Ivy League Study Finds Siberian Huskies are LEAST Aggressive Breed toward Strangers

An Ivy League study of over thirty dog breeds finds that Siberian huskies are the breed least likely to attack human strangers.

The veterinary research was conducted by Deborah Duffy at the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for the Interaction of Animals and Society, and published in Applied Animal Behaviour Science, an academic journal.

Most references to this study focus on the negative–which dog breeds are meanest–but I prefer to emphasize the positive by celebrating those breeds which are the least aggressive. The type of aggression I’m most interested in is Stranger-Directed Aggression. A responsible dog owner can train good behavior into any breed of dog.  But as a stranger, I have no control over which breed of dog I may encounter on the street.  Unless I know the dog’s owner, I won’t know how well its been socialized either.  My only clue as to whether or not I should fear being attacked by a canine that considers me a stranger is the dog’s breed, and traits commonly associated with that breed.  That’s why SDA is the category of aggression that most intrigues and worries me.

Out of 32 breeds, Siberian huskies received the lowest possible rating (0%) for Stranger-Directed Aggression (SDA).  Specifically, zero of the 54 huskies in the study had attacked, bitten, or otherwise harmed a human stranger.  Only two other dog breeds–whippets and brittany spaniels–matched the huskies’ perfect SDA score.

Here is a rundown of ten dog breeds that are least likely to exhibit SDA.

1. Siberian Husky (0%)
2. Spaniel, Brittany (0%)
3. Whippet (0%)
4. Bernese Mountain Dog (1%)
5. Golden Retriever (1%)
6. Labrador Retriever (1%)
7. Poodle (1%)
8. Rhodesian Ridgeback (1%)
9. Collie (2%)
10. Greyhound (2%)

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