We will be offering the AKC Temperament Test at the 2025 National Specialty.
ATT
The AKC Temperament Test (ATT) was developed to bring focus and provide a meaningful
evaluation to assess the temperament of our canine companions.
In ATT, dogs are tested in 6 categories of stimuli that include:
1. Social
2. Auditory
3. Visual
4. Tactile
5. Proprioceptive (motion)
6. Unexpected stimulus
The ATT tests how a dog reacts to a variety of stimuli. Desirable traits are that the dog will be emotionally stable, inquisitive, cooperative, appropriately social for its breed, biddable and demonstrates the ability to recover from a startling situation in a reasonable amount of time. Undesirable traits are fear, shyness, lack of cooperation and an inability to recover from unfamiliar or unexpected situations. Examples of undesirable behaviors include being afraid of
friendly strangers or unfamiliar stimuli, obsessive barking, and aggression.
WHY TAKE THE ATT?
The AKC Temperament Test can provide you with interesting information about your dog’s
temperament. For purebred dogs, there is a national parent club for every AKC recognized
breed. Each breed’s national parent club has a written breed standard that includes information on the breed’s temperament.
Taking the ATT allows you, the dog’s owner, to determine how close your purebred dog’s temperament is to the breed standard. The ATT provides information about a dog’s reactions to a variety of stimuli. Stimuli are basically any object or event that can be detected by an animal’s senses.
Examples of stimuli are
sounds, smells, touches, and objects that the animal sees.
ATT testing can identify behaviors related to temperament that can be addressed through training.
EARN AN ATT TITLE
If a dog passes the ATT on two occasions, under two different evaluators, the owner may apply for the AKC Temperament Test (ATT) suffix title. The ATT Title Application along with the passing Evaluator Score Sheets from two different tests and the required title application fee must be submitted to AKC. Upon verification, the ATT title will be applied to the dog’s record and will appear on the dog’s AKC title record. The title certificate will be mailed to the dog’s primary owner of record.
Your judges will be Carol Preble and Sheryl Phelps. You will need to enter both trials, one Thursday and one Friday. Each trial will cost $25.00. You can submit your entry to Kathy Kaminski at 213 Emmerson, Itasca, IL 60143.
We will need at least 6 volunteers for each day. You can still run your dog through the test if you so desire. What we need people for is to be available at the Social, Auditory, Visual and Unexpected stimulus stations. None of these jobs are difficult, things like waving a towel, wearing funny clothes, or greeting a person and dog.