Is the Pit-Bull the Most Vicious Dog?

If you think so, you are wrong.

I have been looking for a list of vicious dogs for a long time because I don't believe that the reputation of Pit-Bulls is fair.

I've been raised with Dobermans and I can still remember to this day people commenting about how vicious Dobs are. I couldn't understand why then, or now, how people could say that because my dogs were not only well behaved, but they were our first bests friends that had let us dress them, paint their nails and used them as pillow when we were kids.

Later in life, I had a boyfriend that had Chow-Chow. Again, countless of negative comments about the breed from most people. And again, all of these comments were not only uncalled for, but they were coming from people who had no dogs and knew of no Chow-Chow.

And today, it's the Pit-Bull turn (and most Bull terrier) to become the target of fear and misconceptions.

ATTS

This is why I'd like to talk to you about the ATTS, which stands for the American Temperament Test Society. The ATTS is a national organization that tests, every year, dogs (pure breed and mix-breed) to evaluate their temperament. 

As of 2007, 28010 dogs were tested for good temperament and 22 847 dogs earned a TT (Temperament Tested) title.

According to the ATTS website, "The ATTS Temperament Test focuses on and measures different aspects of temperament such as stability, shyness, aggressiveness, and friendliness as well as the dog's instinct for protectiveness towards its handler and/or self-preservation in the face of a threat." Check below for a more detailed description.

What happens when your dog fails the ATTS test?

If your dog fails the test, you may have him retest after a 5 months period. An important information for me was to learn that a dog might be tested only twice. It is comforting for me to know because, independently of the breed, some dogs ARE aggressive and those dogs won't be able to adapt to the test.

Now, let's see which 7 breed scored high on the ATTS test. 

You just might be surprised!

French Bulldog - 96.4%

By danny O. (Flickr) [CC-BY-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Staffordshire Bull Terrier - 89.6%

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staffordshire_Bull_Terrier

Siberian Husky - 87.1%

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:KyraCairns951125.JPG

 American PillBull Terrier - 86.0%

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Pit_Bull_Terrier

German Shepherd - 84.2 %

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:German_Shepherds_in_ravine.jpg

 Boxer - 84%

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Boxer_%28dog%29.jpg

American Staffordshire - 83.9%

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:12_year_old_AmStaff.jpg

This is taken directly from the ATTS website, that you can visit by clicking here. It is a description of the test. The test simulates a casual walk through a park or neighborhood where everyday life situations are encountered. During this walk, the dog experiences visual, auditory and tactile stimuli. Neutral, friendly and threatening situations are encountered, calling into play the dog's ability to distinguish between non-threatening situations and those calling for watchful and protective reactions.

Dogs must be at least 18 months old to enter this test. The test takes about eight to 12 minutes to complete. The dog is on a loose six-foot (6') lead. The handler is not allowed to talk to the dog, give commands, or give corrections.

Failure on any part of the test is recognized when a dog shows:

• Unprovoked aggression
• Panic without recovery
• Strong avoidance

The ATTS Temperament Test consists of ten subtests divided into five subcategories:

Behavior Toward Strangers
Objective: To measure the dog's reaction to strangers in a non-threatening situation.

Subtest 1: Neutral stranger
A stranger to the dog approaches the handler, shakes hands with the handler and engages the handler in a brief conversation, ignoring the dog.
The purpose of this subtest is to evaluate the dog's reaction to passive socialization and the dog's protective instinct.

Subtest 2: Friendly stranger
A stranger to the dog approaches happily and briskly, is very friendly to the dog and pets the dog. The purpose of this subtest is to evaluate the dog's active social skills.

Reaction to Auditory Stimuli
Objective: To measure the dog's reaction to auditory stimuli and the dog's investigative behavior.

Subtest 3: Hidden Noise
The handler/dog team approaches a hidden assistant who rattles a metal bucket filled with rocks and sets this bucket in the path of the team. The handler may encourage the dog to investigate the bucket only when asked to do so. The handler's focus must be on the bucket, not on the dog.
The purpose of this subtest is to test alertness and curiosity.

Subtest 4: Gunshots
The handler stops at a designated marker with his/her back towards a well hidden assistant. The assistant fires three shots using a .22 caliber starter pistol (SHOT-PAUSE-SHOT-SHOT).
The purpose of this subtest is to measure the dog's recovery response to a sudden noise.

Reaction to Visual Stimulus
Objective: To measure the dog's reaction to a sudden visual stimulus.

Subtest 5: Umbrella
The handler/dog team approaches an assistant sitting in a chair holding a closed umbrella parallel to the ground at a 90 degree angle to the approaching team. When the dog is five feet from the assistant, the umbrella is opened. The handler may encourage the dog to investigate the umbrella only when asked to do so. The handler's focus must be on the umbrella, not on the dog.

Tactile Stimuli
Objective: To measure the dog's reaction to unusual footing.

Subtest 6: Plastic Footing
Both the handler and the dog walk the entire length of a 15-foot by 6-foot clear plastic strip.

Subtest 7: Wire Footing
Only the dog will walk the entire length of a 12-foot by 3-foot unfolded exercise pen.

The purpose of these subtests is to measure the dog's sensitivity to unusual footing, its ability to recover from the fear of unusual footing and to measure its investigative behavior to the unusual footing.

Self Protective/Aggressive Behavior
Objective: These tests collectively evaluate the dog's capacity to recognize an unusual situation, its threshold to provocation, its protective instincts, and its propensity to realize when the situation becomes a threat.

Subtest 8: Non-Threatening
The handler/dog team stops at the designated marker. A weirdly-dressed stranger crosses the path 38 feet in front of the team.
The purpose of this subtest is to test the dog's alertness to an unusual situation.

Subtest 9: Threatening
The weird stranger advances 10 feet towards the stationary handler in a threatening manner.
The purpose of this subtest is to evaluate the dog's ability to recognize when an unusual situation turns into a provocation.

Subtest 10: Aggression
The weird stranger advances to within 18 feet of the stationary handler in an aggressive manner. 

The purpose of this subtest is to evaluate the dog's protective instincts.

The stranger is never closer than 10 feet from the dog. The handler's 2 foot arm and the 6' lead is added in for a total of 18 feet. Aggression here is checked against the breed standard and the dog's training. A schutzhund trained dog lunging at the stranger is allowed, but if an untrained Siberian husky does the same, it may fail.

At the conclusion of the test, the handler will receive a critique about the dog's performance. Certificate will be mailed within 90 days of the test.

This copyrighted test may not be used in whole or part without the express written consent of the American Temperament Test Society.