The Most and Least Aggressive Dogs

June 25, 2008

This week at Discovery News you can learn about the world's most and least aggressive dogs, based on a study conducted by researchers Deborah Duffy and James Serpell of the University of Pennsylvania's Center for the Interaction of Animals and Society, and Yuying Hsu of the National Taiwan Normal University. They gathered data from multiple dog clubs and an extensive online survey. For one part of the survey, owners were asked to report on whether or not their dog nips, or tries to attack, unfamiliar (stranger) humans, owners, or other dogs, including whether or not their dog exhibits any rivalry toward other canines in general.

(Credit: David Shankbone)

Below is a list showing how dogs from the online sample fared. The numbers in the last four columns refer to the "snaps, bites or attempts to bite" responses.

Breed                                     #of dogs        Human Strangers    Owners       Other Dogs          Dog Rivalry
Airedale Terrier                     66                    3                        1                6                        2
Akita                                     99                    3                        3                1                        5
Australian Cattle Dog             136                  13                       2                28                      5
Beagle                                   63                    5                        5                6                        4
Bernese Mountain Dog             67                    1                        2                3                        1
Bichon Frise                           65                    3                        1                3                        2
Border Collie                         163                  13                       3                22                      7
Boxer                                    70                    4                        0                11                      3
Brittany Spaniel                     66                    0                        1                 3                       1
Chihuahua                             56                    9                        3                 10                     2
Cocker Spaniel                      107                   5                        6                 8                      4
Collie                                   132                   2                        3                 9                      2
Dachshund                             68                   14                       4                 12                     5
Doberman Pinscher                144                  8                        2                  16                    4
English Springer Spaniel         57                    2                        2                  10                    4
German Shepherd                  292                  13                      6                   48                   13
Golden Retriever                   181                   2                        1                  13                    3
Great Dane                           53                    3                         1                   5                     2
Greyhound                            62                    1                          0                  1                     0
Havanese                              73                    2                        0                    3                     1
Jack Russell Terrier               78                    6                        3                    17                    7
Labrador Retriever                349                  8                        6                    15                     6
Mastiff (English)                    126                  3                        1                    8                      5
Pit Bull                                 132                  9                        3                    29                    11
Poodle                                  169                  2                        0                   13                     2
Portuguese Water Dog            75                   2                        0                    5                     2
Rhodesian Ridgeback             69                    1                        0                    4                     1
Rottweiler                            210                  10                      2                    16                    2
Shetland Sheepdog                57                    2                        2                     2                    2
Siberian Husky                      54                    0                        1                     3                     1
Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier  216                 9                         4                   35                    9
Whippet                                59                   0                          1                    2                    1

As mentioned in the Discovery News story, such information can only reveal general tendencies. Most of this is because, as for humans, there is a genetic component to behavior. If your mother and father were hotheads, you might have a predisposition to fly off the handle too. Environment additionally plays a role so all dogs, again like humans, are unique individuals. Some Pit Bulls are sweethearts while certain Golden Retrievers can be quite nippy. Truth be told, I usually like more temperamental animals. On some level I usually understand their fear and angst, and they can often be the most loyal, devoted and compassionate pets. But, if you're looking for a new dog, or hoping to better understand one that might be in your house now, keep in mind that your own genetics and personality traits come into play.

Finding the right pet is almost like seeking out friends or even your human soul mate. Research and investigating past histories often help, but then there's the more inexplicable magical spark of connectedness too. Once the right match is made, you'll likely find yourself in one of the most memorable and important relationships of your life.                            

Comments

[Terry Arford]

cocker spaniel: 0 human starnger; 2 owner; 0 other dogs; 0 rivalry

[Jen Viegas]

Cocker spaniels are such handsome dogs with tremendous character. Glad to hear yours is on the non-aggressive side too.

[Perro boxer Urkabustaiz]

I am somewhat surprised to see the low "dog rivalry" score of the boxer. 5 out of 70 is very low.

[Jen Viegas]

Hi Perro- I agree with you, that the boxer "dog rivalry" score seems low. It was actually 3 out of 70. Another German study on a similar subject found that boxers were most often the victims of dog to dog aggressive attacks. In that particular study, pit bull terriers, German shepherds, great danes and Rottweilers were most often the aggressors (meaning the ones that bullied dogs like the boxer).-Jen

[EmilyS]

This data comes from owner-reported interactions?
That's about as useless as Clifton Merritt's use of newspaper articles.

Could we possibly get a little actual science with our, you know, "science" article?

[Jen Viegas]

Hi Emily,
The researchers conducted two independent surveys and each resulted in nearly identical data.
They also address your concerns at length in the study, as many other such reports have relied upon dog bite statistics. They argue that such statistics are misleading because:
a. most dog bites go unreported unless medical attention is sought
b. the total number of dogs of a given breed in the local community is seldom known, so the degree to which that breed is over-represented among reported dog bites is usually undetermined
c. in many cases the breed of dog involved cannot be verified

Also, it's important to note that the study has been accepted for publication in the peer reviewed journal Applied Animal Behavior Science. It will be interesting to see what other studies—using this method or perhaps something else—will determine.
Jen

[jan]

Great dane 0 human starnger; 0 owner; 0 other dogs; 0 rivalry
Great Dane 0 human starnger; 0 owner; 1 other dogs; 0 rivalry
Great dane 0 human starnger; 0 owner; 0 other dogs; 0 rivalry

[Yves]

I am assured that canines possess a type & or talent for discerning whether or a human is or is not safe, what their history is, (the human) towards canines and or other species of animals, be it fear, loathing, cruelty, affection, ETC;...
I have lived with and owned German Shepherd dogs all of my life and was also associated with them in the Army, in highly dangerous and acutely stressful environments and situations, IN COMBAT, and I have learned from those experiences that a canine responds in varying degrees of aggression/calm within those situations.

[Jen Viegas]

Jan- It sounds like you have a great Great Dane. At some point we should do our own study here on dogs. Will have to think on that some more...
Thanks for checking in.

And Yves, you make an excellent point that was not addressed in the study or in my report. The individual with whom the dog is interacting plays a huge part in how the dog will behave. Extending the notion to a home situation, if an owner is always harsh, then the dog may be fearful and more aggressive all of the time. The topic did somewhat come up when the lead researcher and I discussed pit bulls, since a lot of people obtain pit bulls desiring a certain type of dog, and then they wind up projecting those stereotypes onto the dog.
Can only imagine what situations you and your German Shepherds must have faced in combat. Many instances where you would have to have complete trust in each other.
Many thanks for taking the time to write.

[JD]

Why were Pugs omitted? Anti-Pug-ites!

[Jen]

Good question about pugs. I just searched through the entire text of the study, and there aren't any references to pugs. It's likely that the researchers simply didn't have enough participating pug owners in either of the two surveys that were taken, but I'm not sure.

[Carrie]

It really all comes down to socialization at an early age and then training and putting down boundaries. If you don't act like you are in charge, your dog will take that role and be more aggressive and dominant. That's why you see so many badly behaved little dogs - people have a tendency to baby them and not treat them like dogs, so they become unstable and dominant.
I have the most aggressive dog according to this study - a dachshund. She is a long hair and red-brown and the sweetest dog I know of. She is a registered therapy dog, loves to meet people and willingly rolls over for tummy rubs from complete strangers, accepts the attention of children, and is friendly with other dogs. Her worst behavior was when she was younger, she had a brief spurt of toy/resource guarding that we worked her out of (you couldn't take rawhide chews from her, or other toys she was very engrossed in) and during this phase, she bit myself and my boyfriend on the hand during one incident. It didn't happen again because we addressed the situation and began to let her know that was not acceptable and to do resource trading training. She has never bit any other time, she has never bit any other person or dog. Occasionally she will charge her big brother, who is a German Shepherd, if she is cranky and he looks like he's going to take her treat or something, but it's more of her barking and snapping than an attack meant to hurt another dog. I have also seen her do this when a very big puppy who she had been playing fine with got too rough with her - I think it's an overcharged defense mechanism they use to compensate for being small - if she acts really fierce, she can protect herself or her chew from a much bigger dog.
A dog is a dog, and if you put it in the correct scenario where it will feel threatened, it will have a reaction; i.e. it's going to act like a dog. If you raise a small dog, don't introduce it to other people, pets, places, let it be the boss, never give it boundaries or discipline, and then take it outside, not only is it going to feel threatened by everything it sees and react accordingly, it's going to be mentally unbalanced.
Read Cesar Millan. :)

[Jim Wagers]

We have an American Pit and have been told that our insurance will be cancelled if we don't get rid of him. He has yet to try to bite anyone in his 10 years. If we are upstairs or away he will not let anyone in the house, but if we are downstairs and let someone in he will sniff them and that's all. He is very intelligent and will play with any dog. The only time he is agressive is when another dog growls at him.
At one time we owned a Doberman and no-one was safe unless we had him shut up. Insurance companies need to re-think their policies toward Pit Bulls. If you own two, the story changes quite a bit.

[Dachshund Owner and Rescuer]

I noticed chow chows aren't listed. Hmmmmm. Does anyone know where I can get a copy of the study, before I criticize the experimental design.
And, yes, dachshunds can be little biters, snappers and not nice with other dogs. But, the most "aggressive," not. I was a vet tech for many years and the dachshunds were not the most dreaded patients.

[Dachshund Owner and Rescuer]

Jim,
Fire your insurance company and find one that doesn't have breed restrictions. I use Country Insurance. There are others, too. Go to some of the pit bull sites and you can probably find out.
Did I mention that my dachshunds have raised pits?

[Jen Viegas]

Carrie- Thanks very much for your post. Outside of Discovery I work on a couple of other programs for Studio One Networks and will keep you in mind as an experienced and well-informed owner, should we revisit this subject again.

Thanks also to Jim and the other dachshund owner. I just checked on the status of the paper and it's still in press. My guess is that it will appear in the August or September issue of "Applied Animal Behavior Science," but the precise date hasn't been listed yet.

[Melody]

The data provided is lacking and the research is inconclusive. There are too many factors in this study that were not taken into account prior to publishing this report. One owner could have multiple breeds of dogs, or even mixed breeds with the prominant breed being used as reference.

I'm quite disappointed that an article such as this would be published by a reputable source for information. Was the source of the data even verified? Someone who took part in this study may have provided false information. That would have compromised the entire study. Especially if it was anonymous.

Studies lacking solid data, such as this one, discredits the hard work of others who actually go through their studies with a fine-tooth comb, ensuring there were no room for errors before presenting to the scientific community.

The more humans take part in a study, the more likely data is compromised. This article is ridiculous! Looks like the researchers need to brush up on their skills... pronto!

[Sam]

I think the problem with this study is that it's taking these numbers and trying to make a genetic argument. Fact of the matter is that if these reported numbers are more or less correct (which they likely are) they only represent the dogs in the study and furthermore do not give reasons for the aggression. While smaller dogs may be genetically slightly more aggressive as a defense mechanism, they are also a lot more likely to be spoiled and not properly trained and disciplined.

That being said, this study could give a good idea of what breeds to avoid on walks. I have two greyhounds and they are exactly what this study says; not aggressive at all and that's partly because they're naturally laid back and partly because we don't accept aggression from them. I've seen my girl let a small dog put his paws on her nose and stand up to sniff her face without so much as a peep. I've also seen little chihuahuas come chasing after us, barking their heads off. Generally if I see a small dog coming towards us off-leash or on an extensible leash, I cross to the other side of the street but I'd also do that if I saw a large dog pulling on one of those leashes too. I think the surest way to determine a dog's aggressiveness is to observe the dog, the owner and how they interact. At least one of those will hint at aggression.

[Jen Viegas]

Very good advice, Sam. Any tips on what to do when dogs off leash (with no owner in sight) come at you? During walks, I've had a few close calls with territorial dogs.

[Carol]

We have 2 long-haired, mini dachshunds and, until last year, a third LH-mini of 13 years (Lucy). Lucy loved everyone and everyone loved her. She barked but never bit. Our current 2 doxies bark for attention but their response to that attention depends on how people approach them. If people get down to their level, offer a hand to smell, and allow the dogs to check them out... the doxies are friendly. Too often people, especially kids, move too quickly toward them and they are scared. On a few occasions they have responded by snapping at a person because of this. It is their way of warning people to keep back. It works.

[Jen Viegas]

Thank you for the sweet note, Carol. Your dachshunds sound quite lovable. It probably helps to think as they do- little critters just trying to keep themselves safe. I adore dachshunds too- just held one today.
Thanks again,
Jen

[Mary]

i had a great dane. they have to be one of the least aggressive breeds ever. the only time people thought she was being aggressive was when careless, flailing, loud children got in the way of her big head and their body banged into her, which resulted in them freaking out, thinking she was trying to eat them. the end result was her looking at them strangely for a second, then my 128-pound dane tried to climb into my arms for protection from the scary screaming strange creature and it's even scarier mother that was needlessly yelling at my poor dane. all the experience did was increase my dislike of children.
i have, however, nearly had my hand bitten off by "fantastically trainable" retrievers and labs, and I have met some pretty docile rotties, pit bulls and pit terriers in my time.
i admit that some breeds do have more potential to be aggressive, but potential is where canine traits end and a human's training of a dog begins. i do not care what anyone says, a dangerously aggressive domestic dog is entirely the fault (or perhaps the intention) of the owner and many dogs that are 'considered' aggressive have undeserving reps due to the complete ignorance of some people that know nothing about dog behavior or the correct way to behave around one (read: do not be a flailing idiot simply because it has fangs or drools).

[Jen Viegas]

Mary, your insight into what dogs must think dealing with many people sounds accurate to me. The genetic/personality link becomes an even more loaded issue when it's applied to humans...Thanks for your note.-Jen

[Sharon]

I have 2 Lhasa Apsos, one is a sweetie the other has bitten me numerous times. I fear I will have to put him to sleep.

I thiught I was buying from a breeder, turns out to be a puppy mill that is now defunct. My other one came from a pet store, so you know he is a mill dog.

You should put Lhasa Apsos on your list, they do not like children, or me as it turns out.

[Sharon]

ps he has also bitten my friends and a little kid.