Now We Know Which Dogs Are Most Aggressive (and We Are to Blame)

A Brazilian study evaluated 665 dogs of different breeds and their owners for elements related to aggression. It has been found that social, environmental, physical and morphological factors can significantly influence aggressive behavior.

Normally, although scientific evidence is lacking, there is a tendency to think that certain dog breeds may be genetically more aggressive than others, such as pit bulls, rottweilers and Siberian huskies, which are often – and unjustly – singled out as “dangerous” for humans in first place. Establishing a classification based on concrete data is impossible, however according to a new study there are several factors that can significantly influence the probability that a dog is more or less aggressive towards strangers and / or the master. The breed of the dog, as one might expect, has almost nothing to do with it. Among the various factors intervene the behavior of the master, the sex of the latter and that of Fido, the weight and some morphological characteristics of the skull, many of which have been artificially selected by man over the centuries.

The study was conducted by a Brazilian research team coordinated by scientists from the Institute of Psychology of the University of São Paulo, who collaborated closely with colleagues from the federal government’s Department of Public Policy and Collective Health at the University of St. Paul. The scientists, coordinated by professors Briseida Resende and Flavio Ayrosa, professors of the Department of Experimental Psychology of the Brazilian university, reached their conclusions after analyzing 665 dogs of different breeds and mestizos, as well as their respective families. During the COVID-19 pandemic, study participants received questionnaires developed by doctors Natália Albuquerque and Carine Savalli, with multiple questions dedicated to social, environmental factors and the characteristics of their pet. For example, they asked about frequency of outdoor walks and aggressive behaviors (such as barking or biting), as well as demographics, dog breed and more. Aggression was assessed using a specific standardized questionnaire called the Canine Behavioral Assessment and Research Questionnaire (C-BARQ).

By crossing all the data, significant associations emerged between canine aggression and social and environmental factors. For example, as Professor Ayrosa clarified in a press release, owner gender was a good predictor of dog behavior towards strangers: “The absence of aggression was 73% more frequent in dogs than in bitches,” has explained. In other words, dogs owned by males tend to be more aggressive. The sex of the dog is also an important predictor. Aggressive behavior towards the owner was actually 40% lower in females. Another relevant correlation was with muzzle morphology: dogs with brachycephalic skulls, i.e. dogs with flat muzzles such as boxers, pugs and bulldogs, were 79% more likely to be aggressive towards their owners than mesocephalic dogs . This should come as no surprise, considering that pug-nosed dogs typically suffer from a variety of health issues and can therefore be significantly more irritable. Norway has even banned the breeding of two brachycephalic dogs (the Cavalier King Charles spaniel and the English bulldog), precisely because it is considered cruel to breed animals condemned to such suffering, while some vets believe that the pug should no longer be considered a dog “typical”, in light of the significantly higher percentage of ailments and conditions this breed faces.

Brazilian researchers also found that dogs whose owners take them out frequently and spend a lot of time playing together tended to be less aggressive. Training also played an important role in influencing aggressive behavior. The researchers also observed that weight has a positive impact on aggression, decreasing by 3% for each extra kilogram of body mass. After all, small dog owners know how pestilential small pets can be.

“The results highlight something we’ve been studying for some time: behavior emerges from the interaction between the animal and its context. The environment and the owner-animal relationship, as well as morphology, are all factors that influence how animals interact with us and how we interact with them,” said Professor Briseida de Resende. The authors of the study point out that, although aggressive behaviors are often considered unwanted, “because they are mainly associated with negative contexts and possible episodes of biting or attacking”, they represent “an important component of the behavioral development of dogs, based on communication”. , and as such it must be considered to understand how, why and when it occurs in pet dogs”. It should be emphasized that some parameters evaluated in the study are confounding; for example, in fact, a dog may walk less because it is aggressive or vice versa. These are questions that will have to be investigated in ad hoc investigations to bring out cause and effect relationships.

The details of the research “Relationships between morphological, environmental, social factors and aggressive profiles in Brazilian pet dogs”, supported by FAPESP, have been published in the scientific journal Applied Animal Behavior Science. A recent study has also revealed which dogs are the smartest.

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