As the puppies have grown it has often been easy to group Brown and Black in the same category. Both have had similar personalities all along. What has been interesting in this test is that we have a bit of a clearer idea of the differences between the personalities of these two young lads. Like Black, Brown is a pretty submissive guy, but he is more reliant on his people to take care of him than Black.
Social Attraction: It took Brown a while to decide to come to a strange person in a strange place. He was timid in his approach, tail held low and hesitant as he walked. However once he saw that this new person was kind and friendly, he began to relax and be more confident.
Following: At first Brown wasn't too sure about following, but it didn't take him too long to figure it out. While he was curious about the new place, he preferred to stay near his person to keep safe.
Restraint: This was definitely not an activity that Brown enjoyed. While he didn't struggle and fight, Brown was very stiff, holding still and pressing the handler's hand to his chest with his feet to feel secure.
Social Dominance: Brown of course loved the attention, soaking it up. He stuck his nose into his person and did his best to cuddle into her as she petted him. Human = comfort to Brown.
Elevation: Like the other puppies, Brown could care less about this test.
Retrieving: The ball was of no interest to Brown. He was clearly still uncomfortable about the setting and decided he's rather stay nestled between the tester's knees than check out the crinkly paper ball.
Touch Sensitivity: Brown is quite sensitive.
Sound Sensitivity: When he heard the loud noise Brown was clearly disturbed. He turned to his person for comfort, looking towards the sound, but hiding from it.
Sight Sensitivity: Of course despite being a bit nervous, Brown is a Wolfhound, and thus a sighthound. Once he figured out the moving toy he happily followed it (and his person), playing and pouncing on it when it stopped.
Stability: Interestingly the umbrella wasn't a very big deal to Brown. He startled a bit when it opened, but otherwise was curious and interested in it, investigating it thoroughly.
Cat in a Box: Cats are definitely not something Brown is interested in at this stage. After a quick sniff in her direction, Brown decided he'd rather walk away and lie down behind the tester, avoiding the strange creature in the cage.
What does this mean?
Brown is a sweet little guy who doesn't have a ton of confidence in himself. Indeed his confidence comes from his person. As he grows, Brown is likely to be a bit of a velcro dog, wanting to be with his person as much as possible. He will need a lot of socialization to have confidence as he grows. Because he is so person oriented, Brown will probably be eager to please and not too hard to train. However it is essential that he be trained with positive methods and that he be given the time to gain confidence in himself as he goes. With time Brown may develop the confidence to be more independent for sports such as lure coursing, but he would probably be just as happy enjoying long walks with his person, and the odd free run in a safe environment. Because he trusts his person to take care of his fears, it is unlikely that he will turn his fear at humans. However abuse could turn him into a much more fearful dog who no longer has his reliable anchor to care for him. Brown should be fine with cats or other small pets as he would rather avoid than engage with them if they are less than friendly.
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