You know that rare moment when something doesn’t just meet expectations, but surpasses them—when it feels destined, effortless, and profoundly right. That is the experience we strive to create with every puppy we raise.

By placing temperament at the heart of our program, we ensure that the puppy you welcome into your home is more than a companion. It is the one—a dog who integrates seamlessly into your life, forms a deep emotional connection with your family, and leaves a lasting imprint on your heart.

While color, size, and shedding are important considerations, true fulfillment comes from temperament. When a puppy’s personality aligns beautifully with your lifestyle, appearance fades into the background. What remains is connection, harmony, and a bond that feels timeless—because when the match is right, love follows effortlessly.

Our Temperament Evaluation Process

The Heart and Soul of Our Program

We invite you to learn more about what we do—because this process is truly the heart and soul of our program, alongside our BAB Service Dog Curriculum outlined on our Badass Breeder page.

Rather than asking families to take our word for it, we believe in showing you. Our temperament evaluation is designed to help you understand who each puppy truly is, how they experience the world, and how those traits may impact your home, lifestyle, or future goals.

While energy level is often the only trait most buyers are familiar with, our evaluation goes far deeper—revealing the complete picture of each puppy as an individual.

The Testing Environment

Temperament testing begins with the tester already present in the space—quiet, calm, and waiting. The testing room is new to the puppies, but the tester is familiar and trusted. This allows us to observe how each puppy behaves in an unfamiliar environment with someone they feel safe with.

We allow time for adjustment and carefully observe how each puppy initially engages with the tester. This first interaction reveals assertiveness, a steady trait that reflects who the puppy truly is.

We observe:

• Calm, polite greetings

• Overly assertive behaviors (jumping, mouthing, biting)

• Submissive approaches (crawling, rolling, avoiding)

Assertiveness is a core, unchanging trait, and we continue to evaluate it throughout the entire test, noting whether a puppy becomes more assertive as comfort increases.

Bonding, Energy & Prey Drive

Next, we spend time building trust through gentle handling, affection, and play. During this phase, we observe energy level and prey drive—both steady traits.

Energy level is assessed through:

• Activity versus rest patterns

• Ability to settle

• How quickly they move between stimuli

Because testing occurs in a new environment, puppies will often display less energy here than they will at home.

Prey drive is evaluated by how puppies interact with toys:

• Are they motion-triggered?

• Do they chase, tug, thrash, or retrieve?

This helps us understand how a puppy may enjoy activities like fetch, respond to fast-moving children, or coexist with small pets.

Human Focus

As the tester moves around the space, we observe how human-focused each puppy is:

• Velcro-style puppies who stay close

• Puppies who check in but confidently explore

• Highly independent puppies

This trait is steady and does not change. However, focus itself can be trained and refined.

Workability & Confidence

We then introduce a simple task—such as climbing an obstacle or retrieving a toy—to assess workability and confidence.

We evaluate:

• Willingness to engage

• Desire to please

• Need for encouragement or bribery

Workability is a steady trait.
Confidence, however, is adjustable.

We observe body language to determine whether a puppy wants to succeed but doubts themselves, or simply lacks desire. Empowerment builds confidence; enabling diminishes it—an important focus of our curriculum.

Touch Tolerance & Compliance

We demonstrate touch tolerance through a gentle puppy massage, simulating handling that may feel “inappropriate” or unpredictable—such as a child might do.

We observe:

• Enjoyment and relaxation

• Passive tolerance

• Stress signals

Touch tolerance is adjustable and shaped by experiences—both positive and negative. Puppies who genuinely enjoy handling score higher than those who simply tolerate it.

Sound, Sight & Environmental Sensitivity

We assess sensitivity through controlled exposure:

• Sound: a popper toy

• Sight: opening an umbrella

• Combination: walking across a tarp

These experiences help us evaluate nerve strength, an adjustable trait. By stacking mild stressors, we observe whether a puppy continues working through challenges or needs time to decompress.

This is a major focus of our curriculum—empowering rather than enabling.

Nerve Strength & Stress Signals

As testing progresses, we continuously evaluate how puppies manage stress. Signs include:

• Body posture and tail position

• Yawning, lip licking, trembling

• Whale eye, avoidance, whining

• Scratching (this is often the most visible sign)

Nerve strength is revealed not by the presence of stress—but by how the puppy recovers and continues.

Tenderheartedness & Emotional Sensitivity

To assess emotional sensitivity, the tester may lie on the floor or create exaggerated, childlike commotion. This simulates real-life scenarios such as:

• Loud children

• Family arguments

• Parties or sporting events

• Intense emotions like anxiety or grief

Tenderheartedness is a steady trait.

• High tenderheartedness: puppies may attempt to escape or “fix” emotions. These puppies require emotional boundaries and are not suited for intense therapy or ESA roles.

• Medium tenderheartedness: puppies notice emotions but are not consumed by them. Ideal ESA candidates and excellent therapy dogs when paired with high touch tolerance.

• Low tenderheartedness: puppies remain playful and unaffected, often redirecting their person away from emotional spirals—excellent psychological service dogs ESA candidates.

Dog Friendliness & Dog Focus

Finally, we assess dog interaction using a neutral, unmoving stuffed dog to ensure consistency.

We observe:

• Assertiveness on approach (not aggression)

• Politeness and body language

• Dog focus versus human focus

This helps families with existing dogs understand compatibility. Dog friendliness is adjustable, while dog focus provides insight into how a puppy prioritizes relationships.

Why This Matters

Every puppy is evaluated as an individual—not labeled, not generalized. This process allows us to guide families with clarity and confidence, ensuring the puppy you welcome into your home is the right fit for your life, goals, and emotional landscape.

This is how we honor the puppy.
This is how we support the family.
And this is why temperament comes first.

Temperament Testing Score Card & Sample Videos