Ideal as companions, Shilohs have loyal and outgoing personalities. They were developed to be gentle and loving, able to work with animals and children while still possessing an excellent drive. With proper socialization they adapt easily to many environments and are stable no matter the situation. Breeders strive for a courageous yet manageable temperament. Any form of extreme aggression or shyness is severely penalized per the breed standard.
Their self-confidence and superior intelligence leads them to excel at many activities such as obedience, schutzhund, tracking and others. They are frequent recipients of the AKCs “Canine Good Citizen” Award. Shilohs have also earned the Companion Dog title, the Companion Dog Excellent title, the Utility Dog title and been certified as Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D.®). Therapy Dogs International.
Temperament Testimonies
Most of the breed registries require testimony of the temperament prior to the issuance of breeding papers. Following are some of the tests accepted:
- Temperament Testing (TT) – typically found within the breed; testing is conducted by trained tester
- CGC (Canine Good Citizen) – AKC trained testers
- CGN (Canine Good Neighbor) – Canadian version of the AKC testing
- Therapy Dog Certification – variety of testing programs within the US
- Temperament Testimony – accepted during COVID times when formal testing was hard to come by; this affidavit is performed by non-owner, non-breeder of the dog being certified
Reference Links
- Shiloh Shepherd Breed Standard {www.issdc.com}
- CGC – Canine Good Citizen {www.akc.org/events/cgc/index.cfm}
- CGN – Canine Good Neighbor {www.ckc.ca/en/Raising-My-Dog/Responsible-Ownership/Canine-Good-Neighbour-Program}
- PAT – Volhard: Puppy Aptitude Test {www.volhard.com/puppy/pat.htm}