Run the test in three stages (a one-to-one meeting, a handling check, then a supervised introduction to one calm dog), score ten observations from 0 to 2, and let trained staff decide: pass, pass with conditions or not yet. Give the AI only the scores and notes, without names, to draft the owner's feedback.
The AI never makes the call. It turns a score sheet into a clear message, and the safest message describes what staff saw rather than labelling the dog. 'Aggressive' is a label; 'stiffened and stared when another dog came near its toy' is an observation an owner can understand and a trainer can work with.
Three stages, then a small group: what staff watch
A temperament test lets you watch a dog meet your daycare's real conditions in small steps, with a rest and a decision point after each. Run it with two staff, one of them trained to read dog body language, and ask your trainer or a qualified behaviourist to review the protocol before you rely on it.
- Meeting and separation (about 10 minutes). The owner stays for the first five. Watch how the dog greets staff, whether it takes a treat, and what happens when the owner leaves. A dog too tense to eat a treat is telling you something, even if it never barks.
- Handling (about 10 minutes). Light touch on shoulders, paws, ears and the base of the tail, a collar and lead on and off, a harness, a towel wipe. You are not doing a vet check. You are watching tolerance: stiffening, freezing, or turning the head to mouth at hands.
- One calm dog (about 20 minutes). A well-socialised staff dog, in a neutral space rather than your main play yard, with two staff present. If you can, let the dogs walk in parallel before they meet nose to nose. Watch body language in the first minute, then play style.
If nothing has stopped the test, a small group follows: two or three dogs of similar size and energy, staff-led, for about 30 minutes with a rest on either side. The score sheet is completed at the end, while the details are fresh.
The staff guides I could find, from daycare operators and pet-care software vendors, agree on the broad picture. Relaxed dogs show loose, wiggly bodies, soft eyes and a tail carried at mid-height. Healthy play has bouncy movement, play bows, turn-taking in who chases whom, and pauses. Warning signs include stiffness, a fixed hard stare, slow stiff tail movement, and one-sided chasing that carries on when the other dog tries to leave. Raised hackles on their own show arousal rather than aggression, so read them with the rest of the body. Yawning, lip licking, pacing and shaking off point to stress. None of these is proof alone, because the same bark and wagging tail can mean excitement or agitation, so read the whole picture and the situation. None of those guides is a standards body either, so treat them as a shared vocabulary, not a rulebook.
A ten-line score sheet and the stop signs that override it
Score each observation 0, 1 or 2 as you see it: 0 is a concern, 1 is mixed or needs staff support, 2 is comfortable. For every 0 or 1, write one line of notes on what the dog did, in plain words, not what you think it meant. The time thresholds below are placeholders; set yours with your trainer.
| # | Observation | 0: concern | 1: mixed | 2: comfortable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greeting staff | Frozen, frantic or lunging | Wary, then settles within a couple of minutes | Approaches loosely, accepts a pat |
| 2 | Handling (collar, paws, harness, towel) | Stiffens, mouths hard or snaps | Tolerates with treats or pauses | Accepts calmly |
| 3 | Owner leaves | Frantic beyond 10 minutes, refuses treats | Unsettled, then settles within 10 minutes | Settles within a few minutes |
| 4 | Body language meeting the first dog | Stiff body with a hard stare, or lunging | Cautious, freezes or raises hackles, then loosens | Loose, curved body, soft eyes |
| 5 | Play style | One-sided chasing or pinning, relentless | Over-bouncy or shy, responds to a break | Balanced: roles swap, bows, pauses |
| 6 | Response to another dog's 'enough' signals | Ignores them or escalates | Needs staff to step in | Backs off at the first signal |
| 7 | Guarding (as seen, not provoked) | Stiffens or snaps over a toy, bowl or space | Mild: pulls away or freezes with an item | None seen |
| 8 | Arousal and recovery | Stays wound up through rests | Settles with a staff-led break | Settles by itself within a few minutes |
| 9 | Stress signals | Constant: pacing, panting, trembling | Some, such as lip licking or yawning, then recovers | Rare, relaxed |
| 10 | Response to staff direction | Ignores or avoids staff | Responds after repeats | Responds to its name, easy to interrupt |
The total out of 20 is a summary, not a verdict. A dog can score 17 and still show a stop sign, and the stop sign wins. These five end the test on the spot:
- Any bite, or a snap that makes contact, with a person or a dog.
- A lunge or charge with a stiff body and fixed stare that does not break when staff redirect.
- Stalking or pinning another dog that continues after a break.
- Guarding that escalates after the dog has already warned, by stiffening, freezing or growling.
- Fear so strong that the dog will not eat, take treats or move normally after two rests. That is distress, not settling in.
When one appears, end the stage calmly. Separate the dogs with a barrier or lead, give the dog space, never punish, and write down exactly what happened and when. The outcome is 'not yet', and the owner hears what was seen.
Some daycares test guarding by taking a toy or bowl away. Provoking a dog puts staff and the dog at risk, so I would score the guarding you see at natural moments, such as a dropped toy or the water bowl, and take a qualified behaviourist's advice before adding a provocation test.
A half-day trial plan, hour by hour
The test and the small group fit into a morning. Check vaccination proof before the dog arrives, using the steps in the dog boarding intake form tutorial, because a dog with lapsed vaccines should not be in a group at all.
| Time | Stage | Staff | Scores |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8:30 | Arrival, owner stays | Tester | 1 Greeting |
| 8:45 | Owner leaves | Tester | 3 Owner leaves |
| 8:55 | Handling check and a lead walk | Tester | 2 Handling, 10 Staff direction |
| 9:20 | One calm dog, neutral space | Tester and helper-dog handler | 4 Body language, 5 Play style, 6 'Enough' signals, 9 Stress |
| 9:50 | Rest in a quiet area | Tester | 8 Recovery |
| 10:15 | Small group of three, staff-led | Two staff | 5, 6, 7 Guarding, 8 Arousal |
| 10:45 | Rest, water, final observation | Tester | 8 Recovery, 9 Stress |
| 11:15 | Score sheet completed, decision made | Tester and manager | Stop signs reviewed, decision recorded |
| 12:00 | Owner collects, short debrief | Manager | Written feedback to follow |
The two rests are part of the test. A dog that plays well and cannot settle afterwards has told you something a play session alone would not. Message the owner a short update at about 9:30 ('settling in, we will be in touch by midday') so they are not waiting in silence, and say nothing that pre-empts the decision.
Pass, pass with conditions, not yet: the three messages
Decide the outcome first, then write to it. The wording below is a template: replace each bracket with what staff actually saw, in plain words. Notice what is missing from all three. There are no labels, no guesses about why the dog behaved as it did, and no promises about later visits.
Pass
Hi [first name], [dog name] passed the temperament test and can join full-day group play from [date]. Staff saw [two or three specific observations, for example: a loose, relaxed body with the first dog, balanced play with turn-taking, settling by itself in the rest periods]. We keep a close eye on every new dog for the first few visits, and we will tell you if anything changes. Please bring [items] on the first day.
Pass with conditions
Hi [first name], thank you for bringing [dog name] in. [dog name] can start daycare with some extra safeguards: [conditions, for example: half days, groups of up to four dogs, staff-led breaks every 30 minutes]. Staff liked [strengths]. We also want to keep watching [specific observations, for example: play that continued when the other dog turned away, and stopped when staff called]. We will review after [number] visits using the same checklist and tell you what we see.
Not yet
Hi [first name], thank you for bringing [dog name] in today. We are not able to offer group daycare yet. Staff saw [specific observations in plain words, for example: [dog name] stiffened and stared when the other dog came close, and did not settle during the rest periods]. Group play needs a dog who can relax around other dogs and recover after excitement, and we do not want to put [dog name] in a situation that is stressful for them. Options from here: [for example: a re-test in [number] weeks after some work with a trainer, individual walks, or boarding without group play]. If you would like to talk it through, call [phone].
The 'not yet' message is the one that tests your tone. It names behaviour, gives the reason group play needs it, and offers somewhere to go next. If the owner's next step is a trainer, the dog trainer intake form tutorial shows what a good behaviour history looks like, and you can offer to share the observations from your sheet with the trainer if the owner asks.
From score sheet to owner feedback: a prompt and a worked dog
Here is a filled-in sheet for an imaginary dog, a two-year-old mixed breed of 24 kg, as it would be pasted into the assistant. The staff decision goes in first and is marked as final, so the assistant has nothing to second-guess.
STAFF DECISION (final, do not change): PASS WITH CONDITIONS
Conditions: half days for the first 3 visits; groups of up to 4;
staff-led breaks every 30 minutes; review after visit 3.
SCORES (0 concern, 1 mixed, 2 comfortable)
greeting 2 | handling 2 | owner leaves 1 | first-dog body language 1 |
play style 1 | response to "enough" signals 1 | guarding 2 | recovery 1 |
stress signals 1 | staff direction 2 = 14/20. Stop signs: none.
STAFF NOTES
Greeted staff with a loose, wiggly body and took treats. Accepted collar,
paw and towel handling calmly.
Barked and pulled at the door when the owner left; settled after about
8 minutes. Froze for a few seconds when the helper dog came close, then
loosened. In play: very bouncy, jumped on the helper dog; the helper dog
turned away twice and our dog followed both times; stopped when staff
called its name. After a staff-led break it settled within 2 minutes.
Yawned and licked lips twice in the group. No guarding of toys or the
water bowl. Responded to its name first time on the lead walk.
TASK
Write feedback for the owner using ONLY the information above. Start with
the staff decision. Then: what went well (specific observations), what we
will keep watching (specific observations), and the conditions and review.
Rules: describe behaviour, never label the dog (no "aggressive",
"dominant", "anxious", "reactive", "friendly" or "confident"); do not guess
causes or past experiences; give no training advice unless it is in the
notes; no promises about future visits; under 170 words; warm, plain
English; write [dog name] and [first name] as placeholders.
After the message, add a table: each staff note and the sentence that uses
it, with NOT USED against any note you left out.The last instruction is the one that earns its place. A coverage table makes omissions visible. When a note says 'followed both times' and the table says NOT USED, the draft has just softened the story.
The assistant's first attempt (illustrative):
Great news! [dog name] is a friendly, confident dog and passed our temperament test with flying colours. [dog name] greeted our team warmly, accepted handling calmly and showed no guarding of toys. [dog name] may be a little anxious because of past experiences, and a trainer could help build confidence. [dog name] can start group daycare straight away and will love it.
It is warm, readable and wrong in six ways.
- It changes the decision. 'Passed' and 'start straight away' drop the conditions. The owner now expects full days.
- It is more positive than the notes. Six of the ten items scored 1, yet the draft says 'flying colours'.
- It leaves out the concerns. The dog followed the helper dog twice after it turned away, froze when approached, and needed a staff-led break. None appears.
- It uses labels. 'Friendly' and 'confident' were banned in the prompt and arrived anyway.
- It guesses at a cause. 'Anxious because of past experiences' is invention. Staff saw 8 minutes of barking at the door, nothing more.
- It gives advice and a promise. The trainer suggestion and 'will love it' came from the assistant, not from staff.
The second attempt, after pointing the faults out and repeating the rules, reads like this (illustrative):
Hi [first name], thank you for bringing [dog name] in. [dog name] has passed with conditions, which means group daycare can start with a few extra safeguards. Staff liked how [dog name] greeted the team with a loose, wiggly body, accepted collar, paw and towel handling calmly, and showed no guarding of toys or the water bowl. We want to keep watching four things. [dog name] was unsettled for about eight minutes after you left. [dog name] froze briefly when the first dog came close, then relaxed. In the group, [dog name] yawned and licked their lips twice. And in play, [dog name] kept going twice after the other dog turned away, and stopped when staff called. A staff-led break settled [dog name] within two minutes. For the first three visits: half days, groups of up to four dogs and staff-led breaks every thirty minutes. We will review after the third visit with the same checklist and tell you what we see.
Every concern in the notes is present at the strength staff saw it, the decision and conditions are intact, and nothing was added. That is the standard to hold every draft to.
Write what you saw, not what you think it means
The quality of the AI draft is set at the moment staff write their notes. If the note says 'aggressive with the helper dog', the assistant has nothing to work with except the label, and the owner gets the label. If it says what happened, the draft can pass that on accurately. Teach staff this swap and put it beside the score sheet.
| Instead of | Write what staff saw |
|---|---|
| Aggressive | Stiffened, stared and growled when the other dog came within arm's length of the toy |
| Anxious | Paced and panted for ten minutes after the owner left, and would not take treats |
| Dominant | Pinned the other dog twice and carried on when it tried to leave |
| Friendly | Approached with a loose, wiggly body and leaned into a pat |
| Reactive | Barked and lunged at the gate when a dog passed, and recovered in about a minute |
| Shy | Stayed by the wall for ten minutes, then began to approach on its own |
Observations are also easier to defend. If an owner disputes 'not yet', a note saying what the dog did, when, and how long it lasted is a fair record. A note saying 'seemed aggressive' invites an argument about the adjective. The same habit helps with the daily notes later: the dog daycare report cards tutorial uses the same observe-then-draft pattern across a busy room, and the incident report tutorial covers the case where the stakes are higher.
A two-minute check before any feedback is sent
Whoever ran the test checks the draft against the score sheet, with the sheet open beside it. Seven questions, in this order:
- Do the decision and the conditions match the sheet exactly?
- Does every note scored 0 or 1 appear, at the strength staff saw it? Use the coverage table to check.
- Are there labels or guesses about causes or past experiences?
- Is there any advice staff did not give, or any promise about later visits?
- Are the numbers and dates right: number of visits, group size, review date?
- Does the tone suit the outcome? Warm and specific for a pass, plain and respectful for 'not yet'.
- Are names still placeholders until your software merges them, with no owner contact details pasted into the chat?
A quick sum on time. For a daycare testing eight new dogs a week, writing each message from scratch takes about twelve minutes, so 8 × 12 = 96 minutes. With a sheet, a draft and a two-minute check it is closer to five minutes each, 8 × 5 = 40 minutes. That is about an hour a week saved, and the figures are illustrative, so time your own. The saving is real only if the check actually happens, which is why it is a numbered step and not a hope. For a sense of how to word messages to pet owners more generally, the pet owner emails tutorial for vet practices has useful patterns, though a vet's messages carry different duties.
Reviewing a conditional pass after three visits
A pass with conditions and no review date is a pass by default. Put the review in the diary when you make the decision, and re-score the same ten items from the visit notes. Three outcomes are normal: relax the conditions, keep them for another few visits, or move to 'not yet' with an explanation of what changed.
Take the imaginary dog from earlier. At visit three the notes say: settled within three minutes of the owner leaving, played in balanced turns with two of the three dogs but kept following the third until staff called it away once, and settled by itself in every rest. Owner leaves moves from 1 to 2 and recovery from 1 to 2, while play style and the response to 'enough' signals stay at 1 because of the one dog it still follows. The total rises from 14 to 16, but the decision rests on that note, not on the number. The decision is to move to full days, keep groups of four, and review again after a further three visits. The assistant can draft the owner update from those notes with the same prompt. Give it the notes, mark the decision as final, and run the same two-minute check.
What the test cannot tell you
There is no standard pass mark. The guides I read disagree on scoring and thresholds, so yours is a judgement, best made with a trainer or behaviourist who has seen your play yard. Check whether your insurer or licence conditions say anything about assessments, group sizes or staffing, because those can override a score.
A test is also a snapshot. Dogs behave differently on day five than on day one, when the novelty has worn off and they feel at home, and a nervous dog can blossom as easily as a confident one can start pushing. That is why the review exists, and why owners should hear that a pass is not a guarantee. Staff safety comes first at every stage, and the final call on any dog, on any day, stays with the person standing in the yard.
Questions daycare owners ask about temperament tests
Is there a standard pass mark for a daycare temperament test?
Not that I could find. The published guides from daycare operators and software vendors disagree on scoring and thresholds, so your pass mark is your own decision. Set it with your trainer or behaviourist, check any insurer or licence conditions, and write the stop signs that override the score into the sheet.
How do I tell an owner their dog hasn't passed yet?
Lead with the decision, describe what staff saw in plain terms, explain why group play needs it, and offer next steps such as a re-test date, individual walks or boarding without group play. Avoid labels like aggressive or dominant, and never promise a later pass.
How long should a trial or evaluation last?
Long enough to see the dog settle between sessions. A half-day plan of three to four hours, with a handling check, one calm dog, a small group and two rest periods, shows far more than a ten-minute meeting. End it at once if a stop sign appears.
Can I paste the owner's emails and the dog's name into an AI tool?
You do not need to. Use placeholders such as [dog name] and [first name] in the draft and let your software merge the real names. Paste only the scores and staff notes, never the owner's contact details, and keep the original score sheet in the dog's record.
Further reads
- Gingr or MoeGo for a Pet Business? Plans, Costs and AI Compared — Pet business software compared, if the test results should live in it.
- Best AI for Dog Training Businesses: Plans, Reports, Reminders — AI tools for the trainers you refer 'not yet' dogs to.
- AI for Dog Trainers: Session Notes and Homework Plans for Clients — Session notes and homework plans after a referral.
- Dog Boarding Booking Software: Compare Options and Add AI Replies — Booking software with AI replies for daycare and boarding.
- Dog Boarding Cancellation Policy: Peak-Season Wording With AI — Deposit and cancellation wording for busy dates.
- Dog Training Business Software: Bookings, Notes and Payments Compared — Gingr, Digiwoof Clicks!, HoneyBook and PROPetware compared for a dog trainer on bookings, session notes and payment plans.
- AI Marketing Campaign Examples: Five Worked Ones for Local Businesses — Five worked local campaigns, each with a prompt, assets, schedule, cost, break-even point and a simple way to check whether it paid for itself.
- AI Tools and AI Development: The Complete 2026 Guide — the AI hub, including every tutorial in the AI-for-business series.
Sources: published staff guides on canine body language and daycare evaluations from daycare operators and pet-care software vendors (no standards body publishes a pass mark, and the guides disagree); a kennel club's guide to reading dog body language (hard stares and stiff bodies as warnings, raised hackles as arousal, yawning and lip licking as stress). The scoring scale, stop signs, times and group sizes here are an illustrative design: have a qualified behaviourist and your insurer review yours.