Behavioural testing in dogs: A review of methodology in search for standardisation

As a consequence of their living close to humans as pets, for working purposes or as laboratory animals, dogs give evidence of behavioural variability, stemming from their innate capacities as well as from environmental influences. This paper reviews the behavioural tests used for dogs—tests which serve as an evaluation tool and those which serve as a means of classifying individual animals. In search of a consensus and standardisation, some material and methodological aspects of behavioural testing in dogs were collected. Behavioural test parameters that were taken into account were the terminology of the temperament concept, the test quality requirements and their implementation in the literature, the characteristics of the dog tested (source, breed, age, sex), the characteristics of the social and environmental stimuli used to elicit canine behaviour, the characteristics of the behavioural variables collected and the characteristics of the physical and physiological concomitant data obtained while assessing the behaviour. This review brings to light a lack of consensus regarding all these parameters. The procedures of testing are often particular to the investigator and thus unique. We emphasised this statement by comparing six research studies using a ball, carried out over 40 years. In view of all these differences in methodology, standardisation is suggested through the creation of a reference manual.