Quora Users Name The World's Most Dangerous Dog Breeds

Most people agree that the Tosa Inu is the most dangerous breed.

May

• Published in Animals
• September 11, 2022

Although the majority of domesticated dogs will never cause people harm, never discount the fact that they can be animals with unpredictable behaviors. What's considered dangerous dogs can differ from country to country, and in the US it can also vary by county, city, and state.

In many places, certain breeds are banned by the law. The most commonly banned breeds include the Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and any mix of these three.

Other dangerous dogs include the Wolf-hybrid, Rottweiler, Husky, Alaskan Malamute, Doberman Pinscher, Chow Chow, and Great Dane. There are a variety of reasons why these dogs have been deemed dangerous.

It is important to understand that it is not necessarily the dog's fault — often, it is the result of poor ownership and training. For example, Rottweilers were originally bred as herding and guard dogs, but if they are not properly socialized they can become aggressive.

Huskies are also often misunderstood — while they may look like wolves, they are actually very gentle and loving dogs. The best way to avoid owning a dangerous dog is to do your research before getting one.

So today, we're looking at the breeds that are considered dangerous according to the folks over at Quora. You'll also gain interesting facts and insights about the different breeds and some views about responsible dog ownership.

The Tosa Inu is a Japanese fighting dog banned in a number of countries.

My dog is considered extremely dangerous. It's even forbidden to keep that breed without a special training certificate in my country. It's a Tosa Inu. Japanese fighting dog. He weights around 180 pounds (80-85 kg).

The breed is illegal/banned in:

United Kingdom

Australia

Cyprus

Denmark

Iceland

Malaysia where the country's government claimed that the Tosas are specifically bred for fighting; the step was made in order to combat the increasing number of dog attacks on humans, especially children.

Malta

New Zealand

Norway

Turkey

source: Tosa (dog)

However, during the 7 years he lives with us he's never attacked anybody. I sometimes put my hands into his food to add some goodies and he carefully avoids my fingers. He also hates when I wash him but is patient enough and doesn't move or growl at all. When I take him for a walk he never notices dogs smaller than him.

No matter how hard they try to get his attention. If other dogs bark so hard that they almost rip their leash apart he would just look at them for a second and walk by as if it was just a tree he already peed on. If someone enters my property with my permission and so long as my dog sees he/she is a safe person he won't even bark or care about the visitor.

A pet owner believes that any dog can be dangerous.

I share the opinion that it doesn't matter how big a dog is or what breed it is. Every dog is going to be safe for the owners if they treat him with love and spend enough time around him. A dog just gives back what he receives. If it's love what he gets I'm sure it's the most honest friendship what you'll get in return.

Staffordshire Bull Terriers can overpower humans.

A Staffordshire Bull Terrier.

Here is why

A staff isn’t the strongest dog

But it’s so much stronger than it looks

People buy staffs because they look cute and don’t realise how powerful they actually are.

From my experience with them they grow a bind with one family member and that person is like their baby and they feel the need to protect it.

Unexperienced dog owners will be all “That’s so cute! It’s protecting our child!”.

It is cute until your child has a play date, they have a little horse play and the Staff assaults the other child.

The staff could easily kill an adult on the weaker side, never mind a child.

Remember this isn’t with all staffs but it is with lots of them.

Staffs are essentially smaller pit bulls, they lock on when they bite.

They are often aggressive and overprotective.

They are natural killers.

But they don’t look like any of this.

If you are an inexperienced dog owner you may buy a staff thinking it will be a perfect family pet as it’s cute, but you don’t realise how dangerous it actually is.

Thats why they are so dangerous.

Anyone with half a brain knows that a 66kg Kangal isn’t the perfect family pet, but most people would never expect a 17kg staff.

Staffs aren’t mean or nasty dogs, they just want to protect their family so much that they can come across that way.

They are usually very friendly but they can be aggressive.

Thats why you should never trust your dog with a young child.

It doesn’t matter how friendly you think your dog is they have dire wolf in them.

They still have their animal instincts.

I would never leave my shepherd alone with a visiting child under 15.

I would maybe leave them with a calm but strong child that knows and understands dogs well.

Doberman Pinschers were bred as defensive dogs.

Most large dogs are extremely friendly and easily trained (there are a few exceptions). Do read my answer here: Sandhya Ramesh's answer to What are the largest dog breeds that make great pets? St. Bernards and Great Danes are not dangerous - if trained properly. Every dog that isn't trained properly is dangerous, irrespective of size. But it's easier to fend off smaller dogs. This is why we often see Bernards and Danes and German Shepherds in dangerous dogs lists- because of careless owners.

That said, there are still dogs that are inherently predators and are not easily trained. I'm leaving wolf-dog hybrids out of this because, on the large part, they're more wolf than dogs and wolves cannot be tamed.

There have been many many attempts at cross breeding dogs with wolves, and then breeding the subsequent generations with dogs, but most of these never succeeded because of the difficulty in overcoming the wolfishness - no matter how diluted, and the extreme unpredictability in the resulting breeds' temperament.

Certain types of dogs were domesticated to be defensive. A notable example is the Doberman Pinscher.

The Doberman was first bred by Karl Doberman in Germany in the late 1800s, for the specific purpose of protecting and fending off thieves when local tax collectors went about collecting bags full of money. The first few generations of Doberman dogs were extremely ferocious, territorial, and aggressive.

However, these traits have been fully toned down by modern breeders and because of the doberman's high trainability and loyalty, they're one of the top desired breeds by families. These dogs still tend to be protective of their families, so display aggression towards strangers. If every dog is compared with the Golden Retriever that will run to lick a murderer, every dog is dangerous.

There are some more territorial dogs that are harder to train, tend to be aggressive towards strangers, but are extremely faithful - Akita Inu, Chow Chow, Alaskan Malamutes, Huskies, Boxers, Rhodesian Ridgebacks, and many types of bull dogs.

Herding required dogs to think independently so as to manage livestock in the absence of humans. So, because of their herding instincts, many of the [herding] dogs are smart and independent, and are difficult to train.

Pit bulls can be terrifyingly aggressive.

These dogs are examples where the negative traits have been toned down. There still exist dogs that are bred for defense, aggression, and also for the more sinister dog fighting. The first breed that comes to mind is the Pitbull.

If you have the stomach for it, you can google images of "pit bull attack". (Warning: graphic images). "Pit bull" is a very generic term for dogs of a certain type. Pit bulls include the American pit bull terrier, the Boston Bulldog, American Staffordshire Terrier, Cane Corso, and even Dogo Argentino.

Needless to say, all of these dogs have exhibited history of attacking humans. Pit bull type dogs have a very strong jaw and usually tend to "hold and shake" their victim, making it extremely difficult to pry their jaws apart. Most of these dogs are illegal to own in many countries.

While well-trained pit bulls are indeed used by the police force and even act as therapy dogs, their violent nature has been exploited by many darker elements of society, and these dogs constitute the largerst percentage of dogs used in illegal dog fighting, defending narcotics, and use against police.

Pit bull puppies have known to kill cats as well. Most dangerous dogs are covered in this large "Pit Bull" blanket. As mentioned earlier, the Dogo Argentino comes under the pit bull category.

The importance of training dogs

Dogos have known to protect their humans to death. But if not trained properly, they can also bring about deaths of other humans. They are strong enough to hunt down boars and pumas.

Another user agrees that the Tosa is a dangerous breed.

The Tosa is a Japanese fighting dog, often called the Sumo-Wrestler of the Dog World.

These dogs enjoy pulling loads and can reportedly pull up to 3000 pounds. They also tend to attack other animals like cats or livestock even when well-trained.

Brazilian Mastiff are fiercely loyal to their owners

The Brazilian Mastiff is also classified as dangerous under the Dangerous Dogs Act of 1991.

These dogs are known to be extremely unpredictable and impulsive, and are very moody. However, they are extremely faithful to their masters and tend to "protect" them from strangers. A common phrase in Brazil is as faithful as a fila (Fila Brasileiro is their local name).

A lot of countries prohibit breeding the Presa Canario.

The Presa Canario is banned in Australia and NZ.

This dog has been known to team up with pit bulls and kill its own owners. The dog is known to have extremely cat-like movements, and ironically attack cats. This dog is relatively unknown outside its native Spain.

The above mentioned dogs are banned from being sold, bought, or bred in most countries.

Training Caucasian Ovcharkas is a challenging affair.

Caucasian Ovcharka is one of the largest dogs on the planet and extremely difficult to train.

They tend to be aggressive from puppyhood and attack viciously when provoked. These dogs are still used in the snowy mountains to protect livestock against wolves and bears, so you can imagine just how strong they would be.

An untrained Rottweiler is potentially dangerous.

While I wouldn't call a Rottweiler dangerous, they do tend to bite when the aggression is not trained out of them.

They are commonly thought of to be the second most lethal dog breed after Pit Bulls because of their widespread ownership, and account for multiple fatal causalities by bites.

Many people tend to mistakenly think that the Rhodesian Ridgeback is dangerous to humans as they are/were used to hunt lions. Far from the truth, if trained well. They are long distance runners and make excellent companions to athletes.

These breeds are the ones that come to mind when dogs are to be associated with danger. Like I said, when trained well, all dogs are fine. Some need more rigorous training than others, and if an owner finds themselves unable to provide that, best not to get a dog that tends towards aggression when improperly trained.

Incidentally, did you know that Cocker Spaniels and Chihuahuas are often said to hold the record for most number of human bites in a year, almost every year?

Bull Terriers can be uber stubborn.

Bull Terrier,

There are two strains of this breed: the white head and the coloured head. The white breed is called the "white knight", an honor it retains to this day. The bull's terrier is unique in appearance, short and sturdy, and looks like a brave fighter.

As a companion dog or a fighter among the dogs, the bull must be strong, agile and brave. Although looks naive and cute, I don't see how powerful it is, but it never gives in in dog fights, and even hurts other dogs, so it must be strictly guarded.

Stubbornness is pure stubbornness. Even a bull puppies who were born not long ago will have their own perseverance. The bull's stubborn temper makes it never surrender in the fight, and has a certain hostility to other dogs, and has a strong desire to fight, although the current bull still has left the more stubborn and competitive character of their ancestors, But these can be corrected by the training of the master.

In the process of raising the bull terrier, it is necessary to understand its habits, and to carry out good social training from a young age. When training the bull head from time to time, it will be more difficult than other dogs, so be patient when training, and master the appropriate training method.

After a good socialization training, the bull head is loyal and obedient to the owner, especially kind and friendly to children, kind and patient, and is deeply loved by people. It is a loyal and reliable family guard dog.

American wolf hybrids are prone to attack people and other animals.

Most of the time it's not a specific breed, but how an individual dog was raised.

That said, I guess if I had to come up with a breed, I'd go with American wolf hybrids.

Why?

First, wolves are wild animals. Even when bred to a domestic dog, the pups are still 50% wild.

Also because most people who breed wolf hybrids in America are irresponsible about it. They don't always select temperamentally-sound parents, and sometimes they don't properly socialize the pups, as if that were possible.

In contrast, the Czechoslovakian Wolf Dog (CSD) is an example of how to do it right. The CSD only has a small percentage of wolf (6.25%, to be exact) and has been bred carefully for generations. The breed is known for having incredible stamina, improved sense of navigation, hearing, sense of smell, and intelligence over typical, non-wolf dog breeds. In short, all the good features of the wolf, with a domestic dog’s attitude toward humans and captivity; that comes from decades of breeding.

The CSD dogs are used as service dogs in Czechoslovakia, and are known for their exemplary temperament. The owners apparently take great pride in training their dogs so they can be taken off-leash in public. Pretty impressive.

In contrast, there's no control over wolf dogs in America. This makes hybrids which jump 8 ft high fences; they will dig like badgers, they have high prey drive, low sociability with people, and extraordinarily high energy which makes them extremely destructive in captive situations.

If you hadn't guessed, I haven't had good experiences with wolf dogs. Matter of fact, I was almost killed by one. Our friend got it from a backyard breeder in Napa. It was a young, intact male: beautiful, but had no manners, so I offered to put some training into him while we were visiting.

I've never seen anything like it.

Five minutes into our session, I was standing there, teaching it “sit” with my hand at waist level, holding a treat. The dog casually snapped at my hand. I jumped in surprise, pulling slightly on the leash, and the dog turned into Cujo. His eyes narrowed, his ears flattened, he snarled and jumped directly at my throat. (I've never heard a dog snarl before, or since.)

On his hind legs he was almost as tall as I was. I jumped back, holding him off me with the leash, and screamed for my husband. Hubby was about forty feet away, talking with our friend. He saw what was going on, and rushed to my aid.

He fed the dog his arm to get it off me, and was rolling on the ground with it. Between the three of us, we managed to get the dog cross-tied between two trees.

Traumatized and shaking, we called animal control to come get the dog. Forewarned, the officer used a catch pole and tried to maneuver the dog over to the truck. As soon as the officer tightened the cable, the dog went nuts again, and attacked the pole.

The animal control officer’s eyes got big as he progressively tightened the cable, and the dog continued snarling and savagely fighting the pole until it passed out from lack of oxygen to the brain. Seriously. Passed out while biting the pole.

The animal control officer’s eyes were like saucers. He said he'd never seen anything like it. He also said he'd never had to do that before.

Of course our friend no longer wanted the dog. After the seven-day rabies quarantine, we found out that they put the dog up for adoption. They thought it was so beautiful, they refused to put it down. That was Sonoma County Animal Control, if anyone is curious. It was also twenty years ago.

Now, I'm sure not all American wolf dogs are like that… but the truth is, wolves are not the same as domestic dogs. They actually diverged about 15,000 years ago, which is a long time, during which humans have selectively bred dogs into a completely different animal. By far, American wolf hybrids are the most dangerous “breed” of dog.

Photo gotten from Wolf Hybrids: The Best of Both Worlds…or Not?. This also looks like a pretty good article on the subject, from a veterinarian’s point of view.

Never pair up a Corgi with a child.

Dangerous is a tricky thing.

There are dog breeds that are so large I wouldn’t pair them with small children, because the dog can literally pull them off their feet. But then again, I wouldn’t pair a young Corgi around small children, because they get excited and try to “herd” kids by nipping at their heels.

Not just kids, either.

Don't leave children alone with a hunting dog.

This dog is walking his kid.

I wouldn’t pair the heavier hunting dogs, like Cane Corsos or Presa Canarios or Rhodesian Ridgebacks, with people who hadn’t ever handled strong-minded, strong-muscled dogs. But I wouldn’t pair a Husky with a person who wants to chill out and watch Netflix all day, you’re likely going to come home and find your dog just ate your couch.

The perk of having a Corso

Corsos apparently make good riding ponies.

Misbehaving dogs are dangerous to every home.

I TOLD YA I WAS BORED.

Leave a Pit Bull bored and this happens.

Oh, Pit Bulls! They’re dangerous, right?

Dangerous to plants when left tied up and bored, hell yeah.

Not all Pit Bulls are dangerous, though.

This is the “pit bull” mauling I’m used to.

Sadly, there are people out there who breed for dogfights.

But then you have people who promote fighting, and breed for it:

Sometimes, it's the treatment of the humans that make dogs dangerous.

Not a dog. Absolutely not a dog.

So no, there isn’t a single dog breed I consider so dangerous that no one should own it. But there are some people who are so dangerous to dogs that they shouldn’t own anything other than a stuffed dog.

Woof!

Fearful dogs are dangerous.

Every untrained, un-socialized and fearful dog is the most dangerous dog. A Pomeranian chewed the face of a baby. A pair of Chihuahuas killed another child. Dogs are pack animals and left to their own devices they will revert to nature.

If owners neglect and ignore their dogs, they will become aggressive no matter how cute they are.

This guy, with training, attention and basic control will never be a danger to anyone. But ignore your responsibility to him, ignore his needs and forget watching for the signs of aggression and he will be very dangerous.

For this pet owner, it's humans who causes dogs to become dangerous.

It is NOT a breed specific answer. It is a human problem. My Lemon Dalmatian has a genetic predisposition towards hearing loss. Not Frank’s fault, but I had to take than into consideration during puppy kindergarten.

Frank needed to learn to see things and hear things and not get freaked out. We spent hours on busy street corners while cars zoomed by and honked. We went to schoolyards while little kids shrieked and screamed during recess.

We traveled to the mall and quietly sat on a bench where dozens of people would come up and want to pet him. I was there, or my wife was there the whole time and not one single bad thing happened to Frank. Guess what?

That made Frank unafraid of strange situations and strangers. Frank doesn’t freak out about anything. In 11 years, on and off leash, he’s just Frank. He goes to my office every day and everyone love him.

Dogs have their own personalities.

Sophie and Sumi were Dobermans. Same thing, same result. They ended up being insulted when people would start to pet them and ask, “What kind of dog is she?” And then pull away their hand when the breed as mentioned.

Sophie would sometimes nudge forward and make their hand come back. Sumi would sometimes nuzzle their leg. If that didn’t bring back the expected pat or pet, then they simply ignored the person and put on that stupid dobie smile and look for the next sucker - or just go to sleep.

There are dogs (just like with humans) who are simply damaged and will never be sociable or polite. They may be sociopathic to the point of danger to others. If you want to keep that dog alive, that’s up to you. But if you do, it is YOUR job to care and control that animal. Don’t pawn it off on the shelter or someone looking for a dog. And don’t turn them over to a human sociopath.

I believe fearful dogs - meaning untrained and poorly controlled - are the most dangerous.

As you can see from the thread, some people gave straightforward answers, detailing how aggressive specific breeds can be.

But some people beg to differ, explaining that dogs are potentially dangerous when they're fearful, untrained, or neglected. There are also special cases where people add wild dogs to the mix, creating breeds that are not supposed to be with humans.

The bottom line here is that dogs, no matter how big and small, can cause harm. As long as you are a responsible owner, providing the needs of your dogs and helping them maintain their best behaviors, your dogs won't become dangerous.

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