
great drive of
exercise
confined
nervous
dog sticks to the
handler
8
b) TC for the breeding approval (Desired scores are shown in bold) Self-confidence, play with handler and
stranger were coded as in juvenile dogs
relationship
calming
Score
excitability
temperament with the
down
handler
1
Too
difficult to
excite
rapidly
calmed
down
sluggish
is lacking, is
under
pressure
2
difficult to
excite
normal
slightly lively
loose, very
independent
3
normal
slow to
calm down
normal
good
4
quickly
excited
hesitatingly
lively
calming
down
5
too slow
too quickly
calming
excites
down
6
cannot be
calmed
down
very lively
pronounced
dog sticks to
the handler
dog does
not separate
7
The examination of the juvenile dogs gives only an indication of their behaviour,
temperament and character. In this way, owners are advised about the important points
on which they should concentrate while training their dog. The TC for the breeding
approval ends with the result "pass" or "fail". It is possible to repeat this exam, but only in
exceptional circumstances; the term ―postponed‖ may be used. The judges are not the
same people for every exam, but a core of three experienced judges is desired. Three
other judges are either judges in training, or people with a good knowledge of the
behaviour of Hovawarts. Under two particular conditions, it is possible that the number of 6
judges is not achieved: When a judge is the owner of the examined dog or when a judge is
the breeder of the examined dog he/she is excluded.
2.2.2 Subjects
2.2.2.1 First part
The subjects of this study were 23 dogs of the breed Hovawart which took the TC of
juvenile dog and 24 dogs which took the TC for the breeding approval in 2006. For the
study the 6 judges received the protocol of judgment after every dog and they had to fill it
out independently of the others. After that, they judged the dog together as they normally
do.
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2.2.2.2 Second part
For the second part, we selected 15 Hovawart dogs which had to be euthanised or rehomed with a new family because of aggressiveness. We matched those with 15 dogs,
which had no problem of behaviour to form a group of control. For every dog with a
problem we found a control dog of the same age, the same sex and which took the TC on
the same day. We collected the reports of the TC of juvenile dog for these 30 dogs. Only
6 TCs for the breeding approval could be obtained, therefore they were not analysed.
2.2.3 Questionnaire
Using a questionnaire to collect the behavioural data is based on the assumption that the
owner (or primary handler) of a dog usually knows more about its typical behaviour than
anyone else. We used the validated questionnaire of Hsu and Serpell (2003) with the
additional questions of Svartberg (2005) which is known as the University of Pennsylvania
Behavioral Assessment and Research Questionnaire (PennBARQ)(Appendix 3.3 – 3.4).
The items were worded to address the dog's typical responses to specific situations and
events; the owners were requested to describe how their dogs responded to these specific
situations. For simplicity, items were grouped into the following general categories: training
and obedience, aggression, fear and anxiety, separation-related behaviour, excitability,
attachment and attention-seeking behaviour, sociability, miscellaneous. For categories in
which responses were most readily evaluated in terms of frequency of a particular
response (i.e., sociability, trainability, separation-related behaviour, attachment and
attention-seeking behaviour, and miscellaneous), owners were asked to score their dogs
with 5-point frequency-scales (i.e., 0 = never, 1 = seldom, 2 = sometimes, 3 = usually, 4 =
always). For categories in which responses were most readily evaluated in terms of
intensity of particular behaviours (i.e., aggression, fear and anxiety, and excitability),
owners were asked to score their dogs with 5-point qualitative (semantic differential) rating
scales (i.e., 0 = no signs of the behaviour, 1 to 3 = mild to moderate signs of the
behaviour, and 4 = severe signs of the behaviour). For these rating scales, each section of
the questionnaire included a brief explanation describing the sorts of behavioural signs
that respondents could use when scoring their dogs. For every item, respondents also had
the option of not scoring if the dog's response to the particular situation was not known or
if the item was not applicable to their dog for some reason. In the analyses, these
responses were treated as missing values.
2.2.4 Reliability
We used a transformed Spearman-Brown prediction formula to determine the reliability of
the six judges (http://www.med-ed-online.org/rating/reliability.html, accessed 17.04.07).
We corrected the obtained results for 6 judges by the formula found on
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spermann-Brown prediction formula (Solomon, pers. comm.
21.09.06).
2.2.5 Statistical analyses
SAS Version 9.1 was used for data analyses. Spearman rank correlation coefficients were
used to estimate the level of agreement between judges for quantitative variables. All 15
possible correlations among the 6 judges were calculated and the median of those
correlations was taken for each date. The kappa coefficient was used for qualitative
variables (presence of aggression, pass/fail).
14
2.3 Results
2.3.1 Agreement between judges
Only 11 dogs out of 24 (45.8%) passed the examination as to suitability for breeding. Eight
dogs failed and 5 were postponed.
In the breeding aptitude test, correlations between the judges were generally high and
significant except for "self-confidence", "play with handler" and "calming down" at the
summer test (Tab. 2).
Table 2: Medians of the Spearman rank correlation coefficients between the judges for
several traits on the three dates for the breeding approval (ns = non significant, * P<0.01,
** P<0.001, *** P<0.0001).
Median
Self -confidence
Play with handler
Play with stranger
Calming
Exciting
Bond
Temperament
Spring
0.87***
0.65***
0.58***
0.98***
0.92***
0.56**
0.71***
Summer
0.13 ns
0.22 ns
0.92***
0.19 ns
0.61*
0.5***
0.82***
Autumn
0.66***
0.57***
0.73***
0.81***
0.82***
0.21*
0.54***
Likewise, the correlations between the individual judges and the official result were
generally high (Tab. 3).
Table 3: Means (± standard deviations) of the Spearman rank correlation coefficients
(result individual judge correlated with the official result) for several traits on the three
dates.
a) juvenile dogs
Trait
Self-confidence
Play with handler
Play with stranger
Temperament
Relationship
Spring
0.50 (± 0.25)
0.68 (±0.24)
0.58 (±0.33)
0.83 (±0.11)
0.69 (± 0.23)
b) breeding approval
Trait
Spring
Self-confidence
0.85 (± 0.14)
Play with handler 0.69 (±0.14)
Play with stranger 0.72 (±0.0.21)
Excitability
0.91 (± 0.06)
Calming down
0.99 (±0.01)
Fall
0.74 (±0.13)
0.79 (±0.10)
0.78 (±0.13)
0.77 (±0.15)
0.62 (±0.30)
Summer
0.13 (±0.48)
0.35 (0.48)
0.95 (±0.21)
0.71 (± 0.37)
0.44 (±0.7)
Fall
0.78 (±0.17)
0.63 (±0.24)
0.77 (±0.22)
0.88 (± 0.07)
0.86 (0.01)
15
Temperament
Relationship
0.84 (±0.21)
0.66 (± 0.34)
0.89 (±0.12)
0.75 (± 0.28)
0.73 (±0.20)
0.19 (±0.34)
Only two young dogs were tested on the summer date, therefore no statistics are given for
this date. In juvenile dogs, "calming down" and "excitability" were not tested.
The mean correlations between the six judges and the official result differed among traits
and among the three dates. The correlations at the summer test were generally lower
than those at the spring or the autumn test but the dates only differed significantly for selfconfidence (both tests), temperament and relationship with the owner (breeding
approval)(Tab. 4).
Table 4: Influence of date and experience of the judges on the Spearman rank correlation
coefficients (result individual judge correlated with the official result) for several traits. A
GLM was used. For the juvenile dogs, "play with the owner" and "play with stranger" were
transformed by arc sinus. For the breeding approval test "calming down" was transformed
by arc sinus, "play with the owner" and "self-confidence" were square transformed.
Correlations of the trait "play with stranger" had too many 1‘s (perfect correlations) and
were analysed by a Friedman test. Neither date nor experience were significant, the
results are not shown in this table. In juvenile dogs, "calming down" and "excitability" were
not assessed. When interactions had P-values over 0.20 they were pooled and listed as
"none" (* P > 0.05, ** P < 0.01, *** P < 0.001).
a) juvenile dogs
Trait
Date (F-value)
Self-confidence
Play with
handler
Play with
stranger
Experience (F-value)
Interaction (F-value)
12.21*
2.55
3.31
4.26
1.5
2.7
0.23
2.83
none
Temperament
0.05
0.08
2.89
relationship
0.18
0.5
none
b) breeding approval
Trait
self-confidence
Date (F-value)
Experience (F-value)
Interaction (F-value)
7.50***
0.13
none
play with handler
0.57
4.53*
none
excitability
1.02
1.71
none
calming down
1.84
1.96
none
Temperament
6.32*
3.13
6.86**
relationship
8.29**
1.76
2.21
The kappa coefficients as a measure of agreement between the judges for the trait
16
"aggressiveness" and the pass/fail result were also high and significant (Tab. 5).
Table 5: Kappa coefficients for the measure of agreement between the judges for the trait
"aggressiveness" and the pass/fail result (SD = standard deviation).
Result
Aggressiveness
Average SD
0.79
0.33
0.71
0.44
P-Value
0.014
0.011
The average scores of all judges and the official scores did not differ significantly for any
trait (Tab. 6).
Table 6: P-values of the calculated difference between the average of the judges and the
official score (Wilcoxon Test).
Self-confidence
Play with handler
Play with stranger
Excitability
Calming down
Temperament
relationship
P-Value (median)
0.25
0.47
0.54
1.00
0.25
0.12
1.00
The trait "self-confidence" correlated significantly negatively with "excitability" and "calming
down", but "excitability" and "calming down" were significantly positively correlated. A dog
which was judged "very excited", was also judged "slow to calm down" and with little "selfconfidence" (Tab. 7).
Table 7: Spearman rank correlation coefficients between several traits. Above the
diagonal are the correlation coefficients and below the diagonal the P-values (ns = non
significant).
Selfconfidence
Play
handler
Play
stranger
Excitability Calming down
Temperament Relationship
Selfconfidence
1.00
0.58
0.42
-0.85
-0.78
0.46
0.22
Play with
handler
0.00
1.00
0.50
-0.48
-0.50
0.44
-0.05
Play with
stranger
0.05
0.02
1.00
-0.36
-0.46
0.47
-0.35
< .0001
0.02
ns
1.00
0.89
-0.18
-0.14
Excitability
17
Calming down
< .0001
0.01
0.03
< .0001
1.00
-0.23
-0.20
Temperament
0.02
0.03
0.03
ns
ns
1.00
0.00
ns
ns
ns
ns
ns
ns
1.00
Relationship
We did not find significant differences between experienced judges and judges who were
still in training concerning their correlations with the official score for the TC of juvenile dog
and the breeding approval except for "play with handler" (Table 4).
The high inter-rater reliabilities were confirmed by the inter-rater reliability calculator for the
juvenile dogs and for the breeding approval (Tab. 8). All the reliabilities calculated for the
various traits were over 0.8, which is excellent.
Table 8: Reliabilities between judges calculated with the inter-rater reliability calculator for
TC of juvenile dogs and for the breeding approval. Number of raters denotes the harmonic
mean number of raters per dog. The mean and the standard deviation (SD) are based on
the averaged rating for each dog.
a) juvenile dogs
Trait
Self-confidence
Play with handler
Play with stranger
Temperament
Relationship
number of rater
6
5.91
5.91
5.96
5.91
mean rating
4.26
5.31
5.74
5.7
5.07
SD rating
1.03
1.51
1.47
0.76
0.96
reliability
0.8
0.95
0.94
0.89
0.87
b) breeding approval
Trait
Self-confidence
Play with handler
Play with stranger
Excitability
Calming down
Temperament
Relationship
number of rater
5.92
5.92
5.58
5.83
5.83
5.87
5.87
mean rating
3.92
3.54
3.36
3.48
2.8
3.34
3.18
SD rating
1.29
1.05
1.63
0.78
1.06
0.54
0.66
reliability
0.89
0.89
0.97
0.97
0.95
0.81
0.92
2.3.2 Comparison between problematic and control dogs
Thirty dogs of the group of problematic dogs had to be euthanised and 20 were placed into
a new family. We eliminated 21 dogs for various causes: primary owner could not be
found, dog died a long time ago, or no TC. Thus we finally sent 14 questionnaires to
owners of dogs which were euthanised and 15 questionnaires to owners of dogs which
were placed in a new family. We received 7 usable questionnaires for the euthanised dogs
and 8 for the re-homed dogs. Fourteen questionnaires were returned empty. We classified
these refusals into three categories: 1) the dog had died a long time ago; 2) the dog was
not euthanised/re-homed because of a behaviour problem but because of pathology or
personal problems; 3) unknown reasons. One of the principal causes was the length of
time since the death of the dog. The questionnaire was not filled out if the owners felt they
18
did not remember how the dog acted in the various situations.
When we compared the results of the TC of juvenile dogs with a problem of aggression
and their controls we observed that the problematic dogs and the matched controls did not
differ in the traits "aggression", "temperament", "self-confidence", "relationship", "type of
relationship", "meeting with a foreigner" and "play with the owner". We therefore could not
differentiate between these two categories of dogs by the results of the TCs. However,
there was a significant difference (P = 0.0084) for the trait "play with stranger". We
examined the difference between the sums of scores received in the TC which were given
to dogs presenting problems and the control dogs; control dogs received significantly
better scores (Fig 1).
Figure 1: Difference of the sums of scores for the TC of juvenile dogs for the dog with
problem of aggressiveness and their dog of control.
19
100
total sum of scores
90
80
self confidence
Play_handler
Play_stranger
70
Temperament
Relationship
60
50
aggressiv dogs
normal dogs
We correlated the scores of the TC for the juvenile dogs with the various items of the
questionnaire (Tab. 9). The trait "play with handler" of the TC correlated significantly
negatively with these traits from the questionnaire: aggression to foreigners, aggression to
the owner, stranger-directed fear, problem of separation. This means that dogs that played
more with their owners during the test of character were less likely to have shown
aggression to people, to be afraid of strangers and to have separation anxiety. The trait
"play with stranger" correlated significantly negatively with the items aggression to the
owner, stranger-directed fear, non-social fear, and excitability from the questionnaire.
Table 9: Spearman correlation coefficients for several traits of the TC of juvenile dogs and
the questionnaire.
Selfconfidence
Play
handler
Play
stranger
Temperament Relationship
20
Aggression against
strangers
Aggression against
owners
Aggression against
dogs
Aggression against
familiar dogs
-0.19 ns
-0.58 *
-0.41 ns
-0.48 ns
-0.38 ns
-0.28 ns
-0.62*
-0.59 *
0.07 ns
-0.47 ns
-0.19 ns
-0.23 ns
-0.44 ns
-0.47 ns
0.17 ns
0.46 ns
0.45 ns
0.38 ns
0.36 ns
0.04 ns
Trainability
-0.14 ns
0.28 ns
0.17 ns
0.39 ns
0.11 ns
Chasing
-0.38 ns
-0.25 ns
-0.07 ns
-0.73**
-0.09 ns
Stranger directed fear
-0.09 ns
-0.65*
-0.56 *
-0.09 ns
-0.28 ns
Non-social fear
-0.35 ns
-0.49 ns
-0.61*
-0.23 ns
-0.06 ns
Separation problems
-0.22 ns
-0.58*
-0.39 ns
-0.38 ns
-0.5 ns
Touch sensitivity
-0.11 ns
-0.17 ns
-0.3 ns
-0.25 ns
0.19 ns
Excitability
-0.02 ns
-0.39 ns
-0.67*
-0.23 ns
0.11 ns
Attention seeking
0.1 ns
-0.02 ns
-0.3 ns
-0.04 ns
0.27 ns
Energy
0.12 ns
-0.03 ns
-0.31 ns
0.34 ns
0 ns
When dogs with a problem of aggressiveness and their matched control dog were
compared, using the questionnaire that the handler had filled out and the TC, problematic
dogs almost always played significantly less.
2.4 Discussion
2.4.1 Agreement between judges
The Swiss population of Hovawarts with pedigrees was represented well in this study,
because the SHC encourages the owners of young Hovawarts to present their dogs at
these two tests of character, even if the dogs in question will not be intended for breeding.
It is for that reason that castrated or sterilized dogs participated in these tests, which is
unusual. About 90 % of the young Swiss Hovawarts appear at the tests of character every
year.
The results showed a good general agreement between the 6 judges. The correlations
between the judges and the official result and the reliabilities between the judges were
high and most of the time significant. The mean interobserver agreement correlation often
exceeded the mean reported in a review of studies of animal personalities and of humans
(Gosling and Vazire, 2002). At the first date of this study in spring, we asked the judges to
fill out the protocol without consulting, something they were not used to. Although our
orders were clear several judges cheated a little, something we did not see later in
summer and in autumn.
21
The agreement between the judges in July was worse than on the two other occasions
(see Tables 1 and 5). Several explanations are possible. Maybe the composition of 6
judges of the summer 2006 was not ideal. We know that precisely for this session the
requirement of having three experienced judges was not respected. The weather could
have had an influence; it was very hot that day, which might have disturbed the
concentration of the judges. As another possibility, the most experienced judge had his
arm in a cast and this might have influenced his concentration. We also know that one
week before this session all the judges participated in a day of training. They were made
attentive to certain factors which can affect their judgment during the exam (e.g. a shared
meaning system, acquaintance, etc.). This might have also influenced their judgements.
Agreement coefficients are known to vary between traits (Gosling and Vazire, 2002).
Certain traits like "self-confidence", "play with a stranger", "temperament" and
"relationship" seemed more difficult to judge than others. This was most noticeable in the
summer when the agreement was generally lower. It is difficult to explain why these traits
were more difficult to judge than the others. It might be difficult to see the same things
during the examination and to describe them in the same way, with the same specific
words. The 6 judges have to remain concentrated during the entire examination and
analyse every situation already by thinking of the protocol. If we take the example of "play
with a stranger", we know that the stranger is played by the most experienced judge who
is also the judge who fills out the protocol and who acts as a leader in the discussion. This
trait is not difficult to judge normally, because the leader describes how the dog played
with him without the 5 other judges intervening. These 5 judges are only observing and do
not play with the dog, they are not therefore required to describe this behaviour, which can
falsify the data relative to this trait. Furthermore, it is the last test for the dog; the
concentration of the judges worsened, we even observed certain judges who did not look
conscientiously at this test. In all cases, it should be realized that various factors can have
serious consequences which are not always evident at first sight.
Even if behavioural traits were well defined, the grading of the performance of a dog would
always be subjective to a certain degree. In studies with several judges, an additional
source of variation will affect the grading and inflate the total variance. Wilsson and
Sundgren (1997) suggested to keep the number of people evaluating the dog's behaviour
down to a minimum and to have routines that regularly coordinate the standard of these
experts. In the SHC, there are only 9 available judges to evaluate the tests of character
and they are all officially present at least once a year. Furthermore, the three experienced
judges should be present every time.
The results of table 3 demonstrated that the official score and the scores by all judges did
not differ significantly. When we look for example at the spring results, we see that judges
C and D never put in the same score but the average of these two judges is very close to
the average of all 6 judges and also to the official note. So the more judges, the higher the
probability that an error committed by one judge will be weak. Thus, the total variance is
not going to amplify, but on the contrary to diminish. However, the composition of the six
judges is important, there should always be a sufficient number of experienced judges in
every session of the examination and the judges should have the possibility of
communicating between themselves and to discuss the results. According to Fowell et al.
(2006) a minimum of 6 judges is required when the judges are allowed to discuss their
judgments. Their results indicate that a discussion phase improves the reliability and
reduces the number of judges. Roberts et al. (2006) also showed that the optimal number
of judges to obtain reliabilities better than 0.8 is between 5 and 7. While increasing the
number of judges is important, reliability could also be improved. For example in one of the
tests, all the judges, independently of the others, judged that the dog fled the situation.
22
When we looked at the official protocol, they agreed that the dog remained quiet during the
situation. We do not know if it was an error on behalf of all the judges, or if a discussion on
this subject made them all change their opinion. During a test of breeding approval, the
judges had to vote because they did not agree concerning the final result of a dog and
even during the discussion they did not find a common ground. So a group of experienced
people instead of a single person decided on the dog‘s breeding approval or not. We
observed that certain traits were strongly significantly correlated positively or negatively.
(see Table 5). The judgements of the traits which correlate strongly with each other are not
independent of each other. These are therefore not independent traits of character, but
describe a type of character.
2.4.2 Comparison between problematic and control dogs
The reliability of a TC does not predict its validity. The TCs made by the SHC are two
assessments of the behaviour of the dog at two fixed moments. The dog is not constant in
its behaviour; it can modulate its character all the time, influenced by the situations that it
meets in its life. If the dog did not show aggressiveness during the one or/and the other
TC, we cannot classify this dog as being exempt from aggressiveness forever, but only for
this time in this situation. The dog might behave very differently at home with his family.
The TC of the juvenile dog can help the owners to work with their dog in a way more
targeted on certain aspects of the character. The persons who participate in a TC for
juvenile dogs are generally interested in the advice of the judges. Mostly, they are also
going to participate in various lessons of sociability and of obedience. In the study of
Bennett and Rohlf (2006), dog owners who engaged in dog training activities reported that
their dogs were less disobedient and more friendly/less aggressive towards strangers and
familiar people than other dogs. Bennett and Rohlf (2006) established that participation in
training activities is associated with a significantly reduced prevalence of canine
behaviours that are potentially problematic for dog owners. Dogs at their TC of juvenile
dogs are not yet mature sexually and are thus still very malleable in their character.
We observed that the results of the TC for juvenile dogs of the control dogs were generally
better than those of the problematic dogs. This TC is thus a good measure to practise a
first selection of dogs; there is a high probability that a dog which already shows difficulties
behaving in an adequate way at this age will become a problematic dog. On the other
hand this TC cannot be used to predict the future aggressive behaviour of the dogs
because it is not sensitive enough (same as in Svartberg, 2005). We obtained only one
single significant difference between the results of problematic dogs and their controls for
the trait "play with stranger". The problematic dogs did not play with the judge with so
much enthusiasm as their controls. When dogs with a problem of aggressiveness and their
matched control dog were compared, using the questionnaire to the handler and the TC,
problematic dogs almost always played significantly less than their controls. However, not
all dogs playing less at the TC will develop a problem of aggression.
Considering this limitation, these TCs seem to assess important aspects of dog personality
in a valid way which supports their uses as an instrument in dog breeding, in selection of
individual dogs for different purposes and they allow to keep track of the characters of the
Swiss population of Hovawarts.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank the judges of the SHC for their help with the data collection during the
TC and especially Denise Gaudy, who also helped us with the dog-owners addresses and
23
the access of old TCs. Christine Wittwer told us about the six judges at the TC of the SHC
and thus gave us the idea for this study. Many thanks also to Dr. James A. Serpell, who
kindly put the CBARQ questionnaire at our disposal, and let us use it in this study.
24
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26
3 Appendix
3.1 Appendix: Protocol of examination for the TC of juvenile dogs ............................ 28
3.2 Appendix: Protocol of examination for the TC for the breeding approval ........... 29
3.3 Appendix: PennBARQ questionnaire in French...................................................... 41
3.4 Appendix: PennBARQ questionnaire in German .................................................... 56
3.5 Appendix: Pictures during the TC in spring ............................................................ 72
27
3.1 Appendix: Protocol of examination for the TC of juvenile dogs (JunghundeBegutachtung). The judges underline the several words to describe the behaviour of the dog
during the TC.
28
3.2 Appendix: Protocol of examination for the TC for the breeding approval
(Körung)
29
3.3 Appendix: PennBARQ questionnaire in French
Questionnaire d’évaluation et de Recherche sur le Comportement
(PennBARQ)
Les questions suivantes sont destinées à la compréhension du comportement de votre
chien au cours des mois précédents (c.à d. pendant les derniers mois avant
l'euthanasie/la séparation avec le chien)
De préférence, veuillez répondre à toutes les questions, en ne cochant qu‘une seule
réponse. Mais, si pour une quelconque raison, vous n‘êtes pas en mesure de répondre
correctement ( p.ex. vous n‘avez jamais vu votre chien confronté à la situation évoquée)
alors, ne répondez pas.
Section 1: Formation et obéissance
Quelques chiens sont plus obéissants et aptes à la formation que d‘autres. En cochant
les cases qui conviennent, veuillez indiquer comment, au cours des derniers mois,
votre chien s‘est comporté dans les situations suivantes:
Jamais
Rarement Parfois
Régulièrement Toujours
Jamais
Rarement Parfois
Régulièrement Toujours
1. En liberté, revient-il immédiatement à
l‘appel ?
2. Obéit-il immédiatement à l‘ordre de
s‘asseoir ?
3. Obéit-il immédiatement à l‘ordre ''pas
bouger'' ?
4. Est-il très attentif à ce que vous dites ou
faites ?
5. Est-il réceptif ou indifférent à la punition
ou à la correction ?
41
6. Est-il lent à apprendre de nouveaux jeux
ou de nouvelles tâches ?
7. Est-il facilement distrait par les odeurs,
par les bruits ou par ce qu‘il voit ?
8. Rapporte-t-il ou essait-il de rapporter
bâtons, balles ou objets ?
Section 2: L’Agressivité
Quelques chiens font preuve d‘un comportement agressif, de temps en temps. Les
signes typiques d‘agressivité modérée incluent : aboiements ou grognements, le chien
peut même montrer les dents. L‘agressivité la plus grave inclut généralement :
claquement de dents, menace de sauter sur la personne, intention évidente de mordre.
Cochez le chiffre correspondant au degré d‘agressivité sur l‘échelle suivante
(0= pas agressif - 4= très agressif). Veuillez indiquer la tendance de votre chien à
l‘agressivité dans les situations suivantes :
Pas du tout
agressif:
Aucun signe
visible
d‘agressivité
Agressivité modérée:
Grognements / aboiements & montre ses
dents
Forte agressivité:
Claque des dents,
mord ou essaie de
mordre
0…..……..…………..1…………….………..2………..………..…..3…………….………..4
9. Quand vous ou quelqu‘un de son entourage le punissez ou le grondez
(avec des mots)
10. Quand il est approché par un adulte inconnu alors qu‘il est en laisse.
0 1 2 3 4
0 1 2 3 4
42
11. Quand il est approché par un enfant inconnu alors qu‘il est en laisse.
0 1 2 3 4
12. Quand il est approché par un inconnu alors qu‘il est dans votre
voiture (ex. à la pompe à essence).
0 1 2 3 4
13. Quand quelqu‘un de son entourage lui enlève ses jouets, son os ou
tout autre objet.
0 1 2 3 4
14. Quand quelqu‘un de son entourage lui donne un bain ou fait sa
toilette.
0 1 2 3 4
15. Quand un inconnu vous approche ou approche un autre membre de
votre entourage à votre domicile.
0 1 2 3 4
16. Quand un inconnu vous approche ou approche un autre membre de
votre entourage à l‘extérieur.
0 1 2 3 4
17. Quand quelqu‘un de la maison l‘approche pendant qu‘il mange.
0 1 2 3 4
18. Quand le facteur ou des livreurs approchent de votre maison.
0 1 2 3 4
19. Quand quelqu‘un de la maison lui retire sa gamelle.
0 1 2 3 4
20. Quand des inconnus passent devant la maison alors qu‘il est dans le
jardin
0 1 2 3 4
21. Quand un inconnu essaie de le toucher ou de le caresser.
0 1 2 3 4
43
22. Quand des inconnus courent, font du vélo ou du roller etc.. près de la
maison, lorsque le chien est dehors ou dans le jardin.
0 1 2 3 4
23. Quand il est approché franchement par un autre mâle alors qu‘il est
tenu en laisse
0 1 2 3 4
24. Quand il est approché franchement par une autre femelle alors qu‘il
est tenu en laisse.
0 1 2 3 4
25. Quand vous le fixez dans les yeux.
0 1 2 3 4
26. Envers un autre chien qui visite votre maison.
0 1 2 3 4
27. Envers les chats, les écureuils ou tout autre animal qui se trouve dans
0 1 2 3 4
votre jardin.
28. Envers des inconnus qui vous rendent visite.
0 1 2 3 4
29. Quand un chien inconnu aboie, grogne ou saute sur lui
0 1 2 3 4
30. Quand quelqu‘un de la maison l‘enjambe
0 1 2 3 4
31. Quand vous ou quelqu‘un de la maison lui reprenez un objet ou de la
nourriture volée.
0 1 2 3 4
32. Envers un autre chien de la maison. (Ne pas cocher s‘il n‘y a pas
d‘autre chien chez vous)
0 1 2 3 4
44
33. Quand un autre chien de la maison l‘approche alors qu‘il dort dans
son panier préféré.
0 1 2 3 4
34. Quand un autre chien de la maison approche de sa gamelle.
0 1 2 3 4
35. Quand un autre chien de la maison l‘approche alors qu‘il joue avec
son jouet préféré ou un os.
0 1 2 3 4
Y-a-t-il d‘autres situations où votre chien se montre parfois agressif ? Si oui, veuillez
les décrire :
Section 3: La Peur ou l’Anxiété
Quelques chiens manifestent de la peur ou de l‘anxiété par rapport à certains sons ou
bruits particuliers, devant certains objets, certaines personnes ou certaines situations.
Les signes typiques d‘une peur modérée incluent : évitement du regard, évitement de
l‘objet qui inspire la peur, il s‘aplatit sur le sol, se tient avec la queue basse ou queue
entre les pattes, gémit ou couine, se tétanise, se secoue ou tremble. La peur extrême
est caractérisée par des tremblements exagérés, par une tentative vigoureuse de fuite
pour s‘éloigner rapidement de l‘objet ou de la situation engendrant sa peur.
En utilisant l‘échelle suivante (0=Pas de peur, 4= Peur extrême) indiquez la tendance
de votre chien en ce qui concerne une éventuelle réaction de peur dans les situations
suivantes
45
Pas du tout
peureux:
Forte anxiété:
Anxiété modérée:
Aucun signes
visible d‘anxiété
Se recroqueville;
recule ou se cache,
etc.
0…..……..…………..1…………….………..2………..………..…..3…………….………..4
36. Quand une personne adulte inconnue s‘approche franchement de lui
alors qu‘il est loin de la maison.
0 1 2 3 4
37. Quand un enfant inconnu s‘approche de lui franchement alors qu‘il est
0 1 2 3 4
loin de la maison.
38. Réaction aux bruits soudains (ex. aspirateur, pétarades de moteurs,
marteau-piqueur objets qui tombent etc...)
0 1 2 3 4
39. Quand des inconnus viennent en visite à la maison
0 1 2 3 4
40. Quand un inconnu essaie de toucher ou de caresser le chien.
0 1 2 3 4
46
41. Réaction devant un important trafic de voitures ou de circulation
0 1 2 3 4
42. Réaction vis-à-vis d‘objets étranges ou inattendus sur ou à côté du
trottoir (ex. sacs de poubelles, feuilles, détritus, drapeaux qui claquent
0 1 2 3 4
43. Réaction quand il est examiné par le vétérinaire.
0 1 2 3 4
44. Pendant les orages
0 1 2 3 4
45. Quand un chien inconnu (de la même taille ou plus grand que lui)
l‘approche franchement
0 1 2 3 4
46. Quand un chien inconnu plus petit que lui l‘approche franchement
0 1 2 3 4
47. Réaction devant des situations nouvelles (ex. première fois en voiture,
0 1 2 3 4
en ascenseur ou première visite chez le vétérinaire).
48. Réaction aux rafales de vent ou aux objets emportés par le vent.
0 1 2 3 4
49. Pendant la coupe des ongles par quelqu‘un de la maison
0 1 2 3 4
50. Pendant le toilettage ou le bain par quelqu‘un de la maison
0 1 2 3 4
51. Quand il est enjambé par quelqu‘un de la maison
0 1 2 3 4
52. Quand quelqu‘un de la maison essuie ses pattes
0 1 2 3 4
53. Quand des chiens inconnus viennent à la maison.
0 1 2 3 4
47
54. Quand un chien inconnu aboie ou saute sur lui
0 1 2 3 4
Section 4: Comportement vis-à-vis de la Séparation.
Quelques chiens manifestent de l‘anxiété ou un comportement anormal lors d‘une
séparation même brève. Dans un passé récent combien de fois votre chien a-t-il
montré un comportement anormal (voir les éléments ci-dessous) avant ou pendant une
séparation. (Cochez les cases appropriées)
Jamais
Rarement Parfois
Régulièrement Toujours
55. Frémissement ou tremblement
56. Excès de salive
57. Fébrilité ou agitation
58. Gémissement
59. Aboiement
60. Hurlement
61. Ronge ou gratte les portes, les fenêtres,
les rideaux etc
62. Perte de l‘appétit.
Y-a-t-il d‘autres situations au cours desquelles votre chien est peureux ou anxieux ? Si
oui, veuillez les décrire :
48
Section 5: Excitation
Certains chiens manifestent peu de réaction face à des situations qui pourraient être
énervantes, d‘autres au contraire, sont très excités face à de nouvelles situations. Les
signes d‘un excitation modérée incluent : un certain intérêt pour approcher cette
nouveauté ainsi que quelques aboiements. L‘excitation extrême se caractérise par une
tendance à des réactions excessives.
Le chien hyper-excité aboie / jappe hystériquement à la moindre chose, court vers ou
autour de chaque nouvelle source d‘excitation ; il est très difficile de le calmer.
En utilisant l‘échelle (0=Calme, 4=Excitation extrême ), indiquez la tendance de votre
chien quant à son comportement d‘excitation dans les situations suivantes :
Extrêmement
excitable:
Calme:
peu ou pas de
réaction spéciale
Nervosité faible-modérée:
Réagit de manière
excessive, difficulté
à se calmer
0…..……..…………..1…………….………..2………..………..…..3…………….………..4
63. Quand vous ou un autre membre de votre entourage revenez après
une courte absence.
0 1 2 3 4
64. En jouant avec vous ou un autre membre de votre entourage.
0 1 2 3 4
65. Quand la sonnette retentit.
0 1 2 3 4
66. Juste avant la promenade.
0 1 2 3 4
67. Juste avant une sortie en voiture.
0 1 2 3 4
49
68. A l‘arrivée d‘invités à la maison.
0 1 2 3 4
Y-a-t-il d‘autres situations dans lesquelles votre chien devient surexcité ? Si oui, veuillez
les décrire.
Section 6: Attachement et besoin d’Attention.
La plupart des chiens sont fortement attachés à leur famille et certains ont besoin de
plus d‘attention et d‘affection que d‘autres. Dans un passé récent combien de fois votre
chien a-t-il montré, par les signes suivants, son besoin d‘attachement ou son besoin
d‘attirer votre attention :
Jamais
Rarement Parfois
Régulièrement Toujours
69. A-t-il montré un fort attachement pour
quelqu‘un en particulier.
70. A-t-il tendance à vous suivre (ou à
suivre quelqu‘un de votre entourage) de
pièce en pièce dans la maison.
50
71. A-t-il tendance a s‘asseoir près de
vous, ou à chercher le contact avec vous
(ou avec quelqu‘un d‘autres) lorsque vous
êtes assis.
72. A-t-il tendance à donner un coup de
patte ou de museau (à vous ou à quelqu‘un
d‘autre) pour attirer votre attention quand
vous êtes assis.
73. Devient-il agité (gémit, saute ou essaie
d‘intervenir) quand vous (ou quelqu‘un
d‘autre) montrez de l‘affection pour une
autre personne.
74. Devient-il agité (gémit, saute ou essaie
d‘intervenir) quand vous (ou quelqu‘un
d‘autre) montrez de l‘affection pour un autre
animal ou un autre chien
Section 7: Jeu et comportement social
Beaucoups de chiens jouent très volontiers et continuellement avec les gens et/ou avec
d'autres chiens. Les visiteurs vont souvent être acceuills. Dans le passé, votre chien a-til manifesté certains comportements de jeu ou de salutations suivants.
Jamais
Rarement Parfois
Régulièrement
Toujours
Jamais
Rarement Parfois
Régulièrement
Toujours
75. Joue très volontiers avec les membres
de la famille
76. Joue très volontiers avec des
personnes inconnues
77. Apporte des jouets et demande à jouer
78. Joue très volontiers avec des mâles
51
79. Joue très volontiers avec des femelles
80. Se chamaille, se bat volontiers pour
jouer
81. Engage rapidement le jeu lorsque d'
d'autres chiens l'y poussent
82. Joue volontiers au jeu du ''tir à la corde''
avec des personnes inconnues
83. Poursuit volontiers les balles lancées
84. Veut être le centre d'attention
85. Accueille des adultes en visite d'une
façon amicale
86. Accueille des enfants en visite d'une
façon amicale
87. Accueille des chiens en visite d'une
façon amicale
88. S'approche très volontiers d'une façon
amicale d'adultes en dehors de chez lui
89. S'approche très volontiers d'une façon
amicale des enfants en dehors de chez lui
52
Jamais
Rarement Parfois
Régulièrement
Toujours
90. S'approche très volontiers d'une façon
amicale des chiens en dehors de chez lui
91. Se réjouit d'être caressé par des
personnes inconnues
Section 8: Observations diverses
Certains chiens manifestent d‘autres problèmes de comportement que ceux déjà
indiqués dans ce questionnaire. Dans un passé récent, votre chien a-t-il, dans son
comportement, manifesté certains des signes suivants.
Jamais
Rarement Parfois
Régulièrement
Toujours
Jamais
Rarement Parfois
Régulièrement
Toujours
92. Court après les chats
93. Court après les oiseaux
94. Court après les écureuils, les lapins,
etc...
95. Se sauve de la maison ou du jardin et
erre longtemps
96. Se roule dans ses propres excréments
ou ceux des autres ou dans des déchets
malodorants
97. Mange ses propres excréments ou ceux
des autres chiens
98. Ronge des objets inappropriés
53
99. ―grimper‖ (comportements sexuels) sur
certains objets, meubles ou personnes.
100. Réclame à table.
101. Vole la nourriture
102. A peur des escaliers (montée ou
descente)
103. Tire excessivement sur la laisse.
104. Urine contre les objets/ meubles dans
la maison.
105. Urine à l‘approche de quelqu‘un, ou
quand il est caressé, touché ou porté.
106. Urine quand il est seul la nuit ou le
jour.
107. Fait ses besoins quand il est seul la
nuit ou le jour.
108. Est hyperactif, agité, a du mal à
trouver sa place.
109. joueur et turbulent.
Jamais
Rarement Parfois
Régulièrement
Toujours
110. Est actif, énergique et toujours en
mouvement.
111. Fixe son regard sur quelque chose
54
d‘invisible.
112. Essaie de mordre des insectes
invisibles.
113. Tourne sur lui-même pour attraper sa
queue.
114. Chasse / suit les ombres.
115. Aboie excessivement.
116. Se lèche de manière excessive.
117. Lèche les gens ou les objets de
manière excessive.
118. Manifeste d‘autres comportements*,
bizarres, étranges ou répétitifs
*Veuillez les décrire :
55
3.4 Appendix: PennBARQ questionnaire in German
Fragebogen über Hundeverhalten zur wissenschaftlichen Auswertung
(C–BARQ)
Anhand dieses Fragebogens können Sie beschreiben, wie sich Ihr Hund in der letzten
Zeit (d.h. während der letzten Monate bevor Ihr Hund umplaziert/euthanasiert wurde)
verhalten hat. Bitte kreuzen Sie pro Frage nur ein Kästchen an.
Bitte versuchen Sie, alle Fragen zu beantworten. Lassen Sie eine Frage nur offen, falls
Sie sie aus irgendwelchen Gründen nicht beantworten können (z.B. wenn Sie Ihren
Hund nie in der beschriebenen Situation beobachtet haben).
Teil 1: Training und Gehorsam
Einige Hunde sind gehorsamer und leichter trainierbar als andere. Bitte kreuzen Sie das
geeignete Kästchen an, wie trainierbar oder gehorsam Ihr Hund in den folgenden
Situationen in der letzten Zeit gewesen ist.
nie
selten
manchmal
gewöhnlich
immer
1. Unangeleint kommt er/sie sofort, wenn
er/sie gerufen wird
2. Gehorcht dem ―Sitz‖ Kommando sofort
3. Gehorcht dem ―Bleib‖ Kommando
sofort
4. Scheint aufmerksam alles zu
verfolgen/hören, was Sie sagen oder tun
5. Reagiert langsam auf Korrektur oder
Strafe; ‗dickhäutig‘
6. Lernt neue Tricks und Aufgaben
langsam
56
nie
selten
manchmal
gewöhnlich
immer
7. Lässt sich leicht von interessanten
Dingen, Geräuschen oder Gerüchen
ablenken
8. Apportiert (oder versucht zu apportieren)
Stöcke, Bälle oder sonstige Objekte
57
Teil 2: Aggression
Einige Hunde zeigen von Zeit zu Zeit aggressives Verhalten. Typische Zeichen für
gemässigte Aggression sind Bellen, Knurren und Zähne zeigen. Ernsthaftere
Aggression besteht gewöhnlich aus Schnappen, sich auf jemanden Stürzen, Beissen
oder dem Versuch zu Beissen.
Umkreisen oder unterstreichen Sie eine Nummer auf der folgenden 5-Punkte-Skala
rechts aussen (0 = keine Aggression, 4 ernsthafte Aggression), die der Tendenz ihres
Hundes entspricht, in den folgenden Situationen aggressives Verhalten zu zeigen:
Keine
Aggression:
Gemässigte Aggression:
Knurren/Bellen—Zähne Fletschen
Keine sichtbaren
Zeichen von
Aggression
Ernsthafte
Aggression:
Schnappen,
Beissen oder
Versuche zu
Beissen.
0............................1............................2............................3............................4
9. Wenn der Hund von Ihnen oder einem Familienmitglied mit Worten
korrigiert oder bestraft wird (Schimpfen, Anschreien, u.s.w.)
0 1 2 3 4
10. Wenn sich ein unbekannter Erwachsener dem Hund direkt nähert,
während der Hund an der Leine geführt wird.
0 1 2 3 4
11. Wenn sich ein unbekanntes Kind dem Hund direkt nähert, während
der Hund an der Leine geführt wird.
0 1 2 3 4
12. Wenn sich unbekannte Personen dem Hund nähern, während der
Hund in Ihrem Auto ist (z.B. an der Tankstelle).
0 1 2 3 4
13. Wenn Spielzeuge, Knochen oder andere Objekte von einem
Familienmitglied weggenommen werden.
0 1 2 3 4
58
14. Wenn der Hund von einem Familienmitglied gebadet oder gebürstet
wird.
0 1 2 3 4
15. Wenn sich eine unbekannte Person Ihnen oder einem
Familienmitglied zu Hause nähert.
0 1 2 3 4
16. Wenn sich eine unbekannte Person Ihnen oder einem
Familienmitglied ausserhalb ihres Hauses/Wohnung nähert.
0 1 2 3 4
17. Wenn sich ein Familienmitglied direkt dem Hund nähert, während der
Hund frisst.
18. Wenn sich der Postbote oder andere Boten Ihrem Haus/Ihrer
Wohnung nähern.
0 1 2 3 4
0 1 2 3 4
19. Wenn sein/ihr Futter von einem Familienmitglied weggenommen wird. 0 1 2 3 4
20. Wenn Fremde an Ihrem Haus vorbeigehen, während Ihr Hund
draussen oder im Garten ist.
0 1 2 3 4
21. Wenn eine unbekannte Person versucht, Ihren Hund zu berühren
oder zu streicheln.
0 1 2 3 4
22. Wenn Jogger, Velofahrer, Rollerbladers oder Skateboarders an Ihrem
Haus vorbei laufen/fahren, während Ihr Hund draussen oder im Garten
0 1 2 3 4
ist.
23. Wenn sich ein fremder Rüde direkt nähert, während der Hund an der
Leine geführt wird.
0 1 2 3 4
24. Wenn sich eine fremde Hündin direkt nähert, während der Hund an
der Leine geführt wird.
0 1 2 3 4
25. Wenn Ihr Hund von einem Familienmitglied direkt angestarrt wird.
0 1 2 3 4
59
26. Gegenüber unbekannten Hunden, die Ihr Haus/Ihre Wohnung
besuchen.
0 1 2 3 4
27. Gegenüber Katzen, Eichhörnchen oder anderen kleinen Tieren, die in
0 1 2 3 4
Ihren Garten kommen
28. Gegenüber unbekannten Personen, die Ihr Haus/Ihre Wohnung
besuchen.
0 1 2 3 4
29. Wenn Ihr Hund von einem anderen (unbekannten) Hund angebellt
oder angeknurrt wird, oder sich der unbekannte Hund auf ihn stürzt.
0 1 2 3 4
30. Wenn ein Familienmitglied über Ihren Hund stolpert.
0 1 2 3 4
31. Wenn Sie oder ein Familienmitglied Futter oder Objekte zurückholt,
die der Hund gestohlen hatte.
0 1 2 3 4
32. Gegenüber einem anderen (bekannten) Hund in Ihrem Haushalt
(nicht ausfüllen, wenn keine anderen Hunde in Ihrem Haushalt leben).
0 1 2 3 4
33. Wenn sich ein anderer (bekannter) Hund dem Hund an seinem
Lieblings(schlaf)platz nähert (nicht ausfüllen, wenn keine anderen Hunde
in Ihrem Haushalt leben).
0 1 2 3 4
34. Wenn sich ein anderer (bekannter) Hund dem Hund nähert, während
er/sie
0 1 2 3 4
frisst (nicht ausfüllen, wenn keine anderen Hunde in Ihrem Haushalt
leben).
35. Wenn sich ein anderer (bekannter) Hund dem Hund nähert, während
er/sie mit dem Lieblingsspielzeug, Knochen, oder einem Objekt spielt
oder es benagt (nicht ausfüllen, wenn keine anderen Hunde in Ihrem
Haushalt leben).
0 1 2 3 4
60
Gibt es irgendwelche andere Situationen, in denen Ihr Hund manchmal aggressiv
ist? Falls ja, beschreiben Sie es bitte kurz:
Teil 3: Furcht und Ängstlichkeit
Hunde zeigen manchmal Zeichen von Ängstlichkeit oder Furcht, wenn sie
bestimmten Geräuschen, Objekten, Personen oder Situationen ausgesetzt sind.
Typische Anzeichen für geringe bis mässige Angst wären: Vermeidung von
Augenkontakt, Meiden des gefürchteten Objekts, Kauern oder Kriechen mit
herabhängenden Schwanz oder mit dem Schwanz zwischen den Beinen; Winseln
oder Jaulen, Erstarren und Zittern oder Schlottern. Extreme Angst zeigt sich durch
übertriebenes Kauern und/oder kräftige Versuche auszubrechen, sich vor dem
gefürchteten Objekt, der Person oder der Situation zurückzuziehen oder zu
verstecken.
Benutzen Sie bitte die folgende 5-Punkte Skala rechts aussen (0=keine Angst,
4=extreme Angst) und bezeichnen Sie die Tendenz Ihres Hundes, in den folgenden
Umständen ängstliches Verhalten zu zeigen:
Keine
Ängstlichkeit:
Gemässigte Ängstlichkeit:
Keine sichtbaren
Zeichen von
Furcht
Ernsthafte
Ängstlichkeit:
kauert; zieht sich
zurück oder
versteckt sich,
usw.
0............................1............................2............................3............................4
36. Wenn sich ein unbekannter Erwachsener fern von zu Hause dem
61
Hund direkt nähert.
0 1 2 3 4
37. Wenn sich ein unbekanntes Kind fern von zu Hause dem Hund direkt
nähert.
0 1 2 3 4
38. Als Reaktion auf plötzliche oder laute Geräusche (z.B. Staubsauger,
Fehlzündungen von Autos, Strassenbohrungen, herunterfallende Objekte, 0 1 2 3 4
u.s.w.).
39. Wenn unbekannte Personen Ihr Haus/Ihre Wohnung besuchen.
0 1 2 3 4
40. Wenn eine unbekannte Person versucht, Ihren Hund zu berühren
oder zu streicheln.
0 1 2 3 4
41. In dichtem Verkehr
0 1 2 3 4
42. Als Reaktion auf seltsame oder unbekannte Objekte auf oder nahe
dem Trottoir (z.B. Kehrrichtsäcke, Blätter, Abfall, flatternde Fahnen,
u.s.w.)
0 1 2 3 4
43. Wenn Ihr Hund von einem Tierarzt untersucht oder behandelt wird.
0 1 2 3 4
44. Während Gewittern, Feuerwerk, oder ähnlichen Ereignissen
0 1 2 3 4
45. Wenn sich ein unbekannter gleich grosser oder grösserer Hund direkt
0 1 2 3 4
nähert.
46. Wenn sich ein unbekannter kleinerer Hund direkt nähert.
0 1 2 3 4
47. Wenn Ihr Hund zum ersten Mal unbekannten Situationen ausgesetzt
wird (z.B. die erste Autofahrt, das erste Mal im Lift, der erste Besuch beim 0 1 2 3 4
Tierarzt, u.s.w.)
48. Als Reaktion auf Wind oder im Wind treibende Objekte.
0 1 2 3 4
62
49. Wenn die Nägel von einem Familienmitglied geschnitten werden.
0 1 2 3 4
50. Wenn Ihr Hund von einem Familienmitglied gebürstet oder gebadet
wird.
0 1 2 3 4
51. Wenn ein Familienmitglied über Ihren Hund stolpert.
0 1 2 3 4
52. Wenn seine/ihre Pfoten von einem Familienmitglied abgetrocknet
werden.
0 1 2 3 4
53. Wenn unbekannte Hunde Ihr Haus/Ihre Wohnung besuchen.
0 1 2 3 4
54. Wenn Ihr Hund von einem anderen (unbekannten) Hund angebellt
oder angeknurrt wird, oder sich der unbekannte Hund auf ihn stürzt.
0 1 2 3 4
63
Teil 4: Verhalten bei Trennungen
Einige Hunde zeigen Anzeichen von Angst oder abnormalem Verhalten, wenn sie,
selbst für relativ kurze Zeit, allein gelassen werden. Wenn Sie an die letzte Zeit
denken, wie oft hat Ihr Hund die folgenden Anzeichen von Trennungsverhalten
gezeigt, wenn er oder sie allein gelassen wurde oder dabei war, allein gelassen zu
werden (Kreuzen Sie bitte die entsprechenden Kästchen an):
nie
selten
manchmal
gewöhnlich
immer
55. Zittern
56. Vermehrtes Speicheln
57. Unruhe/Aufregung/Hin-und-herlaufen
58. Winseln
59. Bellen
60. Heulen
61. Nagen/Kratzen an den Türen, Boden,
Fenstern, Vorhängen, u.s.w.
62. Appetitlosigkeit
Gibt es irgendwelche andere Situationen, in denen Ihr Hund ängstlich ist? Falls ja,
beschreiben Sie es bitte:
Teil 5: Erregbarkeit
Einige Hunde reagieren relativ wenig auf plötzliche oder potenziell aufregende
Ereignisse und Störungen in ihrer Umgebung, während sich andere wegen der
64
kleinsten Neuheit sehr aufregen. Anzeichen für geringe oder gemässigte
Erregbarkeit umfassen zunehmende Aufmerksamkeit, Annäherung an die Ursache
des Neuen und kurze Bellphasen. Extreme Erregbarkeit ist gekennzeichnet durch
eine generelle Tendenz zur Überreaktion. Der erregbare Hund bellt und kläfft
hysterisch bei der kleinsten Störung, rennt zu der Ursache der Aufregung und
umkreist sie und ist schwierig zu beruhigen.
Benutzen Sie bitte die folgende 5-Punkte Skala rechts aussen (0=ruhig, 4=extrem
erregbar) und bezeichnen Sie die Tendenz Ihres Hundes, in den folgenden
Umständen erregt zu reagieren:
Ruhig:
Mild-gemäßigte Erregbarkeit:
wenig oder keine
spezielle
Reaktion
Äußerst
erregbar:
Reagiert über,
schwerig sich zu
beruhigen
0............................1............................2............................3............................4
63. Wenn Sie oder andere Familienangehörige nach einer kurzen Zeit der
0 1 2 3 4
Abwesenheit nach Hause kommen.
64. Wenn Sie oder andere Familienangehörige mit dem Hund spielen.
0 1 2 3 4
65. Wenn es an der Haustüre klingelt.
0 1 2 3 4
66. Kurz vor dem Spaziergang.
0 1 2 3 4
67. Kurz vor der Autofahrt.
0 1 2 3 4
68. Wenn Besucher zu Ihnen nach Hause kommen.
0 1 2 3 4
Gibt es sonst irgendwelche andere Situationen, in denen Ihr Hund manchmal
überreagiert? Falls ja, beschreiben Sie es bitte kurz:
65
Teil 6: Bindung und Suche nach Bindung
Die meisten Hunde sind stark mit ihren Besitzern verbunden und einige verlangen
viel Aufmerksamkeit und Zuneigung von ihnen. Wenn Sie an die letzte Zeit
zurückdenken, wie oft hat Ihr Hund die folgenden Anzeichen für Bindung oder Suche
nach Bindung gezeigt?
nie
selten
manchmal
gewöhnlich
immer
69. Zeigt eine starke Bindung an ein
bestimmtes Familienmitglied.
70. Tendiert dazu Ihnen (oder einem
anderen Familienmitglied) im Haus zu
folgen, von Raum zu Raum.
71. Tendiert dazu nahe oder in Berührung
mit Ihnen (oder anderen) zu sitzen, wenn
Sie sich hinsetzen.
72. Tendiert dazu Sie anzustupsen, mit der
Schnauze oder mit der Pfote zu berühren,
um Aufmerksamkeit zu erzeugen, wenn Sie
sich hinsetzen.
73. Regt sich auf (winselt, springt hoch,
versucht einzugreifen) wenn Sie (oder
andere) Zärtlichkeit für eine andere Person
zeigen.
74. Regt sich auf (winselt, springt hoch,
versucht einzugreifen) wenn Sie (oder
andere) Zärtlichkeit für einen anderen Hund
oder Tier zeigen.
Teil 7: Spiel und soziales Verhalten
Viele Hunde spielen gerne und ausdauernd mit Menschen und/oder anderen
Hunden. Besucher werden oft begrüsst. Wenn Sie an die letzte Zeit denken, wie oft
hat Ihr Hund folgende Elemente des Spiels oder Begrüssungen gezeigt?
nie
selten
manchmal
gewöhnlich
immer
66
75. Spielt eifrig mit Familienangehörigen
76. Spielt eifrig mit Fremdpersonen
77. Bringt Spielzeug und fordert zum Spiel
auf
78. Spielt eifrig mit Rüden
79. Spielt eifrig mit Hündinnen
80. Rauft gern spielerisch
81. Geht schnell auf Spielaufforderungen
von anderen Hunden ein
82. Liebt Zerrspiele mit bekannten
Personen
83. Läuft gern hinter geworfenen Bällen
her
84. Möchte im Mittelpunkt der
Aufmerksamkeit stehen
67
nie
selten
manchmal
gewöhnlich
immer
85. Begrüsst erwachsene Besucher auf
eine freundliche Art
86. Begrüsst besuchende Kinder auf eine
freundliche Art
87. Begrüsst besuchende Hunde auf eine
freundliche Art
88. Nähert sich eifrig Erwachsenen
ausserhalb des Zuhauses auf eine
freundliche Art
89. Nähert sich eifrig Kindern ausserhalb
90. Nähert sich eifrig Hunden ausserhalb
des Zuhauses auf eine freundliche Art
91. Freut sich, wenn er/sie von Fremden
gestreichelt wird
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Teil 8: Verschiedenes
Hunde zeigen eine grosse Vielfalt an Problemverhalten zusätzlich zu dem, was in
diesem Fragebogen schon abgedeckt wurde. Wenn Sie über die letzte Zeit
nachdenken, wie oft hat Ihr Hund irgendwelche der folgenden Verhaltensweisen
gezeigt:
nie
selten
manchmal
gewöhnlich
immer
92. Jagt oder würde bei Gelegenheit Katzen
jagen
93. Jagt oder würde bei Gelegenheit Vögel
jagen
94. Jagt oder würde bei Gelegenheit
Eichhörnchen, Kaninchen und andere
kleine Tiere jagen
95. Reisst aus oder würde bei Gelegenheit
ausreissen
96. Wälzt sich im Kot oder anderen
‚stinkigen‘ Substanzen
97. Frisst den eigenen Kot oder den von
anderen Tieren
98. Kaut an ungeeigneten Objekten
99. ‚Besteigt‘ (aufreiten) Objekte, Möbel
oder Leute
100. Bettelt ständig am Tisch, wenn die
Leute essen
101. Stiehlt Essen
102. Nervös oder ängstlich auf Treppen
103. Zieht besonders stark an der Leine
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nie
selten
manchmal
gewöhnlich
immer
104. Uriniert auf Objekte / Einrichtungen in
Ihrem Haus/Ihrer Wohnung
105. Uriniert bei Annäherung, Streicheln,
Berührung oder Aufheben
106. Uriniert, wenn er/sie in der Nacht oder
am Tag allein gelassen wird
107. Setzt Kot ab, wenn er/sie in der Nacht
oder am Tag allein gelassen wird
108. Hyperaktiv, unruhig, hat Probleme,
sich zu beruhigen
109. Verspielt, welpenhaft, ungestürm
110. Aktiv, energetisch, immer in Aktion
111. Starrt aufmerksam auf Unsichtbares
112. Schnappt nach (unsichtbaren) Fliegen
113. Jagt den eigenen Schwanz/Hinterteil
114. Jagt/verfolgt Schatten, Lichtpunkte,
u.s.w.
115. Bellt unaufhörlich, wenn alarmiert oder
aufgeregt
116. Leckt sich übertrieben
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117. Leckt Leute oder Objekte übertrieben
118. Zeigt anderes bizarres, seltsames
oder repetitives Verhalten *
* Bitte beschreiben:
71
3.5 Appendix: Pictures during the TC in spring
72