Dedicated To the Total Presa Canario  

Dogo Canario Club of America Temperment Test

General Information : Minimum age for entry is 12 months. There will be no final score announced at the end of the test, but rather an evaluation by the judge of whether a handler and dog have achieved sufficient marks to pass or have failed. A passing score of 70% in Part One is requires to participate in Part Two. It is entirely up to the discretion of the judge whether or not to pass a dog in Part Two. This is an evaluation, not a competition. A dog may participate in this test as often as the owner wishes.

Part One- OBEDIENCE AND SOCIALIZATION TEST
The dog shall wear a fur saver or choke chain collar with the lead attached to the dead ring.

Exercise 1- Heeling on lead with gunshots.
From the basic positions, handler and dog will walk straight ahead approximately 40 paces. Gun will be fired two times at 5 second intervals, at a distance approximately 15 paces during the heeling pattern. The lead will be held in the left hand and mist remain slack at all times. Dogs exhibiting gun shyness will be disqualified. Indifference is the ideal reaction, however a mild reaction or excitability will penalize, but not disqualify the dog.

Exercise 2- Traffic Test
The judge will advise the handler to proceed with the dog on a loose lead along a walkway, street or established field path. The dog should walk along willingly on the handlers left side. The dog should not forge ahead or move to the side. As passing a helper, a “strange noise” will be made (Opening an umbrella, tossing a can with rocks etc). The dog should continue walking undisturbed. The dog is permitted to give attention to the sound, but should recover it’s composure quickly. It is expected that the dog will act with indifference towards pedestrians and other traffic. A jogger and a bicyclist will pass by the handler and dog from the rear. The passing will be demonstrated on the side of the dog. After the bicyclist passes, the judge will advise the handler to make an about-turn and halt. The dog shall sit, while remaining at the handler’s left. A short time afterward, another handler and dog will proceed along the same path and will pass the testing handler and dog within ten paces (*the other dog should not be dominant or dog aggressive). The testing dog should remain calm and collected during this exercise. Indifference is the ideal reaction, minor excitability will be penalized but will not merit a disqualification. The dog and handler will also pass over a “strange surface”, and should do so without hesitating or balking at the strange surface.

After completion of the exercises, the handler and dog will proceed to the judges, stop and shake hands and engage in brief conversation. During this exercise the dog can either sit, stand or down. The handler may give the dog an “out” command or a mild correction for displaying some aggression. A dog that is not controllable by his/her handler will be disqualified.


Part Two- PROTECTION TEST
Only dogs that have passed part one may advance to part two. There are two levels to this section. Level ONE is for dogs who have had no formal protection training. Level TWO is for dogs who have had some formal protection training. The handler MUST declare which level they will be competing for before starting this test. If the dog over-qualifies for Level one, it does not get awarded a Level Two title. The helper and the judge will determine pass or fail of this section.

The dog shall wear a fur saver or choke chain with the lead attached to the dead ring. The helper will either be outfitted with a sleeve or a full body suit, depending on the individual dogs training. Additionally, the dog may be anchored to a post on a flat collar and lead, for further support if needed.

Level ONE (untrained dogs)
-Defense of the handler
The handler will bring his/her dog onto the field at heel and take the position shown by the judge. Upon the judges order, the helper will begin the assualt (helper is approx 35 yards down field). The helper will approach the team while yelling at them and acting aggressively enough to warrant an attack. The handler can encourage the dog to be defensive at this point. The helper will continue to “attack” until just outside the dog’s leash perimeter. The dog must stay between the helper and its handler, and needs to demonstrate a protective instinct towards its handler. The helper will not overly pressure the untrained dog to bite, and no hit sticks are required. The dog will fail if it does not stay between it’s handler and the helper; if it runs away, or past/behind it’s handler; Or if it displays total disinterest in the handler.

Level TWO (trained dogs)
-Defense of the handler
The handler will bring his/her dog onto the field at heel and take the position shown by the judge. Upon the judges order, the helper will begin the assualt (helper is approx 35 yards down field). The helper will approach the team while yelling at them and acting aggressively enough to warrant an attack. The handler will give his/her dog the command to attack. After being commanded to attack, the dog must engage the helper.
The dog must engage the helper before he/she can touch the handler. Upon being bitten, the helper will begin to fight and try to frighten and/or intimidate the dog into releasing the bite. If the dog looses his bite, he/she should attempt to regain the bite immediately. The dog will receive two moderate stick hits (padded stick). Upon signal from the judge, the handler will command his dog to out. The helper will only stop fighting when he/she hears the handler to command his/her dog to out. A total of three out commands are allowed. The handler may not force his dog to out. The number of out commands needed to out will reflect in the dogs final evaluation. If the dog fails to out on the third command, he/she cannot pass.