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:
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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
December 26th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
Hmmm, I have a minor problem with this study. Yes, I’ve seen chihuahuas that are aggressive for no reason, except they are a small dog. However, my primary experience with dachsunds is that they are a sweet, small dog-often called a ‘weeney’ dog because of their elongated appearance. My friend has a female dachsund that is no young thing. Yet she is friendly to most. She is excellent with my friend’s pastor’s very young son whom loves this dog to pieces and he is terrified of big dogs. The same goes for my friend’s shi itzu mix, when it comes to interaction with this same kid. My mom has an oversized female teacup chihuahua. This dog has the same reaction to kids and strangers. She is sweet and very friendly. Strange as it may seem, when someone comes to my mom’s door, the dog will bark her head off at you. While she is still barking her crazy head off, if the visitor will reach down and pet her on the head, they’ve got a friend for life! At that point, mom’s dog tries to lick you to death, giving out doggy kisses as fast as she can!!! Mom’s dog really is just that sweet. She does it to everybody. Comments? Anyone else have a dog or dogs that do that???
January 19th, 2009 at 1:01 pm
I have a 1-year-old male doxie, gorgeous red with black overlay. Sweet as sugar in most situations but has been becoming vicious with me recently. Often, when I gently wake him and pick him up, he will softly growl, I speak softly and gently to him and hold him while he sweetens up. Three days ago, he had a toy we often use as a throw and chase toy. I wanted him to drop it so I could throw it. He did not drop, so I tried to take, he viciously growled and bared his teeth in a very threatening way. It was very scary. I need to be the most important thing in his life. I forced him to give me the toy in a firm but gentle manner, picked him up, had to hold his jaw closed to keep from being bit. He growled for 2 to 3 minutes, then stopped, then shook severely for about 5 minutes. Afterward, he was sweet again, but this happened again 2 days later and again 1 day ago, not quite as severe, but I am wondering if this is the “normal” Doxie aggressive behavior, or if it could be a neurological, seizure-type of behavior since his shaking was so severe. Help. I love my little boy, but he will be history if this continues. I cannot have a dog I cannot trust with others as well as myself. I have read the book “Dog Whisperer”, and it was a great help, and I have implemented many of these ideas in this book. Any ideas?
January 20th, 2009 at 8:40 am
It always drives me crazy when a title is put on one breed or another. ANY breed CAN be aggressive. I had an uncle with a Rottweiler, a breed that is typically thought of as an aggressive breed, who would climb up on the sofa and push his poodle out of his lap because she wanted to be a lap dog. She was one of the sweetest dogs in the world. I had a Doxie for 10 years. He was my first baby and he just passed away in August due to a heart problem. and he was so sweet and he knew the difference between babies who did not know better when they would “tug” on him and our children that he KNEW knew better, and even then he would simply growl at them for a while and then he would IF they kept it up THEN he would snap at them but I by NO MEANS blame him for that I would have snapped myself most of the time.
June 13th, 2009 at 6:50 pm
Hi - I have a 7 1/2 yr old chi who was well socialized as a puppy, but definitely likes people less and less as he gets older. Actually, as long as he is on the ground, all is fine. But, if anyone is holding him, other people & animals are a threat. Anyway, brought a stray doxie into my home. Very sweet female. have been looking for owner over 2 wks - signs, internet, calling local vets. She has no microchip, and I think someone dumped this angel. My point, I don’t feel good about keeping her around my Chi - he moves like a squirrel - quick, jerky movements often, and I fear her instincts will kick in and she’ll turn on him. I think I have a home for her, where another female larger, but passive, dog lives. Any comments on a doxie like this and their interaction with other breeds?