Finnish Mental Test (LT)
(Character test)

Our results:

The purpose of the Mental Test is to examine a dog's behavior in a situation where it's nervous system is heavily stressed. Test results can be used to define dog's character, determine the dog's suitability to training, and of course it gives lots of information for breeding as well.

The age limits for dog's participating are from 2 to 6 years. Mental tests are judged by two specially trained judges. In special cases the dog may be given a permission to re-try the test - if it has not qualified in the first test. But you are not allowed to renew passed test.

The following features are included in the Test:

CAPABILITY TO FUNCTION
is a feature, with which a dog is able to react correctly - without a fear - to real and imagined frightening situations and to do it without interrupting it's action.

TENDENCY TO AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOUR
Dog's tendency to aggressive reactions when irritated by a figurant (judge).

DESIRE FOR DEFENCE ACTION
Dog's tendency to defence it's flock (owner) and itself. The test is measuring tendency and willingness not skills to defence and attack.

DESIRE TO FIGHT
Dog's inheritable tendency to enjoy fighting (playing) and the use of it's jaws and muscles in this action.

NERVES
Dog's inherited calmness or nervousness, restlessness in a highly stressing situation. Includes also dog's reactions to shooting. This part includes at least two shots with a 9mm gun.

TEMPERAMENT
Temperament is understood as the ability to react fast and organized to changing environmental situations. Also dog's ability to quickly accommodate itself to rapidly changing situations.

MENTAL HARDNESS
Dog's mental hardness: How strongly the dog allows unpleasant surprises to affect his functions. How well a dog remembers unpleasant situations and how reluctant he is to face the same circumstances later on.

ACCESSIBILITY
Dog's attitude to a strange but friendly person.

All these properties are valued on a 6-degree scale from +3 (optimal) to -3 (worse).
All features have individual coefficients based on the feature's trainability and on the other hand inheritability.
These coefficients are: Capacity to Function 15, Tendency to aggressive behaviour 1,
Desire for defence action 1, Desire for fight 10, Nerves 35, Temperament 15, Hardness 8 and Accessibility 15.

A dog is certified when its total points are at least +75 and it has got positive rank (at least +1) from the following features: Tendency to aggressiveness, Nerves and Accessibility.