It is believed that some breeds of dogs are more prone to aggressive behavior due to the presence of special genes. We decided to check if such a position is confirmed by scientific data.

The Internet regularly publishes the collections of the most aggressive dog breeds. In such lists usually They get Pit Bulterriers, Rottweilers, Shepherds, Dogs, boxers, bull terriers and Staffordshire Terriers. But you can Meet and alternative collections where Included In the appearance of harmless collies, poodles, dachshunds, Chihuahua and Jack-Rassel Terriers. Popular explanationhow dogs fall into such lists - they have a certain Gene of aggressiveness. Pro Husky, Labradorov And some other breeds, on the contrary, are reported that the gene of aggression is bred or absent from them. In 2019, the Government of the Russian Federation even approved A list of especially dangerous dogs, which included 12 breeds, as well as their mestizos. “These are dogs that have genetically determined qualities of aggression and strength and pose a potential danger to people's life and health, dogs used for persecution, and dogs of native rocks, which did not have a selection for loyalty to a person and the features of their behavior have not been fully studied,” the official press release said. Similar Lists There is and in others countries.

Traditionally, such breeds as Pitbuli, Rotweierers, Dogs and Bolt terriers, called Fighting dogs. However, in the classification developed by the International Kinological Federation (FCI), which also includes the Russian Cinema Federation (RKF), there is no such group of rocks. In total, it has ten categories and a list of breeds outside the classification. It is significant that not a single breed mentioned in the Russian list of especially dangerous ones, simply No In the classifications of FCI and RKF. For example, an outpatient clinic is a slang name for the American bulldog, however, there can be no such formulation in the dog’s passport. The mention of the North Caucasian dog also looks no less strange - experts believe that this can be an analogue of the Caucasian shepherd, however, like an outpatient clinic, this name is not officially fixed. Dog handlers called The “mythical dragons” indicated in the Russian list of the breed, which cannot be found on the street.

Aggression by the dog can be caused different stimuli. Some types of this behavior are inherent in most animals - the so -called maternal aggression, when the dog protects its offspring, usually does not need correction and passes as the hormonal background in the female and growing puppies changes. Natural aggression in response to pain - an injured dog does not allow a person to him.

The manifestation of other types of aggression is specifically brought up In service, hunting and shepherd dogs. This, for example, is territorial (retention of control over the territory), hunting, food (preventing others to their prey), possessive (retention of control over the object) and protective (desire to place themselves between the owner and a potential source of the threat). It is assumed that the dog will show such behavior in certain situations and with certain incentives, and the correct education will help it correctly assess the level of danger.

In some cases, aggression manifests itself Due to improper upbringing or content. So, control aggression occurs due to the uncertainty and anxiety of the animal-it can develop if the puppy did not have a safe shelter. Some dogs can demonstrate the aggression of fear, which is most often due to breeding, when the owners devoted little time to the animal and it began to overestimate the threats arising around. The learned aggression is also manifested due to errors in education-for example, if they constantly tried to pick up the toy from the puppy and did not give anything in return, he simply does not acquire other communication skills. Aggression for a new (situation, place or object) is most often provoked by the puppy isolation.

Two more types of aggression-intraspecific and game-occur mainly due to disorders in the psyche of the animal. Aggression against relatives is found not only in dogs and manifests itself in relation to all of them, and not specific “enemies” (the presence of the owner, unlike protective aggression, is not required). Game aggression is a sign of easily excitable psyche. This behavior can occur spontaneously, but most often provoked by the owner, who encourages gross games between the puppies.

Finally, the last type is idiopathic (that is, unreasonable) aggression, also known as the symptom of the springer. These are sudden and uncontrolled outbreaks of aggression against the owner, other animals, objects and even oneself. Probably, the compilers of all kinds of lists of the most dangerous dogs are warned of a genetic tendency to this type of behavior. Although the causes of the phenomenon Not enough Studied (among possible options-genetic predisposition, neurological and hormonal disorders), dog handlers know which breeds are prone to idiopathic aggression more than the rest, and these are not bullying and rottweilers, but cocker springs, English springer-Paneli, German shepherds, golden retrievers and Doberman-pins. Unambiguously effective treatment of pathology has not yet been found, therefore, in the most severe cases, veterinarians offer euthanasia.

As for other types of aggressive behavior in dogs, how found out In 2019, American scientists, 60–70% of behavioral features are transmitted from parents to offspring, that is, the tendency to aggression primarily depends on the nature of the parents of the animal. Researchers analyzed the behavior and genetics of more than 14,000 dogs of 101 breeds. It turned out that aggression against the owner and other dogs has approximately 50% of the hereditary component, and with respect to strangers - from 70%. Although, scientists emphasize, the behavioral characteristics of the dog depend primarily on the features of her parents, and not the breed, the most pronounced aggression against strangers in the study Demonstrated The dwarf pinchers, against the owner-poodles, chau-chau and the Maltese bolones, and in relation to other animals-Akita-Inu. Scientists could not find the same aggression gene that some Internet users write about-according to their conclusions, the dog’s behavior is regulated by the combination of 131 gene at once. Commenting on the results of the study, an animal specialist from the University of Arizona Klave Winn He called Dog owners do not “perceive it as a confirmation that the nature of their pet is completely innate and predetermined” and advises each animal as an individual, and not a representative of a particular breed.

In 2021, biologists and genetics from the University of Helsinki Studied Data on behavior 9270 dogs. At the request of scientists, the owners of animals filled out questionnaires in which they indicated information about their pets and answered questions about their manifestations of aggression, reaction to noise and height, hyperactivity, anxiety during parting with the owner and living conditions. Based on this information, the researchers compiled a statistical model that allows you to calculate the level of aggression depending on the age, gender, breed, size of the animal, the presence of other pets in the family and other signs. Small dogs turned out to be aggressive than medium and large, shy - more aggressive as calm, elderly - young, male - bitches. Of the 23 “breeds and types” analyzed by scientists, the most prone to aggression turned out to be long -haired colli, miniature shnausers and poodles, German shepherds and Spanish water dogs. The Staffordshire Bulberry, in the degree of aggressiveness, found themselves in the fifth place, losing only to shelti, a Laopan ethnogne dog, a golden retryver and a labidor-retrieve. The study by Professor Hannes Loch who led the study Notes: “Although the dog’s tendency to aggression has a genetic component, environmental factors play a decisive role, that is, owners can and should affect the level of aggression of their dog.”

In 2015, American scientists tried Collect statistics about people's bites with dogs of different breeds. 334 victims who applied for medical help were included in the sample. Of these, 123 people (37%) could not determine the breed of the dogs biting them, 114 (34%) said that it was a pithaluter, 14 (4%) - a German shepherd, 10 (3%) - Chihuahua. However, scientists pay attention, information about the breed was recorded from the words of the victim, and not from the passport of the animal, therefore, both errors are possible in the definition of the breed - both conscientious and associated with bias. In a quarter of cases, the victims evaluated bites as provoked by their own behavior, 7% as unmotivated aggression, 28% found it difficult to understand the reason for the attack, the remaining 40% fell on the work of police dogs. However, like the breed, the victims themselves also determined the motivation of the animal, so such data cannot be called objective.

The idea of some breeds as aggressive is also formed because of other factors that are in no way related to dog behavior. So, a poodle or Chihuahua can often show aggression and bite the owner, but he will not attach great importance to the bites, while even one bite of the Staffordshire terrier will require treatment and leave unpleasant impressions for a long time. The structure of the jaw also plays a role in the case of a scissor -shaped bite and brachycephalism of the animal (that is, the presence of a flattened, flattened muzzle) with a bite is happening Additional breakdown of the object that came between the jaws.

Thus, scientific data confirm the presence of a hereditary component in the tendency of a particular dog to aggression, but it is not associated with the animal belonging to a particular breed, but with the characteristics of the parents of the puppy. In the vast majority of cases, unwanted aggression manifested by the dog is explained by hormonal changes, errors in education or psychological problems. In all these situations, the owner can and should minimize risks for both the animal itself and for others.

Image on the cover: Pxhere