14 DAY TRIAL // The tests that are currently used for identifying and excluding aggressive dogs from breeding programs, have only one in three chances of success, animal researcher Joanne van der Borg from Wageningen University, concluded.
She is convinced that additional test elements could help identify more dogs that have a tendency to bite.
The conventional test is the MAG / SAB test – the test for socially accepted behavior, which includes 16 sections that allow breeders to see excessive fear or aggression in their animals.
All the 16 subtests are performed under strict rules: the tests need to be carried out outdoor, in a minimal enclosed area of 750 m2, unfamiliar to the dog, and in a fixed order.
J. U. D. Planta – Huizerweg, The Netherlands and R. H.W.M. De Meester - Department of Medical Imaging, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Belgium, carried out a MAG test in 2007 and concluded that it is “a valid tool for testing the aggressive biting tendencies of dogs towards humans other than the owners outside a territorial context".
“For the assessment of the danger of an individual dog when confronted with a specific stimulus, in a territorial situation or towards the owners, this test was not validated and it should be supplemented with further information.”
Van der Borg carried out a new research to see whether the test for pedigrees can effectively identify dogs with a high risk of biting people.
She conducted this test on 345 dogs, and then compared the results with the 'bite history' reported by the dog owners.
The results showed that the test managed to identify only 33% of the dogs with a bite history, and as for the dogs with no bite history, the test concluded that 7% of them were aggressive.
This test for pedigrees is being used for cynological matters in the Netherlands by the Dutch Kennel Club, the authority also in charge of the breed register for pure-bred dogs.
After her research, Van der Borg recommends that three components should be added to the test, to improve its sensitivity.
In the meantime, she has developed a test component that measures the aggression of a dog at the feeding bowl, and also a way of assessing the aggression towards other dogs by using a dummy dog.
It is very important that breeders are able to provide detailed behavioral profiles of a dog's parents.
This test is not only crucial for pure-breeds listed on the 'pit bull list' of aggressive animals up to 2009, like the Mastina Napolitano and the American Straffordshire terrier, but it can also be used for evaluating dogs from a dog sanctuary.
These findings were published this month in the journal Applied Animal Behavior Science.