Man, talk about over-reaction. Why can't people say they don't think this is a valid test? Why is that immediately taken as criticism of any particular breed?? There was NO PB bashing here, and it boggles the mind that someone would have taken it that way.
I think this test is completely flawed for all breeds, and that includes the GSD's and the chows (my breeds). It has nothing to do with PB's in any way. The thread topic is "2006 ATTS Breed Statistics" .. not "Pitbulls are wonderful because of this test". I commented on the TEST, not on the BREED.
This test is flawed for numerous reasons. I think the idea of a temperament test is a good one but it should have been set up better. The problem with saying a dog is "temperament tested" is that it makes it sound - to the general public - that if the dog passes it must have a "good" temperament. Passing this test means nothing when it comes to reality of living in today's society. I've already mentioned that lack of test for prey drive and for dog aggression. I'd say that a test for food guarding should be part of a temperament test too. If you're not going to test the dog for practical, real-life situations then call the test something other than just "temperament test" and make it obvious that the test does not mean that the dog has a temperament that is acceptable for public exposure.
I can see why some people would want to test to see if their dogs have the instincts and temperament proper for each particular breed. In that case, call it a "breed instinct test" and let the parent clubs set up a test that accurately checks for those traits that the dog was originally bred for.
Another thing about the TT is that people are mostly only going to have their dogs tested if they think their dogs will pass. I know in some breeds there's a huge push to have as many pass as possible in the hopes that it will make the breed look better (GSD's, for example, have been pushed some to take this test). If 80% of the dogs tested pass, then there's a tendency with some people to think that 80% of the entire breed has this "good" temperament. Of course, that's not valid.
There's also the problem in knowing why a dog DIDN'T pass. Did it fail because it was overly reactive, or not reactive enough?? A dog that is too placid can fail. While this placid temperament may be perfect for public interaction, it's not what they want for this test. But again, there's a misconception with many people and they think that the TT means the dog has a trustworthy temperament in all situations.
As always, just my opinion - which, of course, is as valid as anyone else's opinion.
Melanie and the gang in Alaska