This Is the Most Aggressive Dog Breed, New Study Says
A new study these dog breeds have the highest probability of aggressive behavior.
Every dog owner thinks their dog is the best pooch on earth—not unlike how most parents feel about their children. The truth, however, is slightly more complicated than what owners and parents often see through rose-colored glasses. Just like humans, dogs have personalities, and some of them tend to be more gentle and mild-mannered, while others are more prone to aggression. And according to a May 2021 study out of Finland published in Scientific Reports, when in comes to the influence of several factors, such as size, sex, owner, and environment, kind of canine is the most aggressive dog breed of them all.
According to the study's researchers: "We aimed to identify demographic and environmental factors associated with aggressive behavior toward people in Finnish purebred pet dogs." To accomplish this, they collected behavioral data from 13,715 dogs via online questionnaires completed by their owners. They then used a dataset of 9,270 dogs, including 1,791 dogs with frequent aggressive behavior toward people and 7,479 dogs without aggressive behavior toward people, to determine which breed was most prone to aggression. Read on for the full results and see if your dog made the list.
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22
Labrador Retriever
Probability of aggressive behavior: 0.07
21
Golden Retriever
Probability of aggressive behavior: 0.10
20
Lapponian Herder
Probability of aggressive behavior: 0.11
19
Shetland Sheepdog
Probability of aggressive behavior: 0.11
18
Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Probability of aggressive behavior: 0.13
17
Jack Russell Terrier
Probability of aggressive behavior: 0.14
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16
Smooth Collie
Probability of aggressive behavior: 0.15
15
Chihuahua
Probability of aggressive behavior: 0.15
14
Finnish Lapphund
Probability of aggressive behavior: 0.17
13
Border Collie
Probability of aggressive behavior: 0.19
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12
Cairn Terrier
Probability of aggressive behavior: 0.20
11
Pembroke Welsh Corgi
Probability of aggressive behavior: 0.21
10
Wheaten Terrier
Probability of aggressive behavior: 0.22
9
Coton de Tuléar
Probability of aggressive behavior: 0.22
8
German Spitz Mittel
Probability of aggressive behavior: 0.23
7
Chinese Crested
Probability of aggressive behavior: 0.25
6
Lagotto
Probability of aggressive behavior: 0.26
5
Spanish Water Dog
Probability of aggressive behavior: 0.26
4
German Shepherd
Probability of aggressive behavior: 0.28
3
Miniature Schnauzer
Probability of aggressive behavior: 0.29
2
Miniature Poodle
Probability of aggressive behavior: 0.30
1
Rough Collie
Probability of aggressive behavior: 0.31
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