Small Brag

[lilabet]

My three year old rescued Rottie, Maia took the ATTS temperament test yesterday and passed with all 8,9 and 10's. The chief tester even came up and commented on how nice he thought she was. I was very proud of my girl.

[Inga]

Congratulations with your girl! Sounds like a great success for you as well as for the breed. Is the ATTS like a CGC or TDI???

[lilabet]

No, there is no training involved. This test evaluates how the dog reacts to different situations and stimuli. They want to see the dog's reaction to a neutral stranger, friendly stranger, noisy object, gun shots, a suddenly opening umbrella, walking on strange surfaces (plastic sheeting and wire grating on the ground), person acting strangely, and a threatening stranger. You are not supposed to talk to your dog or give any cues or corrections. They want to see the dog's natural reactions to these things.

[SABELLESMOM]

Good girl Maia! I remember, at our training locale, the lady who organized the works, used to drop a folding chair, or suddenly open an umbrella, on some occasions near the CGC group. (I was off in the show handling practice ring) I wonder now, since she was a qualified tester, if she was offering the ATTS as well.

[Weltterr]

Great news - how wonderful that your dog has passed this test.

[AngelBunny]

Very nice! Congratulations!!

[Inga]

Hm, Where can one sign your dog up to be tested on this? Cost? Do you get some type of certificate when passing? Just wondering if it would help with things like home owners insurance etc...

[AngelBunny]

Originally Posted by Inga

...Where can one sign your dog up to be tested...? Cost? Do you get some type of certificate when passing? Just wondering if it would help with things like home owners insurance etc...

Here's the list of ATTS tests, 2008-09 from their site. The cost is $25/dog. You receive a certificate.

When we were looking for homeowners insurance, I photocopied all Mox's certicates and faxed them to our agent to use in discussions with insurance companies.

Didn't make a bit of difference in our case.

I got the impression from our agent that if a company has a list of banned breeds, titles and certificates don't count for anything. Agents were impressed with Mox's accomplishments and sympathetic, but that didn't translate into them being able to sell us their company's insurance for our home.