Which Breed Of Dog Is Most Aggressive?

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Study Finds Dachshund To Be Most Aggressive Breed

They may not look as threatening as some of the larger canine, but research revealed that the dachshund is the most aggressive breed of dog.

Citing a study published by Applied Animal Behavior Science, the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph reported that one in five dachshunds has bitten or tried to bite strangers, and one in 12 has shown aggression toward its owners.

The study involved researchers from the University of Pennsylvania. About 6,000 dog owners were questioned about their dogs' behavior. Thirty-three breeds were ranked on their aggression.

Ranking below the dachshund was an even smaller dog, the Chihuahua. According to the newspaper, research found that the tiny breed often snaps at most beings it encounters -- including its owners, strangers and other dogs.

The Jack Russell terrier was third, followed by the Akita and the Australian cattle dog. The pit bull was sixth, followed by the beagle, the English springer spaniel, the border collie and the German shepherd.

The Telegraph reported that researchers said previous studies on canine aggression could have been misleading as most bites from smaller dogs were not reported. According to the researchers, bites from larger dogs were more likely to require medical attention than those from smaller dogs.

According to the Telegraph, the Rottweiler, which is widely believed to be an aggressive dog, scored average to below average ratings for its hostility toward strangers.

The newspaper reported that some of the lowest scoring breeds for aggression included the Basset hound, golden retriever, Labradors, Siberian huskies and greyhounds.

I almost posted that too! Good article...

Interesting article. When I worked in a clinic, my theory with Daschunds was that they were simply smarter than us humans and knew how to get their way, hee hee....I remember one little gal who did NOT want her nails trimmed....

First, she figured out how to get out of her muzzle. So, we fitted her with a different muzzle and she figured out how to nibble at us THROUGH the muzzle. 0_0 Once we were done with her nails she was a baby doll, she just knew what she wanted and how to get it! Smarter than the vet techs, I swear it. :D

Good article, thanks for sharing it.:) I've read other articles that say
the larger breeds are least likely to bite without warning.

I'm biased, but most well bred GSDs are way to smart to see the need
to bite, as it's first reaction, to a stranger. They are pretty good judges
of human intentions. :)

Great article!! :D It makes me happy that this was published. Maybe it will shed some light on the situation. I think most people are afraid of pits more because they are bigger. There are some dogs I know who the only person who COULD GET NEAR THEM was their owner. Guess what? One was a Jack Russel and the other was a dachsund mix.

My sisters parents have two dachshunds. One is VERY, VERY aggressive. However, it is due to them (the PARENTS, not the kids) antagonizing the poor dog into it all. If you even LOOK at this dog, and he perceives it wrong, he will run at you, snapping, growling, barking, etc. :( The other one is protective over food and will attack you if you try to bathe him. He won't attack you for looking at him, though.

Huh I just find this article so ironic because so many people have skewed ideas about dogs and aggression, that a big dog running up to you to say hi is going to attack, but a small dog running up to say hi is cute and cuddly???

Anyway good to see some light being shed, not that "big dogs are off the hook" but moreso that ANY dog and ANY breed can be prone to behavioral problems.

Also, since many bad habits are considered "cute" when smaller breeds do them and are usually not corrected (such as jumping, nipping, barking, growling etc), but are completely unacceptable for a large dog to do and must be corrected or the dog is considered "dangerous" and/or "aggressive"... :rolleyes:

Thanks for posting!!

I agree Doxies can be difficult and a handful. I have two - each of whom have very different personalities. Max is all talk and no action - lots of noise, but he runs backwards as he barks. Muffin (the Princess) is very quiet, but don't press your luck around her - she snaps and she's really fast.

Doxies are big dogs stuck in little dog bodies. They are also clowns. Both mine have been a laugh a minute - making them absolutely priceless.

I've had chesapeakes, yorkies, bichons, mixed breeds, and chihuahuas. If I ever get another dog, it'll be a rescue dachshund. I love the breed.

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Originally Posted by pitc9

[url]The newspaper reported that some of the lowest scoring breeds for aggression included the Basset hound, golden retriever, Labradors, Siberian huskies and greyhounds.

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Well hallelluia! Somebody go inform the insurance companies! (Huskies are on the blacklist of several insurance co.'s as "dangerous dogs". You can be denied insurance, or denied renewal of insurance, if you own one.)

I wonder how much of it due to the fact that many people don't bother with training for the "little cute" dogs, because they're just "so darned cute," and create a problem when there need not be one. Dachshunds were bred for generation upon generation to be independent little vermin hunters. This does NOT a lap-dog make them! Training, training, training!

My upstairs neighbor has a black and tan long-haired Dachshund, Bailey. I don't know that I'd use the word aggressive to describe her. She can be very feisty, though. If she doesn't want someone to pet her, they'd best not even try. A big dog in a small body is a very accurate description. She does allow me to pet her head when her person is nearby.

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Originally Posted by Karen

I wonder how much of it due to the fact that many people don't bother with training for the "little cute" dogs, because they're just "so darned cute," and create a problem when there need not be one. Dachshunds were bred for generation upon generation to be independent little vermin hunters. This does NOT a lap-dog make them! Training, training, training!

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Exactly my point too, Karen! :)

I wonder if Border Collies were deemed "aggressive" because of their nipping... I honestly don't think it is a very accurate or researched article.

I have to basically agree with the article overall. The smaller dog breeds it listed are the ones we most often have to put caution or muzzle lables on their files. I've told people time and time again I'd rather deal with a rottie or pit anyday (of course I'm partial to those breeds) than a small dog anyday. I can't say how much is the owner, the breeding, or the dog itself, but it does seem to bear up with what I encounter at work most often.

Although we've noticed a tendancy for long haired chihuahuas, dashounds, and Jack Russels to be a bit more cooperative and friendly compared to the short haired versions of their breeds. Maybe it's just the particular ones we've encountered.

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Originally Posted by BC_MoM

I wonder if Border Collies were deemed "aggressive" because of their nipping... I honestly don't think it is a very accurate or researched article.

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Not that I have anything against you or Boder Collies (they are rather cute). However the article states the survey was based on OWNER responses to their own dogs. "About 6,000 dog owners were questioned about their dogs' behavior."

From a vet assistant's standpoint I'm not going to stop and take the time to determine if a dog is 'nipping' or actually going to bite. After recently having had 7 stitches in my finger from a dog bite I can tell you the difference is irrelevent when it comes to safety.

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Originally Posted by cyber-sibes

Well hallelluia! Somebody go inform the insurance companies! (Huskies are on the blacklist of several insurance co.'s as "dangerous dogs". You can be denied insurance, or denied renewal of insurance, if you own one.)

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The problem with those lists is that they list "husky", not Siberian Husky. Any dog with prick ears and a curled tail is a husky on most of those lists, including the CDC bite list, which is what many insurance companies base their banned breeds on.

"Aggressiveness" is in the eye of the beholder though -- Aussies should also be deemed "aggressive" for their nipping in that sense. I think that BCs are on the list along with ACDs because they have a strong drive to work and eventhough they may not be aggressive in the sense that they are going to maul someone, they probably have and do injure people on a regular basis because of their strong herding drive. I can't begin to tell you how many times I've come home from school and HJ says "Charlie really got so-and-so's ankle again today...". Yes, he has bruised and even drawn blood before, but it is never anything major, and to him it's a "game", a "job", he isn't doing it TO injure the person.

However bottom line, an injury is an injury, no matter the extent, and I think that's the basis they are going off of.

Interesting. Probably too small a sample to be truly representative, but interesting nonetheless.

When I volunteered at a shelter in Colorado, we kept county-wide bite statistics. The largest number of bites per breed was labs or goldens. Why? Because there were far more of those dogs in the county then any other breeds. If there are 10,000 labs and 100 Akitas ... of course there are going to be people bitten by labs than by Akitas. Common sense. However, when we looked at the statistics of bites per capita ... number of bites per one dog of one breed, the most prolific biter was the cocker spaniel.

My experience with dachshunds - they are either extremely sweet, or quite likely to bite, nothing in the middle. We board and groom our share of aggresive ones. I would certainly agree with the chihuahua being a biter. I own a chihuahua cross, and currently have a purebred rescue, so don't get me wrong, I like the little buggers. However, I have always said, if the chihuahua weighed 80 pounds it would be the most dangerous dog on the planet.

I've worked with tens of thousands of dogs over the years, of every conceivable breed and mix. I have to honestly say that there are very few breeds that I am automatically cautious of, assuming they are biters just because of the breed. Actually, only one breed comes to mind. I do think it also has a lot to do with the area one lives in. A few prolific backyard breeders or puppy mills churning out poorly bred, badly tempered dogs of a certain breed year after year will certainly alter the characterisitc and temperment of that breed in that specific area. I can't really say I agree that small dogs are more likely to bite than big dogs. I've been snapped at by both.

Here are my thoughts on the whole big dog/little dog/aggresive dog issue: I do think people have a tendency to make light of bad behavior in smaller dogs. And not necesarily because it's "cute", but because it's not terribly dangerous. If you have a three pound yorkie or chihuahua that runs up and bites someone on the shoe, it's not scary or dangerous. However, if you have an 80 pound dog that runs up and bites someone on the thigh or arm or face, you have a serious problem. Certainly, small dogs should be trained and behave. But I think a lot of people know the dog isn't going to do serious damage, so they let it go.

It's true even of grooming ... if we are trying to groom a toy poodle that wants to bite us, we just muzzle it, hold it and groom it. If we have a GSD that wants to bite us, we call the owners and send it home. The poodle isn't going to hurt us, we are 50 times it's size and strength. Not so with a powerful, strong dog that weighs half as much as we do.

I find these blatant "this breed is the most aggressive" statements VERY hard to swallow.

Because of Ivy's reactivity, I've become all too familiar with aggression, arousal, and reactivity problems, and this is my take:

All dogs have some type of aggression. Aggression is a highly aroused state of mind, a step past a dog's normal threshold of tolerance, if you will. If you take a happy Lab who has never growled at anyone, but confine it and taunt it, it will probably bite. In a normal situation, it probably would choose flight and close its eyes or "shut down" into a state of helplessness, where the dog simply hunkers down and mentally shuts down. But take away the ability of flight, add increasing stress, and the dog will show 'aggression'.

ALL dogs have thresholds of tolerance. Some dogs, such as Greyhounds, tend to be very very calm and tolerant. They tend to choose flight before fight. They can tolerate pokes and prods. They can be in high-stress situations and do absolutely fine. But that is their norrmal threshold. Again, if you push them past their threshold (whatever that may be), they could and probably would bite. Giselle, for example, is a certified therapy dog has never growled at a fly. But if she is sleeping and you crouch over her and poke her, she would growl and probably snap at you. Can we fairly call that aggression or an invasion of her threshold? Aggression is a matter of the individual dog and the individual dog's mental state.

It should not be a list of most or least aggressive. Rather, the study should have focused on dogs' high or low tolerances and their susceptibility to overarousal.

Furthermore, there must be a distinction made between aggression and reactivity. Ivy was a regular dog park goer and never had any problems. Yet, whenever she was on leash, she would go bonkers whenever she saw another dog on the streets - lunging, growling, and, yes, she would attempt to hurt them. How can that be? How can she be fine at an off-leash park and an absolute monster on-leash? Aggression is not a black and white thing. It cannot be statistically gauged, IMO. A better factor to gauge would be a dog's arousal and threshold limits.

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Originally Posted by Twisterdog

Interesting. Probably too small a sample to be truly representative, but interesting nonetheless.

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Exactly. There are MILLIONS of pet owners out there. Not just several thousand.

I agree with Twisterdog that this is probably to small a sample to be a true representative.. but it is interesting..

Working at Vet clinics for almost 9yrs... I can agree, I've seen many many aggressive Chis. Like many other people have stated, mainly because the owners think their behavior is cute and just let the dogs get away with it. I've also seen a lot of Dachshunds that were a bit aggressive, but also pleanty of sweet ones... Min Pins as well.. and many cockers..

But I also agree with what Giselle said about aggression and reactivity. My smooth Collie, Paris, is a very sweet dog.. a giant lap dog... she does great with other dogs in the house or out in the yard, or at a dog park or other large fenced area.. but she does have A LOT of chase instinct/drive and has issues with wanting to chase cars if given the chance (her grandmother and great grandmother - neither of which I owned, both were owned by different people I knew - but both had the same problem..both were hit and killed by cars they tried to chase)... also if she is in a small fenced area (think kennel run etc.. 10 x 10 or 10x20 or some long narrow run) for even just a few minutes she gets very "fence aggressive" and will fence fight with a dog next to her.. and run up and down the fence barking and acting stupid... which is why if I ever have to go away for a few days I try to take Paris with me so she isn't in a run going crazy and acting stupid... if she was kept in a kennel environment for long I think she would become very cage aggressive.

Also if Paris is in a kennel/run with another dog and a car drives by because she has such a strong chase instinct she gets so crazed and excited wanting to chase the car she will turn and jump on and nail the dog in the run with her.... however if she is out in an open area... she is perfectly fine...

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Originally Posted by Spiritwind

Also if Paris is in a kennel/run with another dog and a car drives by because she has such a strong chase instinct she gets so crazed and excited wanting to chase the car she will turn and jump on and nail the dog in the run with her.... however if she is out in an open area... she is perfectly fine...

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My dogs do this every day. Their yard borders the run for my boarding kennel, so when I let a kennel dog to exercise, my dogs run over to the fence to see who is over there. Even though the fence is almost solid, with privacy slats, they still run up and down the fence with every kennel dog that I let out. Even though my dogs live together in the same yard and house with no problems at all, they will bite each other at the fence. I have noticed that it is the dominant dogs who bite the lower ranking ones, almost as if the right to bark at strange dogs on the other side of the fence is a priviledge bestowed upon the alpha dogs. Or maybe they are just wierdos. LOL

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Originally Posted by Twisterdog

My dogs do this every day. Their yard borders the run for my boarding kennel, so when I let a kennel dog to exercise, my dogs run over to the fence to see who is over there. Even though the fence is almost solid, with privacy slats, they still run up and down the fence with every kennel dog that I let out. Even though my dogs live together in the same yard and house with no problems at all, they will bite each other at the fence. I have noticed that it is the dominant dogs who bite the lower ranking ones, almost as if the right to bark at strange dogs on the other side of the fence is a priviledge bestowed upon the alpha dogs. Or maybe they are just wierdos. LOL

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It drives me nuts!! LOL I know one time probably about 2yrs ago I had Paris and Kelsey outside in one of my smaller fenced area for a while.. it was nice out so figured they would like to be outside for a while.... I had to run in town for a few minutes and was going to just leave them outside while I was gone...

Well I walked to my car... paris and kelsey standing and watching me... get my car... Paris starts to bark a little... then soon as I start the car, Paris really starts going nuts.. and as I start to pull foward Paris starts running the fence, and runs into Kelsey who was just standing and watching.. well she ran into Kelsey... jumped on her, knocked her down, and Kelsey was laying on her back, legs straight up in the air as Paris was standing on top of her biting at her... obviously I got out of the car and broke it up and Paris got her butt put into a crate... Paris knows I don't put up with that crap anyway and saw me coming and got off Kelsey before I got to her...

Paris and Kelsey are littermates... they were raised together, they are buddies, and very bonded with eachother.. when I take them to the dog park they play with eachother more than any of the other dogs there. They are house dogs, they sleep on the couch together, eat together... do everything together... they get along just fine... paris is just so reactive to cars she turns "crazy" for that short time... even when Paris is in the house and I am leaving I can hear her at the window barking like an idiot...

The dog park I go to is surrounded by woods and you can't see the cars parked near by because of all the trees... actually its a little bit of a walk from where you park to the dog park... there is however a bike path that runs along one side of the fence of the dog park and back thru the woods... when I've had Paris at the dog park and a biker rides by if she is near the fence by the bike trail she will run along the fence after the biker as well... but she does not react aggressively like she does with cars... she just has a very strong chase drive I guess....

I understand what you guys are saying!

That's exactly what I mean: if any emotion is unusually high, like too much excitement, too scared, too frustrated, too stressed, the dog has a very likely chance of channeling those emotions into an aggressive act. If a dog has an extreme desire to chase or play and the dog is restricted, that dog's high emotions can manifest into lunging and, if you're in the range, biting. In fact, this is why we have fence fighters at the shelter, but, once you take them outside, they're sweeties!

Aggression is not a black and white 'thing' that you can gauge or place in a clean, numbered list. It varies with each individual dog and circumstance. A better indication of aggressive tendencies would be a look at a dog's arousal and threshold levels. Until we have a comprehensive list of THAT, I will look at this and other similar surveys/studies with indifference. JMO.

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Originally Posted by Giselle

I understand what you guys are saying!

That's exactly what I mean: if any emotion is unusually high, like too much excitement, too scared, too frustrated, too stressed, the dog has a very likely chance of channeling those emotions into an aggressive act. If a dog has an extreme desire to chase or play and the dog is restricted, that dog's high emotions can manifest into lunging and, if you're in the range, biting. In fact, this is why we have fence fighters at the shelter, but, once you take them outside, they're sweeties!

Aggression is not a black and white 'thing' that you can gauge or place in a clean, numbered list. It varies with each individual dog and circumstance. A better indication of aggressive tendencies would be a look at a dog's arousal and threshold levels. Until we have a comprehensive list of THAT, I will look at this and other similar surveys/studies with indifference. JMO.

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Agreed. That's exactly what I meant with my post. My sisters parents have messed with each of their dogs to varying degrees and have different sorts and amounts of aggression with their dachshunds. It's really sad, I've known the older one since he was a pup and he was such a good boy. He's so miserable now, after being overweight, and having so many back problems. :(

I got bitten by a dachshund about a year & 1/2 ago... was a friend of J's that we were dog-sitting and took him and Eli to the dog park. He was an obnoxious dog to begin with... Own is... ignorant of dog training and proper correction. So when I scolded him and went to grab ahold of his collar, he turned around and bit my hand. Had to get a tetanus shot because of it. And two lovely scars.

I dont generally like it when people lump all dogs of one breed together.. Its all on the owners really. And I agree with the post about people not training their small 'cute' dogs. I'd say this has something to do with that problem. I'd also say that most of the dachshunds I've met.. I havent liked too much due to behavior problems. So who knows really... but its interesting.. =)