O cão mais feroz do mundo

Dachshund é o cão mais feroz do mundo, diz estudo
BBC Brasil.com - 06/07/2008 - 13h16

Nada de Pitt Bull, Rottweiller ou Pastor Alemão, as raças mais agressivas do mundo são Dachshund, Chihuahua e Jack Russell Terriers, de acordo com um estudo recente da Universidade da Pensilvânia, nos Estados Unidos.

A pesquisa foi publicada na última edição da publicação científica Applied Animal Behavior Science e afirma que um em cinco dachshunds, também conhecidos como cães salsicha, já atacou ou tentou atacar estranhos; um em 12 dos salsichas já atacou os próprios donos.

A lista dos mais ferozes é: Dachshund, Chihuahua, Jack Russell Terrier, Akita, Pastor Australiano, Pit Bull, Beagle, Springer Spaniel Inglês, Border Collie e Pastor Alemão.

Estes são alguns dos resultados do levantamento com 6.000 donos de cães de 30 raças diferentes. De acordo com os questionários, as raças que mais tendem a atacar humanos são Dachshund e Chihuahua.

Já os cães menos agressivos, de acordo com a pesquisa, são Golden Retrievers, Labradores, São Bernardos, Britanny Spaniels e Greyhounds.

Os "bad boys" caninos, raças que enfrentam má fama de serem muito agressivas, como Pitt Bulls e Rottweillers, ficaram na média de agressividade canina ou até abaixo, no que diz respeito a ataques contra estranhos.

Os pesquisadores afirmam que o estudo indica que raças menores tendem a ser mais agressivas que as maiores.

A diferença nos resultados dessa pesquisa para outros levantamentos sobre agressividade canina pode se dever ao fato de normalmente serem usadas estatísticas médicas de ataques a mordidas. Como os ataques de cães maiores costumam causar ferimentos mais graves que os menores, estas estatísticas poderiam estar distorcidas, afirmam os acadêmicos americanos.

Colado de http://bichos.uol.com.br/ultnot/bbc/ult4550u427.jhtm


O estudo científico:

Breed differences in canine aggression
Applied Animal Behaviour Science
Volume 114, Issues 3-4, 1 December 2008, Pages 441-460

Deborah L. Duffy, Yuying Hsu and James A. Serpell
Center for the Interaction of Animals and Society, Department of Clinical Studies, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3900 Delancey Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6010, USA
Department of Life Sciences, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei 116, Taiwan

Abstract
Canine aggression poses serious public health and animal welfare concerns. Most of what is understood about breed differences in aggression comes from reports based on bite statistics, behavior clinic caseloads, and experts’ opinions. Information on breed-specific aggressiveness derived from such sources may be misleading due to biases attributable to a disproportionate risk of injury associated with larger and/or more physically powerful breeds and the existence of breed stereotypes. The present study surveyed the owners of more than 30 breeds of dogs using the Canine Behavioral Assessment and Research Questionnaire (C-BARQ), a validated and reliable instrument for assessing dogs’ typical and recent responses to a variety of common stimuli and situations. Two independent data samples (a random sample of breed club members and an online sample) yielded significant differences among breeds in aggression directed toward strangers, owners and dogs (Kruskal–Wallis tests, P < 0.0001).

Eight breeds common to both datasets (Dachshund, English Springer Spaniel, Golden Retriever, Labrador Retriever, Poodle, Rottweiler, Shetland Sheepdog and Siberian Husky) ranked similarly, rs = 0.723, P < 0.05; rs = 0.929, P < 0.001; rs = 0.592, P = 0.123, for aggression directed toward strangers, dogs and owners, respectively. Some breeds scored higher than average for aggression directed toward both humans and dogs (e.g., Chihuahuas and Dachshunds) while other breeds scored high only for specific targets (e.g., dog-directed aggression among Akitas and Pit Bull Terriers). In general, aggression was most severe when directed toward other dogs followed by unfamiliar people and household members. Breeds with the greatest percentage of dogs exhibiting serious aggression (bites or bite attempts) toward humans included Dachshunds, Chihuahuas and Jack Russell Terriers (toward strangers and owners); Australian Cattle Dogs (toward strangers); and American Cocker Spaniels and Beagles (toward owners). More than 20% of Akitas, Jack Russell Terriers and Pit Bull Terriers were reported as displaying serious aggression toward unfamiliar dogs. Golden Retrievers, Labradors Retrievers, Bernese Mountain Dogs, Brittany Spaniels, Greyhounds and Whippets were the least aggressive toward both humans and dogs. Among English Springer Spaniels, conformation-bred dogs were more aggressive to humans and dogs than field-bred dogs (stranger aggression: Mann–Whitney U test, z = 3.880, P < 0.0001; owner aggression: z = 2.110, P < 0.05; dog-directed aggression: z = 1.93, P = 0.054), suggesting a genetic influence on the behavior. The opposite pattern was observed for owner-directed aggression among Labrador Retrievers, (z = 2.18, P < 0.05) indicating that higher levels of aggression are not attributable to breeding for show per se.
Keywords: Aggression; Dog; Breed; Agonistic behavior