I think most of us would agree that dogs are not born aggressive, they are made that way by the environment in which they are raised. However, there are some breeds that are more prone to aggresion than others. The Daily Telegraph in Great Britain reports on a study published by Applied Animal Behavior Science, ranking 33 breeds of dogs according to their owners’ answers to behavioral questions.
10. German Shepherd – I thought this one would be higher, because of their use in police work.
9. Border Collie – I can see this. They face off against sheep much larger than they are every day.
8. English Springer Spaniel
7. Beagle – This one surprised me. My beagle demonstrates every submission posture known to man.
6. Pit Bull – Popular legend has it that these dogs are the most aggressive, but I guess they really aren’t, if the study is on target.
5. Australian Cattle Dog
4. Akita – I had also heard these were dangerous dogs, like the pit bull.
3. Jack Russell Terrier
2. Chihuahua
1. Dachshund – one in five owners reported that their dachshund had tried to bite strangers, and one in 12 reported that their dachshund had tried to bite them!
Tune in tomorrow to find out which dogs rank at the other end of the spectrum.
I have a Doxle (Doxie/Beagle mix) and she is the calmest, most submissive dog in the world. She loves babies and children with special needs. She loves to cuddle. She loves people and has only growled at maintenance men. She also loves Marines (we live on a military base, haha.) We literally get stopped everywhere we go because people think she’s so cute. She’s also extremely intelligent. I’m surprised both Doxie and Beagle are on this list, but she’s the best dog I’ve ever met.
Hello! Do you use Twitter? І’d like to follow you if that would be ok. I’m undoubtedly enјoying your blоg and look forward to new
updates.
you would think that the daschhound is more aggressive than the chihuaha beacause chihauhas cant really do anything except bite at your ankles i mean even my cat could tear those things apart they are just so annoying.
The article states Dachshund – one in five owners reported that their dachshund had tried to bite strangers, and one in 12 reported that their dachshund had tried to bite them!
The dog only TRYED to bite them or TRIED to bite strangers.
Pit Bulls do alot more then try to bite. They lock on and do massive damage
It is called an attack NOT a bite.
The breed (Pit Bull) need to be eliminated from the planet.
Nobody wants them, try to rent a place with one.
I am sorry my son who is a chihuahua and his name is phillie and he is the sweetest dog around and as for my niece named Chloe who is also a chihuahua. I say they are the sweetest dogs around. My sister had an Akita named lucky and he was the sweetest dog too, he passed away last year and is truly missed.
my sisters j.russel was very agressive. my niece had one too same thing. i agree about the pit bulls. anything with bull dog in it is labeled pitbull. it could be any combination of breeds but its a pit bull attach. pit bulls are breed to be good with people. they are not always good with other animals. just depends if they have been raised with other animals.
I’m surprised Chows arent on the list. I’ve never met a friendly chow and any one I talk to says they are a nasty breed
Omg… wow so awesome to see someone backing up Pit Bulls I don’t care wat no one says if they are number meanest, they have been number best dogs in my house hold for 18years… I WILL NOT own any other dog. Zues, Xena and Thor are my babies… oh yea I forgot I have a 8year little girl also she her self have been raise from day one with many many pits. I get them from the pound any chance I get an find them good homes. Seeing a pit bull get put down FOR NO REASON kills me. Even if the dog has bit someone ask your self Why did it bite?? Look at the raising of the dog.. see if its full blooded. See how they treat it. There’s lots of things that need to be looked into but are they?? NO!!!!! Cause u know why? They are PIT BULLS. So the kill them… what a sick world welive in.. these dogs have a right to live also. They are trying to tell us that when some of them do attack.. they could be saying this… They don’t feed me… they beat on me for no reason… but does anyone thing about that? No!!!! HATE THE DEED… NOT THE BREED… I’m done before I get mad… thank for reading… own one b4 knoking down on one. THANKS
Yep. There’s an exception to every rule. Dogs, of any breed, raised correctly (or lovingly) will not behave in an aggressive manner. Still, our government has seen fit to punish the breed instead of the owner. By this, I refer to unfair laws against the pitbull and other large dogs, such as the Doberman, the Shepard, the Mastiff, etc. If a black man attacks someone, should all blacks be punished? If a white man attacks someone, should all whites be punished? Seems kinda stupid to me that I can’t even get Homeowners insurance because I choose to keep a pit bull. It is disturbing to me that here in the state of Florida, Pit bulls picked up by animal control are immediately put down with no chance at adoption, regardless of whether or not that animal attacked someone. Where is a dog’s civil rights?
HEY .the real true is NOT AGGRESSIVE DOG in this word is all depend how do you teach it !!! dog is only love !!!Mobile Dog Grooming Miami
Regardless of the list, it is how they are treated from the time they are born. I have 2 Bostons and have had bostons my whole life and people are afraid of them. They can be agressive if played with rough or teased. LIke children, raise them correctly with discipline and love and they will respond accordingly. Any breed can be agressive if pushed, regardless. Just love them and train them and nothing is more satisfying than the unconditioinal love they return.
Hey I happen to <3 chow chows soooo very much they r not that mean
It all depends on how the dog is raised. A strong owner can teach a dog anything including non aggression.
I remember once seing a study where they believed that parts of the larger aggression in the Dachshund where caused by the dogs often having pain in their backs. Unfortunately I dont remember where I read those results, but I think it seems plausible. Its not a secret that lots of Dachshund ends up with back problems at some time in their life – and pain can make every breed aggressive 🙂
Dear Beckz, and etc. you clearly can’t grasp the concept of “aggression” and “deadly” not being a synonym. I own a pit bull, he is not aggressive. If he chose to attack me, there’s a good chance I would die. I have had this dog since he was six weeks old, and he has never been aggressive with any other dogs, under any circumstances. I can take his toys away, I can take his bowl away while he is eating, I could stick my hand in his mouth and he would not bite down. I have an acquaintance that had a pitbull that bit someone and had to be put down. What do these two dogs have in common-their breed. I’m a human. So was Ted Bundy. I have the capacity to terrorize sorority girls, however, I’ve been raised to not make that a priority.
I think a common misconception arises from people and the media labeling mixed-breeds who have some pitbull features as ‘pitbulls’. pitbull terrorizing neighborhood sounds much more sensational than mutt terrorizing neighborhood. My brother’s wife owns a dog who has pit characteristics but when compared with my dog actually looks much more like a boxer/american bulldog mix.
Has anyone you know ever been bit by a pitbull? Not a lookalike, a pitbull. And YOU, not some story you heard on the news. Has anyone you know ever been bitten by a small dog? The chances are more likely that you’ve been threatened by a smaller dog (i.e. aggression) even if you weren’t keen enough to realize that the cute ball of fur was displaying aggression.
I don’t understand why people are having such a hard time accepting that their breed is on the list. My family is predisposed to cancer, so that means that I may get cancer. But if I never do….ok. This is predisposition, not set-in-stone rules. An ex of mine had a dachshund. They’re wonderful dogs, I’m sure yours is too. Sometimes some of them act aggressively. Hopefully we can demonize them as psychokillers and pass laws to ban them from cities a la pitbulls.
As I’ve said before, this study is over “aggression” which I assume the questions they asked were over many displays of aggression, not just biting.
Thankfully, I was relieved to see that most people responding to this were levelheaded and intelligent enough to realize that the results of this broad study should be taken with a grain of salt of your breed is mentioned.
* or they will try to be the alpha. (not are they will try to the alpha.)
I also have a dachshund, I adore him. We got Max when he was 3 months old., he is now 2. At first he was sweet and a normal fun loving puppy. Then he started to growl at people that came to visit. We started putting him upstairs whenever we had company over. He would bark his little head off, I felt really bad for him, but it seem like the best solution at the time. It just made him more and more aggressive. I decided to get him one of those rawhide bones, so he would have something to occupy his time when he was in “timeout”. Big mistake, when I went to pick him up and put him on my bed, I didn’t realize he still had the bone in his mouth..needless to say I went to the hospital and received 5 stitches in my wrist.
I studied a little more on dog training after that, any book I could get my hands on, and all of them said not to isolate your dog from others, so we started putting him in his harness with a leash whenever someone comes over until he gets used to them.. it has made a world of difference.
My point is, I was totally in the dark about raising dogs, you have to be in command at all times are they will try to be the alpha and take over your role.
Oh and he has not been giving rawhide treats since..lol.
Thank you for this article. I love pittbulls and Im glad that its out that they arent the most agressive. keep on spreadin the word, it’ll save lives of larger dogs; weiner dogs are tooooo cute so no matter what theyll be popular but pitties need the protection…
as I am reading these I would also like to mention that my pit bull that is aggressive towards other dogs was attacked by two loose dogs running in the neighborhood and she was hurt badly. She hasn’t been the same towards other dogs since, but is still loving towards people once I tell her that they are friends.
I have had dascunds and fully agree with their number one rating, however, I also have crossed over to the realm of rescuing dogs and, therefore, have had pit bulls for the last ten years. My pit bulls get a bad rap. They are the best dogs in the whole world. The only aggression is towards other dogs and when strangers get near my children. They have never snapped but they will let you know they don’t like you near their loved ones. It is sad that bad people can give dogs such a title. It really is their treatment that effects their behavior.
I smoke and I’m perfectly healthy. Therefore all studies and statistics saying smoking is bad for your health must be sooo wrong (A lot of people here seem to reason this way, so i thaught i’d have a go at it too).
The best way I found to deal with Aggressive dog is homeopathic treatments and a lot of discipline.
No dog is born aggressive. Some breeds have more curios nature when approached by other dogs or some people who do not know enough to be “alpha” around dogs. I personally have raised almost every breed mentiioned with the exception of the pit bull and if treated with lots of love and respect, they are wonderful pets.
I raise Boston Terriers and as loving and playful and friendly as they are, they could me made aggressive, given the right circumstances.
I think the trick is to stay away from strange dogs and protect your own pets when other dogs are present.
Theres a few dogs that shouldn’t be in this list. And i cant see rottweilers in this list, whoever created this list doesn’t watch the news and how many deaths are caused by Pitbulls and rottweilers. Pitbulls should be 1st on the list. chihuahuas and Beagles shouldn’t be on the list. Have they ever killed someone? i know you say these dogs bite but they CAN be controlled. Anyone who has owned a small dog and called them aggressive must have raised them badly!
I love my Pit, she is so sweet and loving. She will lick you to death if she knows you, and it doesnt take much for you to be her friend, a little pat on the head and she is your new best friend. We got Taz just before my dauughter turned 1. My daughter lays on Taz, she pulls her ears, and tail. She also trys to poke out her eyes. But Taz just lays there and lets her what ever she wants to do, and when Taz gets tired of my daughter messing with her she just walks away. So who ever says that Pitbulls should not be around small children, I say you should have your brain checked. Its not the breed, its the way the dog is raised.
If you want to talk about an aggressive dog why dont you go play with a Pomeranian, those little ankle bitters are mean.
I have only been bit by a dog once and it was a dachshund, and my daughter was also bit by one. We were both in our own yards when the owners of the dogs brought their dogs off leash and they ran out of their yard into mine and bit me on my ankle and bit my daughter on the thigh. There was no provoking or anything just walked right up and bit for no reason. I don;t like those little dogs. I have a great big golden retirever that loves everyone.