Aggressive Breeds: Dachshunds and Chihuahuas?
Yep, you read that right. According to a recent study from the Center for the Interaction of Animals and Society at the University of Pennsylvania, the Dachshund is the breed MOST prone to aggression, closely followed by Chihuahuas.
This new research involved questioning 6,000 dog owners with more than 30 different breeds among them and found the following about Dachshunds:
- One in five Dachshunds have bitten (or tried to bite) strangers.
- A similar number of Dachshunds have attacked other dogs.
- One in 12 Dachshunds have snapped at their owners.
Right behind the Dachshund was the Chihuahua, followed by the feisty Jack Russel Terrier.
Said one of the researchers, “Small size very likely plays a large role in the development of fear-based aggression among some breeds. Smaller dogs may feel more threatened by other dogs and people — a perception that may be well founded.”
You might be wondering about the stereotypically aggressive breeds — what accounts for their slip down the aggression ladder in this particular study?
Since past research about breed aggression focused solely on reported dog bites, researchers felt that this wasn’t painting a full picture. Most dog bites, especially those by smaller breeds, go unreported. Thus this new study attempts to give a more accurate idea of breed aggression towards three subjects: other dogs, strangers and owners.
So, breeds with the greatest percentage of dogs exhibiting serious aggression (bites or bite attempts) toward humans included:
- Dachshunds, Chihuahuas and Jack Russell Terriers (toward strangers and owners)
- Australian Cattle Dogs (toward strangers)
- American Cocker Spaniels and Beagles (toward owners)
As far as serious aggression toward other dogs, three breeds each had more than 20% displaying that:
- Akitas
- Jack Russell Terriers
- Pit Bulls Terriers
LEAST aggressive toward both humans as dogs? Golden Retrievers, Labradors Retrievers, Bernese Mountain Dogs, Brittany Spaniels, Greyhounds and Whippets.
Here’s an awesome chart from PetLoversTips.com that outlines the entire results.
|
Breed |
# of Dogs |
Human - Stranger |
Owners |
Other Dogs |
Dog Rivalry |
Ave All |
Ave People |
|
Dachshund |
68 |
21% |
6% |
18% |
7% |
10% |
14% |
|
Chihuahua |
56 |
16% |
5% |
18% |
4% |
9% |
11% |
|
Beagle |
63 |
8% |
8% |
10% |
6% |
6% |
8% |
|
Jack Russell Terrier |
78 |
8% |
4% |
22% |
9% |
9% |
6% |
|
Australian Cattle Dog |
136 |
10% |
1% |
21% |
4% |
7% |
6% |
|
Cocker Spaniel |
107 |
5% |
6% |
7% |
4% |
4% |
6% |
|
Border Collie |
163 |
8% |
2% |
13% |
4% |
5% |
5% |
|
Pit Bull |
132 |
7% |
2% |
22% |
8% |
8% |
5% |
|
Great Dane |
53 |
6% |
2% |
25% |
6% |
8% |
4% |
|
English Springer Spaniel |
57 |
4% |
4% |
18% |
7% |
7% |
4% |
|
Shetland Sheepdog |
57 |
4% |
4% |
4% |
4% |
3% |
4% |
|
Airedale Terrier |
66 |
5% |
2% |
9% |
3% |
4% |
4% |
|
Bichon Frise |
65 |
5% |
2% |
5% |
3% |
3% |
4% |
|
Doberman Pinscher |
144 |
6% |
1% |
11% |
3% |
4% |
4% |
|
Rottweiler |
210 |
5% |
1% |
8% |
1% |
3% |
3% |
|
Boxer |
70 |
6% |
0% |
16% |
4% |
5% |
3% |
|
German Shepherd |
292 |
4% |
2% |
16% |
4% |
5% |
3% |
|
Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier |
216 |
4% |
2% |
16% |
4% |
5% |
3% |
|
Akita |
99 |
3% |
3% |
1% |
5% |
2% |
3% |
|
Collie |
132 |
2% |
2% |
7% |
2% |
3% |
2% |
|
Bernese Mntn Dog |
67 |
1% |
3% |
4% |
1% |
2% |
2% |
|
Mastiff (English) |
126 |
2% |
1% |
6% |
4% |
3% |
2% |
|
Portuguese Water Dog |
75 |
3% |
0% |
7% |
3% |
3% |
2% |
|
Havanese |
73 |
3% |
0% |
4% |
1% |
2% |
2% |
|
Golden Retriever |
181 |
1% |
1% |
7% |
2% |
2% |
1% |
|
Siberian Husky |
54 |
0% |
2% |
6% |
2% |
2% |
1% |
|
Brittany Spaniel |
66 |
0% |
2% |
5% |
2% |
2% |
1% |
|
Whippet |
59 |
0% |
2% |
3% |
2% |
1% |
1% |
|
Greyhound |
62 |
2% |
0% |
2% |
0% |
1% |
1% |
|
Poodle |
169 |
1% |
0% |
8% |
1% |
2% |
1% |
|
Rhodesian Ridgeback |
69 |
1% |
0% |
6% |
1% |
2% |
1% |
|
Labrador Retriever |
349 |
1% |
0% |
2% |
1% |
1% |
1% |
More blogs on the topic:
Terriermandotcom.blogspot.com
July 18th, 2008 at 8:37 am
I have a soon to be three year old male Doxie. He is wonderful around everyone including small children. He is not over aggressive or protective. As soon as I bought him I made sure that he was well rounded and not over attached to one person to the point of protecting. I have known some dachshunds that you can not even sit next to their owner without them being aggressive. This is not a healthy relationship for the dog. My doxie has a favorite, don’t get me wrong, but he is not shy to play with other people or frantic when I am around others. I believe that like children, its all in how you raise your animals. Not only is my doxie great around people, same goes for other animals. I have two cats, a rabbit, and two other dogs that he does great with. My in-laws also have a doxie that is the same temperament as mine. (They are brothers from different litters) They bought their dachshund soon after I did because they fell in love with his personality. This goes to show you, it’s all in how you care for your animals.
August 5th, 2008 at 10:02 pm
I agree, but like myself as a pit bull mix owner, they always get the bad rep and it’s not fair because my girl is the sweetest thing…
August 24th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
I have an aggressive chihuahua. He bites and fights with people and dogs. His most recent was to bite a friend in the face. I am more than willing to admit it may partly be my fault for not recognizing it earlier, but now that he is 8 years - it only gets worse.
However, I have trained service dogs, and never let the chihuahua get away with anything. I gave him lots of socialization, puppy classes, training, daycare and so much more. This is a dog that is fear aggressive. For many dogs, it isn’t so much the training and owners - but can actually be the breed.
Sorry folks, small cute dogs aren’t always small and cute. They made the list for a reason.
Cheers,
Crusty