Litter & Puppy Evaluations

Helping breeders look beyond the cute face and see the puppy in front of them.

Every puppy brings something different to the litter. Temperament, confidence, resilience, engagement, sensitivity, recovery and natural tendencies can all play a role in determining which home and lifestyle may be the best fit.

AK Kennel offers professional litter evaluations designed to give breeders an additional, objective look at each puppy before placement.

Choose from the traditional Volhard Puppy Aptitude Test, AK Kennel’s Puppy Evaluation, or combine both for a more comprehensive assessment.

Volhard Puppy Aptitude Test

A Traditional Look at Puppy Temperament

The Volhard Puppy Aptitude Test (PAT) is a standardized temperament assessment traditionally performed around 7 weeks of age.

Each puppy is evaluated individually in an unfamiliar area by someone the puppy does not know. The test looks at a variety of natural responses and behavioral tendencies without prior training influencing the results.

The evaluation considers areas such as:

  • Social attraction

  • Willingness to follow

  • Restraint response

  • Social dominance

  • Elevation response

  • Retrieving instinct

  • Touch sensitivity

  • Sound sensitivity

  • Sight sensitivity

  • Stability

Each exercise is scored individually to create an overall picture of the puppy’s temperament at the time of testing.

Best For: Breeders who want a traditional, standardized temperament test that provides another piece of information to consider alongside their own observations of the litter.

Important: Temperament testing is a snapshot of a puppy on that particular day. Genetics, early experiences, training, environment and continued development all influence the adult dog a puppy becomes.

AK Kennel’s Puppy Evaluation

Looking Beyond Temperament to Real-Life Potential

AK Kennel’s Puppy Evaluation takes a broader, practical look at each puppy with future placement and lifestyle in mind.

Rather than focusing only on a numerical temperament score, this evaluation looks at how the puppy interacts with people, responds to its environment, works through challenges and recovers from new or mildly stressful experiences.

Puppies are evaluated in areas including:

  • Human engagement

  • Food and toy motivation

  • Confidence

  • Environmental curiosity

  • Startle and recovery

  • Problem solving

  • Handling and restraint

  • Frustration tolerance

  • Independence vs. handler orientation

  • Novel surfaces and experiences

At the end of the evaluation, findings are brought together to identify where each puppy currently shows the strongest potential.

This Puppy Shows Best Potential For:

Service Dog Prospect

Looking for qualities such as strong recovery, environmental confidence, handler engagement, resilience and the ability to work through new experiences.

Therapy Dog Prospect

Looking for qualities such as social confidence, appropriate human interest, handling tolerance, stability and the ability to remain comfortable in changing environments.

Family / Companion Dog

Looking at the puppy’s overall temperament, energy, confidence, sensitivities and tendencies to help breeders consider what type of household may complement that individual puppy.

These recommendations indicate potential, not guarantees. Continued development, socialization, training, health, genetics and the puppy’s future environment all play significant roles in suitability for service, therapy or companion work.

Complete Litter Evaluation

Choose Your Evaluation

Volhard Puppy Aptitude Test - $100/Litter

The Volhard Puppy Aptitude Test provides a traditional, standardized temperament assessment.

AK Kennel Puppy Evaluation - $100/Litter

Practical evaluation with placement recommendations for Service, Therapy or Family/Companion potential.

The AK Kennel Puppy Evaluation adds another layer by looking at practical behaviors, recovery, engagement, motivation and potential placement considerations.

Complete Evaluation : Volhard + AK Kennel - $165/Litter

Both evaluations performed for a more comprehensive look at each puppy.

Better Information. More Intentional Placements.

Together, they provide breeders with two different perspectives on the same puppy, giving you more information to pair with what you already know from raising and observing your litter every day.

No temperament test can predict exactly who a puppy will become.

The goal isn’t to put puppies into permanent boxes. It’s to gather meaningful information that helps breeders make thoughtful, informed placement decisions and give each puppy the best opportunity to thrive.