I've always found little (teacup-y dogs) to be the most aggressive, but I put the blame squarely on bad breeding in order to get them to an unnaturally small size.

hate to say it though, I'm just glad the "typically mean" dogs aren't at the top. Big tough dogs tend to be good with kids (if properly bred and socialized of course) because they have a higher tolerance for pain. Like a poodle may be more apt to bite a child that plays with it too roughly than a pittbull would.

Of course, don't forget that when a bigger dog does lose it, they can potentially cause more damage. Which is why training is doubly important for larger breeds.

I love this news... anything to dismantle the "big, mean pittie" stereotype.

Actually, this doesnt surprise me. We used to have a cocker when I was little. She was food aggressive and nipped my brother. The final straw was when we had a birthday party and she attacked a little boy.

I have never had a bad experience with a pit bull. They can be ruthless, for sure...but they have been nice in my experiences. I am also surprised Akita didn't make the list, because they can be very...well...evil.

However, yes, cocker spaniels have quite a little aggressive personality. Nearly every cocker spaniel I have ever come into contact with is just...terrible.

aaaaw I have two cocker spaniels and they are GREAT with people. Very gentle and friendly.

the pic you have up there petsugar, is of an american cocker spaniel. not an english.
english cocker spaniels look like this

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/images19/EnglishCockerSpanielsAJLeftTommieLa...

Hmmmm, most of the cocker spaniels i have met have been pretty friendly...

i've only known a few cocker spaniels and like someone else mentioned they were very food aggresive. I do like hearing about these things though, I'm so sick of the hate on pitbulls, rottweilers etc.
On a side note, my mom is a mail carrier. She was bitten by a german shepherd once (in the butt) but is WAY more often attacked by the little dogs, while the owners says Oh they don't bite, as the dog is tearing at my moms mail satchel and she's having to spray it to get it off her. People are so ignorant.

I'm not surprised. I've met a couple not-so friendly cocker spaniels and I've also found that some of the smaller breeds of dogs tend to be kind of cranky... That's why I have a preference for larger dogs. I think the bigger breeds just have bad reputations. My boyfriend works with animal services and tells me that an aggressive Chow is supposed to be the worst dog to encounter, because it's difficult to read and predict their behaviour.

My brother got attacked pretty badly by a cocker spaniel once...

Honestly thank god though. I am so sick and tired of people jumping on the media bandwagon with Pit Bulls. Half the Pit Bull attacks out there aren't even Pit Bulls but another related bully breed!!! Arragonce and uneducated people lead most to beileve that Pitties are bad dogs - but they are awesome as long as you treat them with the respect and discipline you would with any other breed!

yorkies can be vicious. can't stand the aggression. they bark and bite all the time.

My dog (a 72 lb coonhound mix) will attempt to play with any dog, regardless of how much bigger it is, unless it's a little rat dog, then she is faaaaar away...she's been nipped at too many times by small dogs just for being friendly or attempting to play. eeeeek, and that yipping sound. UGH! I will say that Cavalier's are VERY docile and gentle though. and we've also met plenty of small dogs that are friendly...she's just very cautious!

Most spaniels I've encountered are aggressive, stupid or both (with the exception of the King Charles). I helped a neighbor train their English and that took forever. It was snappy, truculant and would pee on your foot in defiance.

With regard to tiny dogs, I'm completely torn. I've met some absolutely loving and cuddly ones and some nasty little buggers I've been tempted to punt into the next county.

I am all GRINS on this one!!! Not because I think that cocker spaniels are the most aggressive or the meanest breed, but because it just give credibility to what most pit owners already know- Pit bulls ARE NOT the most aggressive!!! I love my girls and they are the SWEETEST things on four feet... anyone apprehensive about pits before they meet her- aren't after they meet her!!!

my cocker spaniel she is Very gentle and friendly. she loves people not aggressive at all but ive seen some Mean ass pits ive been bitten by one i seen one kill a cat (the cat was not doing anything to it) my friends pit killed his littie shepherd puppy i don't care what you people say pit bulls are aggressive as hell
you pit lovers say all they are so sweet but thats because it haven't attacked you yet but it will one day pits are not in anyway a good family pet they are really the Meanest Dogs i ever seen anything about a english cocker spaniel killing someones kid or pet it's allways the pit bull!!!!!!

Chester: Do you also believe that people can be born aggressive? Do you believe that because you've had a bad experience with a person of certain race, ethnicity, etc., that all people of that group are also bad? Breedism=dog racism.

It's a well-documented fact that dog attacks are often (1) blown out of proportion in the media as being the result of a pit, as they sell more papers; (2) mistakenly attributed to a pit, when the reality is that most people couldn't truly tell this difference between one and the many other similar-looking breeds; and (3) reports often leave out huge details, like "the owner was a jacka$$ who left his pit tied up outside without food for days..."

Just as this study doesn't prove that your cocker spaniel is aggressive, your personal experience doesn't prove that my pittie is violent. Personally, I find your comment offensive, insensitive and, unfortunately, all too typical of those who are uneducated about these wonderful animals.

Preach it Melizzle!!

no people can't be born aggressive but dogs can be!!! pits are born fighters
and i know a pit from other dogs
its was a American Pit Bull Terrier that attacked and killed my friends shepherd puppy it was his dog and that dog was not tied up outside a day in it's life the dog was a inside dog only!!!!! it was like his kid
and i was bitten really badly by one and i know it was a pit because it was one of my dogs!!! and that dog was not in anyway mean too
it bit me it killed my cat but whatever oneday you will see what iam talking about when your pit attacks you or kills your kid or one of your other pets and it will happen one day!!!

oh yeah talking about someone that couldn't tell the difference between dogs
who ever put this up can't tell the difference between american and the english. cocker spaniel. the pic thats up is the american and your talking about the english

"oneday you will see what iam talking about when your pit attacks you or kills your kid"

Nice. You should see how my pup plays with infants. Well, of course, when she's not eating them for breakfast...

Hopefully, one day YOU will see that you are blinded by your personal experience and stereotyping an entire breed as a result. What about rotties, dobies and the rest? All these dogs have had bad raps at a certain point; pits are just the breed du jour. Do you also have a prejudice against these large, "violent" breeds?

Pits aren't born fighters; they're born as people pleasers, which is why they are such a popular fighting dog choice. They will do whatever it takes to make their people happy, even fight to the death.
I will concede that they do have a rep of being animal aggressive, which is usually taken care of with proper socialization.

I'm not asking you to become a pittie lover. I'm just hoping that you'll understand that your personal experience does not qualify an entire breed. It's unfair. As a former pit owner, I would expect you to understand the misconceptions surrounding this breed- your position is a rarity among those of us who have had these wonderful animals as pets.

And the reason I won't drop this is one familiar to all the other pit fans on Sugar- your comments are all too common.

I invite others to share their positions on this- it is our duty to spread the word.

rotties, and dobies are not as dangerous as the pit bull
and that They will do whatever it takes to make their people happy, even fight to the death lol no they just like to fight and kill and if they love people so much why do they try to kill them? and stereotypeing i had them before i know how they are your just trying to make up sh*t to make this dangerous breed look good!
and like i said before one day you will see what iam talking about
they are bred for fighting and the breed does what it is bred to do and thats kill. You won't know when they will attack. and yes..other breeds will bite and attack but they are not as dangerous as the pit bull They will lock their jaws onto the prey until it's dead and most dog breeds don't enjoy it so much that they fight or pin or shake or hold till the one they have in their mouth stops breathing. Human or animal.but whatever you find out the hard way!!!

My client had to give up her cocker spaniel because it attacked her and her other dogs. English Bulldogs were once bred to fight, and now look at them...they're sweet as ever. It's wrong to assume all pitbulls are dangerous. It's all about the breeding and training that determine ANY pet's future and/or fate. My neighbor has three pits, and he has all of them in control. They're all sweet and obedient, unlike other pesky toy breeds I've encountered. It's usually his lab who does all the barking and escaping. You know, Pits are called the "nanny" dog for a reason...and they also use them as therapy dogs...I'm just saying...

ive had cockers all my life and they have to be the sweetest dogs i don't care what the study said
when you say cockers are the Mean dogs and you say PIT BULLS are the sweetest dogs
your crazy as sh*t!!!!!
and like i said before i think alot of you people are making sh*t up to make this dangerous breed look good!
and you thank you have a pit in control well you don't!!!!!
they will be like that be all sweet
then will attack you without warning
i know ive had them before!!!!!

thats all you see is pits killing someones kid or pet on the news or anywhere
and the animal control knows what kind of dog it is
when they pick them up
so that sh*t (they couldn't tell the difference between a pit and other similar-looking breeds)
yeah they can!!!!
like i said they are bred for fighting and the breed does what it is bred to do

I think small dogs are more aggresive because they are less well trained then their bigger cousins. People tend to think a little dog having a tantrum is soooo cute. While with a big dog quickly learns proper behavior. Oh I ve known a lot of English Cocker Spaniels and never met a mean on. Do they have this reputation because they are also considered great family dogs?? Dogs+kids more chance for trouble???

I can't believe no one has mentioned one of the key reasons Cocker Spaniels have problems with other dogs: the docked (i.e. cut off) tail.

Anyone who knows anything about dogs or has watched The Dog Whisperer for more than 5 minutes knows that with dogs, body language is EVERYTHING. Dogs communicate a whole lot just by their stance, their eye contact (or lack thereof) - and by the position/action of their tails.

The problem with Cocker Spaniels particularly is that (a) the tails are often docked VERY short and (b) their wide-back-legged stance (which makes them so cute and sturdy) means that whatever tail they DO have isn't all that visible (Cocker Spaniels' tails don't stick out from their bodies like, say, a docked tail on a Boxer does).

This means that other dogs aren't always sure of a Cocker Spaniels' intentions and miss the cues - and come bounding over to play even though the Cocker is trying to send a message like "approach warily". The other dog gets confused, the Cocker gets anxious - and then suddenly you have a 'situation'.

The same goes for people, actually: The average person wouldn't just start petting/snuggling a German Shepherd or any big dog they encountered on the street or subway, but Cockers are so darn cute that people feel free to do so. I can't even TELL you how many people on the street or the subway come racing up to my Cocker and start petting her all over without so much as making eye contact with me. It's no wonder some of them get a bit growly.

I'm fortunate that my Cocker loves people, so there's no problem there. But she's just not all that interested in other dogs. When we go to the dog park, she greets other dogs, then goes off to sniff trails on the ground by herself. The ONLY time we EVER have a problem is when we encounter some little yappy dog with no training who keeps on bugging Lady even after she's indicated she's not interested. Finally, Lady will start growling a little - then of course the yappy dog's owner starts freaking out, both dogs get anxious, and everyone assumes that Cockers are temperamental and not to be trusted.

We talk a lot about how dogs are pack animals, but we sometimes forget that for hundreds - thousands - of years, dogs have been bred to be part of a HUMAN pack, not a DOG pack. Cockers in particular are EXTREMELY adept at reading human body language and tend to be territorial about their human family. Is it any wonder that they aren't always so great about reading dog body language, or that they are more interested in hanging out with people than dogs?

I currently have and had cocker spaniels as pets. I've met a lot of friendly cocker spaniels too. They are very loving and sweet. You can have nice cocker spaniels and mean cocker spaniels. You can have nice pit bulls and mean pit bulls. Just like humans, there are nice ones and there are mean ones, so if you meet a mean person are you going to say all people are mean?

It's going to take more than a seriously flawed study to make me change my mind about cocker spaniels - and to even mention the name of the man who uses fear and pain to 'correct' bad behaviour as a method of fixing any behavioural problems is beyond belief. It is these methods more than any other - apart from maybe bad breeding due to puppy farms - that causes aggression. Using spray bottles, shock collars and any other adversive (not to mention the horrific alpha roll) is only going to lead to trouble. More recent and thorough studies (such as the one by Bristol Universary - Dominance in domestic dogs – useful construct or bad habit) have dismissed dominance and pack theory and have shown that the way forward is positive reinforcement. Any dog has the potential to have behavioural problems - no matter the breed - unless he is given clear and consistent boundaries, has been bred by a responsible breeder, is socialised well as a pup and is trained properly using kind methods. It is the methds of those such as Jean Donaldson (The Culure Clash is a must for any dog owner) that are the way forward - lead with kindness and consistancy, not fear and force.

With any popular dog breed there is bound to be some problems. Cockers, Labs, Yorkies, Chihuahuas, Rotties, Pitts. There are problems because of amateur breeders or puppy mills.

I don't believe in bad breeds, but I think some dogs can be born that way if they aren't bred with care.

After 101 Dalmations with Glen Close dalmations were produced like crazy and kids got hurt.
Chihuahuas are bred for cuteness without any thought to personality.

If you don't want a dog that is born mean then make sure you get it from a good breeder, a mix, or a not-so popular breed.

As for the "stupid spaniel" comment. That's ridiculous. Papillons (Continental Toy Spaniel) are one of the top 10 smartest dogs. But watch out, they are starting to get popular now.

Every discussion or forum I have ever been on is pretty much the same regarding the behaviour of Pitt bulls.
You always read about owners of these animals saying the same thing. "These dogs have a bad rep". Or "It all depends on how they are treated". Or, "I have a pitt, and it would never hurt anyone".
Actually, Everytime there is a news story about a pitt bull attack, these exact words are always used by the owners. Every single time a Pitt attacks, or kills, the owners ALL sound the same. "I just dont understand it. My dog is so sweet. It would never hurt a fly".
You can talk that garbage till the end of time, But ALL the news stories are of Pitt bulls attacking. Do you think the media had just chosen these dogs to be unfair to? NO. it is because it is a fact. Pitts are a useless breed that should be eliminated from the pet pool in this country. They are NOT freindly. They are NOT a good family pet. And it should be illegal to breed, sell, or own these vicsious animals.
I for one am damn tired of hearing the news and the owners ALWAYS giving us all the same LAMEASS excuse as to why the dog attacked. I dont give a damn why. These dogs should NOT be Pets. Period.........