The American Temperament Test Society, Inc. (ATTS) is a national not-for-profit organization (registered in the state of Missouri) for the promotion of uniform temperament evaluation of purebred and spayed/neutered mixed-breed dogs.
ATTS was established to:
Our motto says all:
"A SOUND MIND IN A SOUND BODY"
ATTS is the only non-profit organization that gives the TT (Temperament Tested) title for a dog. The TT, our logo and test procedures are copyrighted. The test is for all breeds and it is uniform throughout the country.
ATTS was founded by Alfons Ertel in 1977. The first test was held in September 1977; ATTS has held more than 960 tests as of December 31, 2003. The number of dogs tested as of December 2007 is 28,010 with 22,847 dogs earning a TT title. The average overall pass rate is 81.6 percent; the pass rate may vary for different breeds. The breed's temperament, training, health and age of the dog is taken into account. Minimum age for dogs to take the test is 18 months.
The test takes about 12 minutes to complete. The dog is on a loose six-foot (6') lead and three ATTS trained evaluators score the dog. Majority rules. Failure on any part of the test is recognized when a dog shows panic, strong avoidance without recovery or unprovoked aggression.
National breed clubs can request the list of their breed which earned the TT for the previous year by sending a request accompanied by a self addressed stamped envelope. A request for a complete list of all dogs of any one breed which have earned a TT is available, but breeds which have more than five pages of dogs will need to cover the cost of copying and postage.