Pugnacious Pooch

Cocker Spaniels, that innocent-looking breed, may be one of the world’s most aggressive dogs.

A Spanish study found that English cocker spaniels tend to be more hostile than other breeds. The discovery adds to the mounting evidence that aggressiveness is an inherited characteristic, suggesting that genes and breeding practices can both help determine how a dog will behave. Amat, a researcher in the School of Veterinary Medicine at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, and her colleagues analysed 1,040 cases of canine aggression from 1998 to 2006. Of those cases, a majority were attributed to English cocker spaniels, Rottweilers, Boxers, Yorkshire terriers and German shepherds. Probing the data further, the team also discovered that English cocker spaniels were more likely than other dogs to act aggressively towards their owners as well as unfamiliar people. In contrast, dogs of other breeds with reported behaviour problems tended to act aggressively mainly towards other dogs. Amat also noted that ‘inadequate handling by owners due to lack of information on dog behaviour’ is a contributing factor.

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