Welcome to the AKC Temperament Test! There are 198 AKC recognized breeds. One of the things that makes a specific breed unique is not only the dog’s physical appearance, but each breed also has its own distinctive temperament.

The AKC Temperament Test (ATT) was developed to bring focus and provide a meaningful evaluation to assess the temperament of our canine companions.

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.

In the 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

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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. For mixed breed dogs, taking the ATT may provide the dog owner with insight about the temperament of an individual dog.

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.

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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.

All dogs entered in tests should already have either an AKC or FSS registration number or a Canine Partners Listing number or Purebred Alternative Listing Number.