Guess what the most aggressive dog is?

The only place I can find that reported is the Daily Mail, and here’s another article from them that reports different breeds as being most aggressive.

www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-9541247/Scientists-reveal-AGGRESSIVE-breeds-Long-Haired-Collies-list.html

There’s nothing corroborating golden cockers being the most aggressive dogs in hundreds of other articles online either. It’s just something to fill the paper I think.

I am biased, I’ve got a cocker myself, the worst he’d do is lick you to death given the chance. He’s not golden though, he’s blue roan.

A friend of ours had a cocker spaniel that was very territorial and could be quite aggressive. Our border collie puppy was very badly bitten by a labrador which is supposed to be a lovely safe dog.

On the other hand a friend had to find a home for her german shepherd. She approached the army and at first they were going to turn him down because they didn't think he was aggressive enough. They eventually managed to get enough reaction out of him to give him a trial.

The Royal College of Veterinary surgeons has released research - i havent read it but noticed Spaniel in the heading.

Casdon
It is in other newspapers.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/05/19/cocker-spaniel-dog-aggression-breed/

There’s also something known as Springer rage

There was a problem with Golden Cockers years ago due to inbreeding but I thought they were ok now? When I had Blue Roans years ago there is no way that I would have considered having a solid colour. Back then one in fourteen had to be pts and that didn’t include the ones whose owners put up with their aggression. I’m hoping that the problem hasn’t re emerged due to the obsession with people wanting Cockapoos. Cockers are the most wonderful little dogs.

I think the problem was with 'red cocker rage'
We have had many cockers over the years aka 'the merry cocker'
Ours have all been the friendliest of dogs, although of course kept under strict supervision when children are here
In our experience, they are the cheeriest of creatures and ours have all been red/golden

Call me a cynic. Aggression was reported to vets in 4% of cockers in the study. Aggression isn’t defined though.
Cockers are very boisterous when they are young, they are clever dogs and they learn quickly - but they need to be trained hard because they are clever, they need to know who is the boss, and they need loads of exercise. I blame the owners. Because they are such beautiful dogs people buy them and think they will be easy, without understanding the dog’s behaviour is down to their training and handling. That is true of any dog, but particularly the clever breeds.

When I had my first dog, a black and white Cocker I’d heard of people who had had a dog, spoilt it rotten then, when they started a family the dog would get jealous and have to be rehomed ( or worse). So I made a point of treating my dog very much as a dog (even though I desperately wanted to almost treat her as a baby substitute). Then, when I had a baby a couple of years later I introduced the baby to her and made a huge fuss of her. I’ll never know if she would have been ok with the baby anyway but wasn’t prepared to risk it. I think you have to set ground rules with dogs right from the start, especially if you think your lifestyle is going to change in the future.

When I was in my teens we had a Springer from a pup and it was very boisterous but also very gentle. Super, super intelligent and a joy to train. Never saw any sign of aggression in it.

My own experience is that working collies are sneaky and will nip your heels, terriers are often aggressive, but any dog with a bad owner can hurt you, big dogs especially.

My friend had one of those spaniels. One night it went for her and cornered the children in the kitchen. The vet said it had dementia and had to be put down.

Lets remember that dogs, for all their fancy breeding, are descended from wolves. They look to a leader of their pack and the owner must train them so that they are recognised as that leader. They are not babies.

The worst tempered dog I knew was a cairn terrier! But all the other cairn terriers I knew as a child, when they were very popular indeed in the Glasgow area were nice tempered dogs, so I don't think it is a characteristic of the breed.

The spaniels I knew where all good natured, but just not very bright.

My husband always says that the most aggressive dog he dealt with when he was in practice was a chihuahua!

I have my second blue roan, sweet gentle girls both of them. Years ago there was an issue of poor temperament in solid colours, particularly reds. Responsible breeding stopped it. There seems to be an emerging problem with resource guarding in cockers/cockerpoos. I volunteer for a re-home charity, we see it often. I follow a couple of spaniel Facebook groups, where resource guarding resulting on the dog biting is common.
The force free/positive training approach is good but - throwing treats or bribing a resource guarder with something of higher value seems to be the only advice out there. I saw one incident where a 7 year old had puncture marks on his arm, blamed on the child for trying to get his toy back. Don’t blame the dog, train the child to leave it alone was the advice.

I recall reading that labradors caused the most bites. But there's a lot of labradors out there.

Louella12

I recall reading that labradors caused the most bites. But there's a lot of labradors out there.

And people aren’t wary of Labradors so they might not hesitate to invade their space the way they would with eg a Rottweiler. I was told by a vet years ago to be wary of them and I was really scared on the beach a while back when a huge Labrador ran up to us and started barking. Its owner was a long way away and did nothing. I’m wary of all dogs even though I love them.

It can be misleading to fall in with the usual "surveys" which produce a "villains list" of dog breeds, Such lists can only ever be a rough guide, as virtually any breed can become aggressive given the appropriate circumstances. Yes, there are those, as in this article, which are specifically bred and trained, often by criminals, to be viciously territorial, but they are the exception, rather than the rule. In the main, responsible owners and breeders work hard to ensure that their dogs are user-friendly, so let's keep things in perspective here. We have two Cavapoos, who can certainly deliver a nasty lick, and also owned a 35 kilo Yellow Lab who failed guide dog training because she was "too friendly". Treat dogs right, and they will repay the compliment.

We have had four Cocker Spaniels all of whom have been an absolute delight. The are lively and can be boisterous, they do need a firm hand, plenty of exercise and lots of love. Our present little girl is a 7 year old working Cocker, golden and white who, like her predecessors is lovely affectionate girl. However, I would never ever leave her on her own with a small child or allow people to over pet her. She is dog, not a child and cannot be expected to react responsibly to strangers making weird noises and grabbing at her. She is less lively at the moment as 6 weeks ago she had a bad accident which resulted in the loss of her left front leg!! She's managing really well,but it has slowed her down!

“Cocker rage” was like psychosis but I thought it had been bred out of them long ago.
The idea that dogs want to be “pack leader” was discredited long ago too. It’s nonsense.

Our family black and white Cocker is the most gentle dog. He would make a good therapy dog.

Jaberwok I'm so sorry to hear about your dog's accident and the loss of one of her legs. I hope she makes good progress and enjoys her new life on only three legs. Best wishes.

I hope your girl makes a good recovery Jaberwok ❤️
I totally agree that dogs needed to be treated with dignity, not as toys.
The children in our family are taught that the dogs need to be left alone when eating or sleeping.

Aldom and J52, thank you so much for your kind words about my little girl. As I said she is a lot better now, and managing pretty well on three legs. At first it was fairly awful as despite strong pain killers, she was in a lot of discomfort and seemed loathed to go far for fear of tippling over which she did quite frequently. Anyway, lots of perseverance and encouragement, six weeks on she is managing pretty well and is a lot brighter in herself.