Perceived Aggressive Tendencies and Functional Attitudes Towards Various Breeds of Dogs

Elizabeth M. Briones & Philip H. MarshallDepartment of Psychological Sciences, Texas Tech University

Introduction

• Little empirical research has focused on the perceived behavioral differences in breeds of dogs.

• Common misconceptions of dog behavior create serious problems for specific breeds as these perceptions lead to negative stereotypes and decreased pet ownership (Protopopova, Gilmour, Weiss, Shen, & Wynne, 2012 ; Wright, Smith, Daniel, & Adkins, 2007).

PARTICIPANTS

• n = 274 (comprised of 2 samples)

• age 18 -77 (M = 24.63, SD = 11.10)

• female 78.47%

MATERIALS & PROCEDURE

• 30 dog breeds were selected for inclusion

• aggression ratings on a VAS from 0-10

• six 5-point Likert-type functional attitudes questions (FA)

• A list of mean ratings for perceived aggression was produced. The 5 highest and 5 lowest perceived aggressive breeds are listed:

• The current study sought to add to the existing literature by evaluating judgements of aggression for specific breeds of dogs, and functional attitudes towards those breeds.

• Our findings suggest as perceived aggression for specific breeds increases, functional attitudes about these breeds decrease.

• Specifically, a person’s level of interaction is affected by the specific breed of dog, such that people are less likely to interact with breeds that are perceived to have more aggressive tendencies.

Are “aggressive” breeds being accuratelyrepresented or do stereotyping myths exist?

• Future studies would benefit from assessing consistencies between actual measures of aggression and perceptions of dog breed behavior.

References

Duffy, D., Hsu, Y., & Serpell, J. (2008). Breed differences in canine aggression. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 114(3-4), 441-460. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2008.04.006

Podberscek, A. (1994). Dog on a tightrope: The position of the dog in British society as influenced by press reports on dog attacks (1988 to 1992). Anthrozoös, 7(4), 232-241. http://dx.doi.org/10.2752/089279394787001772

Protopopova, A., Gilmour, A., Weiss, R., Shen, J., & Wynne, C. (2012). The effects of social training and other factors on adoption success of shelter dogs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 142(1-2), 61-68. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2012.09.009

Wells, D., & Hepper, P. (2012). The personality of “aggressive” and “non-aggressive” dog owners. Personality and Individual Differences, 53(6), 770-773. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2012.05.038

Wright, J., Smith, A., Daniel, K., & Adkins, K. (2007). Dog breed stereotype and exposure to negative behavior: Effects on perceptions of adoptability. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 10(3), 255-265. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10888700701353956

Method Discussion

Does this dog look friendly or threatening?Why?

• The limited research that has investigated aggressive behaviors has found breed inconsistencies with those that have stereotypically been perceived as “aggressive” (e.g. German Shepherd, Rottweiler, American Pit Bull Terrier) (Duffy, Hsu, & Serpell, 2008; Podberscek, 1994; Wells, & Hepper, 2012).

• Alongside measures of perceived aggression for specific breeds, the current study sought to explore peoples’ functional attitudes related to such perceptions.

• To assess if these attitudes coincided with perceptions of breeds of dogs, we asked several practical questions about a person’s intended behaviors toward certain breeds.

Results

Highly Aggressive Least Aggressive Most Popular (2015)

Staffordshire Terrier Greyhound German Shepherd

Rottweiler Siberian Husky Bulldog

Malamute Whippet Beagle

Chow Chow Golden Retriever French Bulldog

Doberman Portuguese Water Dog

Yorkshire Terrier

Saint Bernard Bernese Mountain Dog

Poodle

Great Dane Collie Pointer (German shorthaired)

Akita Labrador Retriever Dachshund

Mastiff Brittany Spaniel Miniature Schnauzer

Boxer Basset Hound Australian Shepherd

• Correlation analyses were performed for the 6 functional attitudes questions (FA) and mean perceived aggression for all 30 breeds:

Breed Mean agg. rating

Rottweiler 5.67Doberman Pinscher

5.46

German Shepherd

5.13

Boxer 4.97Staffordshire Terrier

4.92

Breed Mean agg. rating

Collie 2.58Australian Shepherd

2.45

Beagle 2.29Golden Retriever

2.24

Basset Hound 2.05

AggressionFA1 - child -.91**FA2 - park -.93**FA3 - live -.81**FA4 - pay -.39*FA5 - exp -.22FA6 - own -.06Note. Bonferroni corrected alpha p = .008.* < .05, ** < .008.

Acknowledgments

Breed images © the American Kennel Club (AKC), used with permission.

Presented at the Meetings of the Southwestern Psychological Association, San Antonio, TX, 2017

Contact information: elizabeth.briones@ttu.edu