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At Paradigm Boxers, we believe that choosing the right puppy involves far more than appearance, colour, or gender. Every puppy has an individual personality, and understanding that personality is an important part of helping our puppies transition successfully into their new homes.
We incorporate the Volhard Puppy Aptitude Test as one of the tools used to observe each puppy's early temperament, confidence, social engagement, and responses to new experiences.
This structured assessment consists of ten activities designed to provide insight into how a puppy responds to people, handling, movement, unfamiliar sounds, and environmental changes.
Our puppies are raised with daily hands-on interaction, exposure to household routines, play, and age-appropriate opportunities to explore their environment.
By combining the structured assessment with our ongoing observations of each puppy, we can offer families a more complete picture of the puppy they are considering.
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Understanding the individual puppy, Temperament Assessment & Family Matching
More Than a Temperment Test
Very assertive, intense, and persistent responses.
Confident, outgoing, and strongly assertive responses.
Generally confident, interactive, and socially engaged responses
Generally cooperative, responsive, and moderate responses.
More reserved, hesitant, or sensitive responses.
May indicate avoidance, inhibition, or lack of engagement, depending on the activity.
What we Believe
Volhard Temperment TestingÂ
What the Scores mean
At Paradigm Boxers, each puppy is evaluated through ten individual activities using the Volhard Puppy Aptitude Test. Each activity receives a score from 1 to 6 based on the puppy's observed response.
Rather than calculating an overall average, we look at the pattern of scores across all ten activities to better understand each puppy's confidence, sociability, sensitivity, and responses to unfamiliar experiences.
Temperament testing provides a valuable snapshot of a puppy's behaviour at a particular stage of development, rather than a prediction or guarantee of adult personality. We combine these results with our daily observations of each puppy, allowing us to develop a more complete understanding of their individual characteristics, personality, and needs.
At Paradigm Boxers, we recognize that every family is unique, with different lifestyles, expectations, and levels of experience with dogs. Just as no two families are alike, no two puppies are exactly the same.
Some families are looking for an outgoing, energetic companion to join them on hikes, outdoor adventures, and training activities, while others may prefer a puppy with a more moderate activity level and a natural ability to settle comfortably into everyday household routines.
A confident, adventurous puppy may be particularly well suited to an active household, while a more sensitive or cautious puppy may thrive with a family committed to patient guidance, consistency, and positive confidence-building experiences.
By considering each family's lifestyle, experience, home environment, and expectations alongside our temperament assessments and daily observations, we strive to make thoughtful, informed placement recommendations.
Our goal is not to identify the best puppy in a litter, but to recognize the individuality of every puppy and help match them with a family whose lifestyle, expectations, and experience are compatible with their temperament and needs.