@tundratails told Dogcord about this temperament test. I’ve heard of ATTS, but this one is different. It’s really, really interesting and I think it’s highly informative, so I’m sharing it here. They do have what most breeds should score, it seems, but I couldn’t find it for BC.
MH test -Mental Description of dog
MH test –(mentalbeskrivning hund), a canine character test, is originally developed in Sweden by Svenska Brukshundklubben –Swedish Working dog association. The test is mainly intended for working dogs, such as German Shepherds, Rottweilers, Collies, Boxers etc. But dogs of other breeds can take the MH test as well. The test takes about 45 minutes and is so stressful to the dog that mental defects are likely to show up during testing. The test has fairly good reliability and validity. The MH-test may not look difficult to us humans, but it is very stressful for the dog. There is also a two minutes timeline for every phase meaning that the dog must act / recover during that time. If two minutes timeline is passed, the valuation is “doesn’t go on time”, but the dog is not disqualified because of that.
The 10 phases of the MH-test
1.Contactability with strangers. The test leader takes the dog from handler and walks away; then handles the dog checking out fur and body structure pretty much the same way as does a judge in dog exhibitions. The dog must also show its teeth. It is desirable that the dog is neither too much on guard nor excessively fawning and that it is capable of collaboration with other humans. 2.The dog’s play behavior. Unleashed dog. Tug-of-war-play with a motivation object. Repeated. 3.The dog’s chasing behavior. A rug is quickly pulled zig-zag about 8 meters from the dog. Then the dog is unleashed. It desirable that the dog chases the rug and keeps it at least 3 seconds. Repeated. 4.The dog’s ability to relax: Handler is standing still with the dog during 3 minute’s silence. It is desirable that the dog is able to relax. 5.Distant play. The dog’s willingness to make contact with a stranger at a distance and collaborate with the stranger. A “Witch” comes out of the woods at about 40 meters distance. The witch unmasks herself and hides behind a bush, talks to the dog and invites it to play. This phase measures the dog’s behavior toward strange things, its curiosity and willingness to leave its handler and willingness by itself to invite a stranger to play. It is desirable that the dog is willing to play. 6.The dog’s reactions to a fast emerging bigger object. The dog is walking with its handler as suddenly a man-size-overall emerges on their way. It is desirable that the dog has the ability to quickly shrug off the discomfort. 7.The dog’s noise sensitivity. The dog is walking with its handler. A rather heavy metal chain is pulled over corrugated plate hidden in a shrubbery, the so-called “rattle”. Itis desirable that the dog should not be over-sensitive to noise. 8.The dog’s reaction to approaching threat. Ghosts -two figurants clad in white sheets with white buckets/masks on their heads. The ghosts stride slowly forwards in a stereotype manner in order not to move like human beings. The wind must be off the dog to prevent it from sensing the humans scent. At a distance of about 3 meters the ghosts turn their backs to the dog. Finally the handler is allowed to say the dog’s name, talk to the ghosts and unmask them. It is desirable that when the ghosts appear the dog is willing to defend itself and its handler. And when the ghosts are unmasked the dog should be willing to make a contact with them. 9.The dog’s possible change in playing behavior. Followed directly by phase no 10. 10.The dog’s tolerance to gun shots. The MH test ends with firing two gun shots from a distance of 20 meters (handgun, 9 mm ammunition) and then two shots at a nearer distance. a) Activity: Tug-of-war-play as2 gun shots are fired at intervals of 10 seconds. b) Passivity: Dog in leash with handler passive, another 2 shots are fired at intervals of 10 seconds. If the dog becomes excessively nervous when the first shot is fired, the test is interrupted and the dog has failed the gun shot test. The dog who passes all the ten phases including gun shots earns title “MH”. The table with the criteria under the cut.
This is the mentality test I’ve been referring to! Thank you for posting it!
Might note re: some of the comments that we rarely look at the overall score, but the score of each individual test and compare to expectations for the breed or their use. IE a reserved breed won’t be expected to approach or play with a stranger, but will be expected to not be stressed by the interaction.
quarantine questions
- what weird new hobby have you picked up?
- have you had a crisis yet? about what?
- how stir crazy are you on a scale of 1-10?
- read anything yet?
- are you keeping in touch with your friends?
- learned anything about yourself?
- what do you spend most of your time doing?
- who do you miss the most?
- are you in a relationship during this quarantine and how’s that going?
- what are you going to do once the quarantine is over?
- are you taking online classes? opinion on those classes?
- do you agree with the way your government is handling the pandemic?
- what’s keeping you sane?
- how are you staying fit?
- do you have a pet to keep you company?
- who do you wish you were quarantined with?
- if you could escape this pandemic into an existing fictional universe, where would you go?
- what do you miss the most?
- what do you not miss?
- have you cried recently? about what?
- how’s your sleep schedule looking?
- what have you been doing more of?
- have you done anything you regret?
- do you have any motivation left?
- what’s one positive thing that you can think of that’s coming out of this pandemic?
In case you weren’t aware, deaf people swear just as much as the rest of us - they’re just able to do it a little more discreetly. YouTube channel Cut has helped us all join in on the fun by posting a video in which 7 deaf people show how to say all of your favorite curse words in American Sign Language, and it’s so much more fun than just flipping the bird. (Source)
I’m about have bitches so SHOOK.
hmmm……..
How to Feign Your Life is Together
Have a signature accessory, clothing article, make up look, or hair style.
Have a fragrance. Make your hair scents and lotions match your perfume.
It’s okay to dine alone. Bring a book or people watch.
Love your hair. Research the best brands for your hair type and use masks weekly.
Your nails don’t need to be fancy, but keep them maintained.
Stay worldly. Know works of art, artists, designers, films, books, politicians. Spend your lunch break reading the paper or a magazine.
Crying is not a weapon. It’s okay to feel your emotions, but never use them as an excuse to avoid your problems.
Jealousy is boring. Love and appreciate others. If you can’t love them, forget them.
Boost others. Flatter others, but don’t deprecate yourself in the process.
Don’t sulk. Don’t let the whole world know your problems. If you don’t want someone to give their opinion, don’t share your situation.
Your life is between you and the universe. Don’t post your personal matters for others to see.
Don’t emotionally blackmail others. They hurt you? Let them know and then move on. It’s between the two of you and not the world.
Cook dinner. Cook dinner and listen to music, the radio, or a podcast.
Treat yourself to candles and flowers. Be your own cheerleader.
Take naps. Take a cat nap on a Sunday afternoon with the blinds open and the fan on high.
Drink your water, eat your vegetables. Take care of your body.
Never have time to take off your jewelry before bed, but always have time to take off your makeup. Your nighttime skin regime is important.
Mystery is beautiful. You don’t need to reveal much of or about yourself.
Never appear other than as you are. Don’t lie about yourself. Embrace who you are at your core.
stores to cry in, rated
wal-mart: pedestrian, boring, you can do better. 2/10
target: a slightly better crying experience than wal-mart. the scent is strangely comforting, the lights however are too bright and make for a slightly unpleasant cry. there is however oftentimes a starbucks and a mini pizza hut inside for you to drown your sorrows in. 6/10, points for optimal post-cry atmosphere
an apple store: absolutely not. people cry in the apple store all the time because they cant afford the latest rose gold bullshit apple’s put out. overdone and cliche. 1/10
publix: points lost for the sterile and inhospitable environment but if you cry in a publix a gator WILL smell your tears and come to eat you. being eaten by a gator is in fact slightly preferable to crying in a publix. 6/10 for the gator
whole foods: an excellent place for a cry, people will probably assume that you are a wealthy emotional person who cant decide between quinoa or couscous and are having a real problem with it. 8.5/10 nordstrom: plenty of chairs for collapsing into especially in the shoe department but you WILL be accosted by salespeople. they work on commission and are hungry for your money. 7/10 for style ikea: OPTIMAL crying destination, can climb into a bed and have a total mental breakdown and nobody will ever be the wiser, the employees WILL NOT bother you under any circumstances, comfortable and accessible, 10/10 hot topic: no!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 0/10