A note on canine aggression towards veterinarians

Abstract

Medical records at a small-animal practice in Vermont were surveyed and animals that displayed unprovoked and consistently aggressive behavior towards veterinarians were grouped by breed and ranked. The 6 dog breeds exhibiting the highest frequency of aggression towards veterinarians and hospital staff members were the Schnauzer, Old English Sheepdog, Beagle, German Shepherd, Doberman Pinscher and English Springer Spaniel. These breeds represented a mixture of traditionally “aggressive” and “non-aggressive” breeds.