Surprising dogs breeds to be wary of
Categories: In the news
When you think of dangerous dog breeds, which animal do you picture: a pit bull or a wiener dog?
According to the results of research published in Applied Animal Behaviour Science, the breed most prone to aggression is the dachshund. New research that involved questioning 6,000 dog owners, found that one in five dachshunds have bitten (or tried to bite) strangers, a similar number have attacked other dogs, and that one in 12 have even snapped at their owners.
Prior research on dog aggression focused solely on dog bite statistics. Using that data, breeds like Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, and Dobermans were thought to pose the most danger. Researchers now feel prior studies were not painting a full picture, as most dog bites (especially those of smaller dogs) go unreported and were not included in the past.
Chihuahuas ranked second on the list of aggressive dogs, while Jack Russell Terriers came in third.
Just like with people, it's not fair to stereotype an entire group based on the actions of a few. But it's also good know some small dogs might not be the ideal choice for children.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 82)
Tamyu 7-07-2008 @ 9:24AM
While I agree small dogs are the most aggressive and prone to biting... The difference is their size. A small dog bite can hurt quite a lot, leave a scar, etc... But the chances of *dying* from it are much much lower than with a large dog. Just like comparing a toddler punching you with an adult punching you. Toddlers are probably far more likely to resort to hitting if they don`t get their way, but you`re a whole lot more likely to suffer some real damage from an adult.
I`ve been bitten by a number of small dogs, and been attacked by a pit bull. I can barely recall the small dog bites, but can recount second by second the terror I felt thinking the big dog was going to kill me.
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Stacy 7-07-2008 @ 5:24PM
well then your an idiot if you've been bitten by multiple dogs your obviously doing something wrong
prrrfct 7-07-2008 @ 3:11PM
exactly. See your calling the small dog bite a bite and the pitt bull an ATTACK! Thats wrong! The pitt bull didn't kill you. What is wrong with you people calling a pitt bull bite an attack and with other breeds it's a bite. Yes, a pitt bull can bite your or another dog in self defense or in protecting mode and it is classified as a vicious attack when in fact it is just a bite. If a small dog does the same it is considered normal.
flaGSD 7-07-2008 @ 3:57PM
I had a dachshund and I agree they can be nippy. Alot of small dogs are. The reason is they are bred for looks and not for other qualities like health and temperament. And yes many of you have small dogs that are great and would never bite but small dogs can be fear biters. If you want a stable dog with an even temperament that can work go with a German Shepherd, not an american one or a showline ,do some reasearch and get a working line shepherd from Europe. Look at dogs with a schutzhund, or KNPV background. And yes these dogs are trained to bite but keep in mind a trained dog bites when you tell it to not when it feels like it.I can take my dog nywhere without worry. Not like these boneheads that take a few lessons at pet smart and think they have a trained dog
Tamyu 7-07-2008 @ 7:04PM
I call the pit bull attack an attack because it BURST THROUGH A PLATE GLASS DOOR to jump on a little kid walking home who didn`t even know it was there.
Small dog bites were from the fact that every elderly relative of mine had a small lap dog that would bite anyone other than it`s mommy. I haven`t been bitten by anything in over 15 years.
I think there is a difference between going to pet a little dog and having it try to take a chunk out of my hand before I even have a chance to touch it and having a huge dog come breaking through glass to grab my throat.
And before anyone jumps in to say "It must have been abused!" - it was a police dog, (or rather former police dog, retired for a couple of months) who was SUPPOSED to be trained not to attack without being specifically told to.
Either way - I don`t particularly think that big dogs are more aggressive than small dogs, the thing is THEY DO MORE DAMAGE. Anyone who denies this is crazy.
Tamyu 7-07-2008 @ 9:26AM
*clap* You got to the toddler comparison a few minutes ahead of me! :D
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Baron 7-07-2008 @ 9:55AM
People need to keep in mind the original design purposes of dogs such as "wiener dogs"... They were used to chase and flush badgers out of their dens, some were used to hunt and kill smaller animals (I'd say that only packs were used for killing animals as big as and bigger than badgers). Of course, the Dachshund most people have as a pet now is a smaller version of the original, but still, there will always be that instinct in there. A lot of smaller dogs were engineered for tasks such as this. Bigger dogs, while defiantly used for protection, were not. I think that a lot of bigger dogs are in some very bad hands; people get these dogs and they haven't the slightest clue on how to raise them properly.
I agree with Tamyu though, even though I haven't been bitten by a big dog (well, the dogs that bit me were pretty big compared to me at the time), I'd rather have to deal with a small dog bit than a pit bull.
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terri 7-07-2008 @ 2:17PM
nah i am a vet asst and the chiuahuas are the most nippy with the jack russells i rather work with a pit bull any day than a small dog
brownlings 7-07-2008 @ 2:54PM
Actually, many bigger dogs such as Pit Bulls and Rotweilers were trained to fight. So they have that instinct too.
Diana 7-07-2008 @ 3:09PM
Maybe we should start shooting people when they abuse their animals and then we would solve two problems. Dogs wouldn't turn vicious because they were abused and idiots would stop abusing animals because they would be wiped off the earth!
bdagurl 7-07-2008 @ 3:19PM
trust me your wrong. you would much rather deal with a pit bull. they are loving. they love for you to get down to their level and talk to and pet them. they will roll over for you to rub their belly not snap at you for no apparent reason. Educate yourself!
anniel154 7-07-2008 @ 3:22PM
ALL DOGS BITE GET OVER IT ALREADY,IT DEPENDS ON THE DOG OWNERS AND HOW THEY TRAIN THEM,STARVE THEM, ABUSE THEM IN DOG FIGHTS,THROW THEM OUT FOR NOP REASON ON HIGHWAYS JUST TO GET HIT BY A CAR AND GET KILLED THATS NICE ISNT IT!!!!!!!! OR HOW KIDS ARE NOT BEING TRAINED RIGHT BY THERE PARENTS!!!!!!!!! RIGHT AND WRONG THERE IS ALWAYS REASONS WH,ITS NOT THE DOG'S FAULT ITS THE OWNERS AND THERE KIDS NOT KNOWING RIGHT AND WRONG!!!!!!!!! THINK!!!!
Andrew 7-07-2008 @ 3:29PM
The Alabama Supreme court rulled in 2001 that Pitbulls were not at all naturally aggressive. Using information from experts, studies on behavior, and stitistics, it was the social enviornment of the dogs that had everything to do about a dogs disposition. Pitbull is a slang term that encompasses no less than 6 breeds of dogs and have been mis-represented by the media .
Do your research. Don't use someone elses thoughts(reporters) or social situations to judge a breed.
Pitbulls( slang for any dog that resembles the original breed that is extinct ,the Irish fighting dog) have saved lives in WW I , and also was the most popular breed until 1950.( again though this encopasses no less than 6 breeds) My American bulldog( a pitbull )was just sent to the vet by a pug for lacerations on my dogs throat, and the dog was never bit. My dog just took it. Don't believe the hype. Its the dogs social situation or imbreeding that makes it agressive, not the dog! I will concede that because of the size and power and a traight called "gameness" when a "pitbull" attacks its often bloody and deadly, but non the less this can be taught to any dog including a toy dog. Socialization and good upbringing is what it takes. DO YOUR RESEARCH!
baron.matthews 7-07-2008 @ 3:31PM
Whoa, lay off the caps there! Ha.
Those who said about certain dogs (not rottweilers, as they were bread to be work/herding dogs) being trained to fight are correct. My point is that many people see a small dog and don't realize that they can be much more aggressive than a big dog.
On the point of people not handling dogs (such as pit bulls) correctly, I am coming from a stand point of people not being firm enough with them. Not abusive, neglectful, etc. But, those type of dogs need to look at you and you be the "alpha dog", they need to take "orders" from you. If you don't tell them to do something, they shouldn't be doing it. Now, if you go and abuse and don't care for a dog (esp. a dog like that), you are in for a whole different set of problems (some that over lap too).
eileen 7-07-2008 @ 10:44AM
I have currently have 2 dachshunds, a 16 year old male, who wouldn't hurt a fly and an almost 2 year old female. My female is quite uncertain of strangers, mostly male strangers, although she has never bitten anyone, because she is nervous I am cautious introducing her to new people. I have found that very often it is the little dogs that can be the trouble makers. It's just that when a small dog bites they rarely can do the damage that a big dog can do. By the way, I have 3 children and both my dogs are great with them. I am a real lover of the breed, and while no doubt their are some nasty dachshunds out there, I have never met one.
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tiger66466 7-07-2008 @ 5:02PM
Thank you, Eileen. You just proved the exact point the article was making - you have socialized your dogs properly - which is why they haven't ever bitten anyone. Also you understood that the article was not an attack on one type of breed but just that they are more PRONE to biting than the others.
Someone else who owns dachshunds meanwhile took the article as a personal attack, not getting that the article wasn't saying that ALL dachshunds are on attack mode just that statistically they are more likely to bite.
I prefer bigger dogs and have a lab/hound mix (total mutt lol) and she's so sweet - but even as sweet as she is there is NO guarantee that if pushed the wrong way she'd never bite. I think that's the truth for any animal or human.
Amy 7-07-2008 @ 11:09AM
My mother has a mini-weiner who is meaner than Satan. He has bitten dozens of people, including my daughter when she was 15 months old. A small dog may not be able to do as much damage as a large dog, but they can still do significant damage, especially to a child whose face is in their range.
Small dogs should be treated with the same wariness and respect that large dogs are treated with.
My German Shepherd mutt wouldn't hurt a fly. She is protective of my kids, and I trust her with them (I still don't leave them alone together, I'm not stupid). True, if she lost her mind she could do more damage than the small dog could do, but I think the commenter above, who mentioned what different breeds are bred to do, had it right. I think small dogs are more likely to have been bred to have biting tendencies - especially against small kids.
I also think small dogs are more likely than large dogs to bite out of fear, or after they've been accidentally kicked or stepped on.
I would not have a mini-weiner in my house, because of my awful experiences with my mom's dog. I would gladly have another German Shepherd mutt.
Amy @ http://prettybabies.blogspot.com
(where if you search for "Max" or "Lola" you can read about my experiences with my own dog and with my mother's evil weiner)
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Renata 7-07-2008 @ 4:30PM
We have 2 German Sheps there are so loyal..don't ask for much except for food and water and in return they give us there unconditional love!
Then there is the other one, a miniture pinsher!
She is in control including when it comes to the Sheps,
A feisty little thing...it has to be her way!
When our 5 year old plays ball with the Sheps I am not worried a bit, but when he plays with her I get concerned, fortunately her mouth is not big anough to create a serious problem.
What LOLA wants, LOLA gets lol.
Paul Cyopick 7-07-2008 @ 11:46AM
They've banned pit bulls from Toronto. I think they should just ban the idiots that don't know how to keep proper care of them.
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ME 7-07-2008 @ 2:13PM
I couldn't agree with you more