Vet News Does your dog bite? Penn’s study says your Dachshund might

Much attention has been paid to this bit of weird science from the hallowed halls of none other than my alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania. Out of thirty-three breeds of dogs, this study concludes that Dachshunds were the likeliest to grace a human hand with an unwanted nibble.

The study talks a good game about the 6,000 thorough surveys conducted but let me state now for the record that no dog bite study has ever managed to convince me of its validity—at least no study that reports on the breed of dog doing the biting.

Just ask Terrierman for an entertaining explanation as to why most dog bite studies deserve a round of debunking.

Here’s the short version: Any study relying on owner/bitee recall/opinion is necessarily riddled with bias. Bias means there’s not likely to be much significance in the data obtained.

Sure, sounds like fun, hearing that none other than this Napoleonic hotdog pooch is responsible for more bites than 29 other breeds of dogs. The study made me smile, not least because its findings attempt to debunk the myth of the big breed bully.

The mighty Rottweiler divested of his crown, the notorious pit bull yanked off his throne and the German Shepherd turned pussycat in the face of…the nasty little sausage-dog.

And that’s the best thing I can say about this study: It beats hearing another round of pit bull bashing in the news media.

July 11th, 2008

Add Comment46 Comments

Someone ought to do a study on Schipperkes. (sp?)

Keeping my fingers crossed as I hit "post."

robyn w July 11th, 2008 03:02:00 PM

Or perhaps Miniature Poodles. We had a NASTY one when I was growing up. When we first picked her up, the mother dog bit my mom, and then a few years later "Mitzi" was biting my fingers and hands. She nearly ripped a chunk of my brother's ear out for rolling over on her bone. Lastly, if you wanted to clean up something like..puke...forget it, she'd guard it from everyone. Except, my mom.

ashleigh July 11th, 2008 03:48:00 PM

Oh, what fun.

But as Terrierman pointed out, this "study" concluding that it's the small dogs that are really bad, is orders of magnitude more silly and unfounded than most such. It doesn't even use actual dog bite numbers, and "surveys" trivial numbers of people. Based on their memories. With no correction for the fact that people with breeds that are the target of irrational hostility will be moved to downplay any issues--while people will tiny dogs may be moved to stick up for their dogs' "toughness."

Lis July 11th, 2008 04:39:00 PM

What's "cute" in small dogs ("Oh he's just fiesty! Aren't his growls cute!!") is "scary" in large dogs. There's a lot more tolerance for bad behavior in small dogs, because they're so adorable and they don't look like a threat. I've been bitten by a cocker spaniel and a chihuahua, and nearly attacked by a pekingese. I'm not surprised by the "study's" findings, anecdotal or not.

anonymous in boston July 11th, 2008 06:36:00 PM

Oh, look, it's Anonymous Coward again, displaying its usual grasp of logic and evidence.

Lis July 11th, 2008 07:10:00 PM

How about a 15 lb cockapoo taking a bite out of an unsuspecting ankle? Would love to break the guy of the habit.. It's a little embarrassing hearing a guest scream that something is biting there extremety while eating dinner.. I don't have to look under the table, as I know who the cuprit is.. The extended family is getting a little cranky when they get bitten for walking to close.. It is a little funny that he differentiates when it comes to my elderly parents.. They are on his good list.. Otherwise he's a nice guy.. Ughhhh

barri July 11th, 2008 07:19:00 PM

Barri, you might try some TRAINING and SOCIALZATION, and MANAGEMENT.

I.e., why aren't you working on training for control, socialization so that he doesn't find guests in "his" kitchen alarming, and KEEPING HIM OUT OF THE KITCHEN OR DINING ROOM WHILE EATING, until you've mastered the other bits?

Or, even more simply, if you know you have this problem with him, why are you giving him the opportunity to practice and reinforce the unwanted behavior?

Lis July 11th, 2008 08:09:00 PM

I recently discovered Terrierman thru this blog---what nifty finds & whit! OK----when I'm out on my route being USPS "mailwoman" , I don't trust any dogs---I don't care what the owner says!!
(I think they inherently distrust 'delivery people') And my 'other' was the other extreme---tells all strangers, delivery persons that our foot-high yappers "might bite".

Barbara A. Albright/New Hampshire July 11th, 2008 08:25:00 PM

I agree with Annonymous here. In my experience, people seem a lot more willing to accept growling, biting and other 'anti-social' behaviours from small dogs than big dogs.

For what its worth, I read somewhere that golden retrievers are responsible for bites per capita than any other breed of dog.

I take all of this with a grain of salt though. In the end, the BREED doesn't matter. The owner does.

Shannon Ryan July 11th, 2008 08:36:00 PM

Barbara, the problem with dogs and delivery people, especially mail carriers, is this:

First off, you dress funny (in uniform), and carry that very suspicious bag.

Secondly, it's natural for dogs to bark to announce that "this is my territory." This impulse is undermined when the "intruder" is welcomed by the owner, and most dogs mostly learn not to bark at guests--those people who come to the door and aren't dressed funny.

Thirdly, after the dog barks, you go away. Well, that's part of your job. But from the dog's point of view, BARKING WORKED. The dog barked, and the funny-dressed intruder went away!

And the result is that the perception that the mail carrier is an intruder, is reinforced, and without good care, it can escalate to more aggressive "defense" against that intruder.

I've worked hard at making sure that my dog recognizes at least our regular mail carrier as Not An Intruder, but I wouldn't want to trust that too far if I had a front yard for her to be out in.

Lis July 11th, 2008 08:40:00 PM

oh Lordy, Lis you reminded me again! I missed my "cue". All of us in our office love pets, our own and others (and kids and babies)---YEARS ago, before the increasing awareness of health, we used to carry lollipops for kids and dog biscuits. The lollipops stopped (sugar, unhealthy treats, etc) and in the last year or so, the dog treats--same idea, diet restrictions, don't want pet to learn to "follow" us, etc. Almost every year, a carrier gets a dog chomp, some not bad, some not too good!

Barbara A. Albright/New Hampshire July 11th, 2008 10:15:00 PM

Did being a Source of Treats help? I hope? :)

Lis July 11th, 2008 10:23:00 PM

Do dachshunds bite?
well, I have 4 of them, and yes, they do, but it usually involves removal of food from fingers....they are food obsessed.
do I tolerate more from them then I would have from my 60 lb previous and now passed from old age dog? yes, but my kids are adults and somehow I don't find myself intimidated by 15lbs sausage with legs...

does my friends dobby bite?
yes, but under the guise of licking me to death...
once again I can't help but know it is rarely "bad" dogs....but "bad" owners...me included.

do I think this study is just some idiot justifying a job/grant/paycheck....YEP....

LorriM July 11th, 2008 10:40:00 PM

I have only been bitten by one dog. And repeatedly. It was my landlord's doxie- she was 15 years old and had no teeth. But she gummed me visciously every time I would go to pay my rent. Her name may have driven her to it...Bubblina. She is the only dog I have not been able to make friends with or at least come to an understanding. Maybe she sensed I was not alpha since I paid her momma rent? I dunno, but she was one viscious dog....

And not wanting to stir up a storm here, but lis, why are you calling anon in Boston a coward? You have no more an idea wo anon is than you have who I am.... am I missing something? If I wanted to read a bunch of backbiting and name calling, I could go to a host of other sites....not here.

agadoresmama July 11th, 2008 11:15:00 PM

"Anonymous in Boston" is dishing out heapin' helpings of condescension and contempt in that other comment thread, and posting as "Anonymous."

Even a nom de internet, like yours, is a NAME, expresses an identity--and I suspect is recognizable to anyone who knows you offline. And it expresses a basic respect for the norms of human interaction, while not inviting people to track you down offline.

Posting as "Anonymous" does not show that respect. And when used consistently, while condescending to everyone else as being too stupid to find their way out of a paper bag--that's cowardly.

And having a comment that I've tried to post to that thread twenty-two times now, which has failed the "are you a machine?" gatekeeper three tiems and simply vanished into the ether the other nineteen times, left my patience very, very frayed, when it joined this thread, and right after my first post in it, chimed in with its opinion that yes, small dogs really ARE nasty.

Lis July 12th, 2008 07:25:00 AM

By the way, the only dog I've ever been bitten by was a good-sized hound--sorry, at five, I didn't inquire as to the specific breed, and it was likely a mix, but it was a hound-type dog in appearance, and bigger than I was, probably in the fifty-pound range.

I guess I am justified in concluding from this that the really NASTY dogs are hounds in the range of 40-60 pounds. After all, I've got evidence as good as Anonymous', or yours--or this "study."

Lis July 12th, 2008 07:31:00 AM

Lis: Please refrain from commenting with a caustic tone. Please do not single out commenters personally. Please keep any acrimony stored up from past threads welled up deep inside so the reader of this thread doesn't have to wonder why Dolittler is such a hostile place. Thanks!

Dr. Patty Khuly July 12th, 2008 07:50:00 AM

Patty - can't help thinking that after the first line of your blog title "Does your dog bite?" should come the famous retort "But that is not my dog." Sorry, off topic, I know...

Alex July 12th, 2008 09:42:00 AM

Exactly. I can't get the Pink Panther off my brain every time I read a dog bite study.

Dr. Patty Khuly July 12th, 2008 10:14:00 AM

Hmm. But what "anonymous" says in her comment is very much my experience with the general pet-owning population that walks through the door of the clinic where I work. Aggression in small dogs is frequently somehow humorous, especially when it's directed at large dogs. Personally I don't think it's funny at all and I'd be appalled if my own dogs acted that way, regardless of size (I own two pit bulls currently, but my first dog as an adult was a 10 pound Miniature Poodle). I certainly wouldn't encourage (whether intentionally or not) it the way I see so many small dog owners do!

Aggression in large dogs is often taken more seriously, simply because they can do much more harm. If you're bitten by a chihuahua, chances are you're not going to have as serious an injury as if you're bitten by a lab. If a dachshund attacks another dog, you're not going to have as serious injuries to the other dog as if it were an attacking 80 pound mixed breed dog. They're simply not physical capable of the same amount of damage.

But that doesn't make their behavior okay.

As always, it's more an owner problem than anything else.

katie July 12th, 2008 11:51:00 AM

I agree that it is more than likely the owner who needs to train the dog and be consistent with the reinforcement. But, not always the case. I take care of a small dog in my pet sitting business. He is a biter. We are not allowed to pet the dog, so we use a special leash with him and we do not walk him near any people or other dogs. The owner lives in Palm Beach and does everything for this dog. Unfortunately, she rescued him, and he was like this when she acquired him. He was fortunate to get a nice home, and an owner who is willing to tolerate his behavior. Otherwise, he would probably not exist.

Becky July 12th, 2008 12:20:00 PM

Becky, you don't say what you mean when you say she "does everything for this dog," but depending on what "everything" is, that's not necessarily a good thing.

Even most rescues with issues can be helped--and helped a lot. But while management is an important part of that, management alone is not enough. It takes stepping back to recognize what the problem really is (biting is a symptom), and working on THAT.

My little dog arrived in my home terrified of everything and everyone, and fear-aggressive because of it. She's made enormous progress in a year. She loves kids even when they're doing "dumb" kid-like things (moving to quckly and too unpredictably, talking in high, excited tones, etc.). She charms nearly everyone we meet. She has doggy friends, including big dogs--something that seemd impossible when she first arrived. We still have some things to work on, but she's a different dog than she was when I first adopted her.

But I didn't do "everything" for her; I figured out what she _needed_, and did that. And that's the difference.

If she'd landed in a shelter that, like so many of them, did temperament testing to select the victims for execution, she'd be dead. Instead, I have a sweet, loving pet. My friend's Mlatese, with a similar background and four additional years in his forever home, has made even more progress.

Too often, little dogs don't get trained.

Just as often, little dogs get teased and harassed in a way that no one would be stupid enough to do to a big dog--and people think it's funny, not cruel, to do that.

Lis July 12th, 2008 12:52:00 PM

Hi Lis.. I'm not in full agreement with you regarding socialization, and control.. Yes, it is his house also, and he is usually well mannered.. I'm inclined to think that it's more of a fear of getting stepped on, vs. control.. I'm not very versed in animal behavior, but can interpret my human patients, their body language, and social cues , with little difficulty.. but am catching on to the dog language.. I've actually gotten out of the house today to join Bideawee on their Sat. walk.. so Socrates can interact.. I like the idea of keeping him out from under the table, to preserve the relationship of the family..

barri July 12th, 2008 01:32:00 PM

Barri, yes, it is his home too.

In my home, and my sister's home, and in my mother's home when were kids, the expectation is and alway has been that all members of the household will behave apprpriately. (Biting guests' ankles is not appropriate, regardless of the number of feet possesed by the family member doing the biting.)

All household members also need to be TAUGHT what appropriate behavior is. Neither young children nor dogs can be counted on to figure that out for themselves, and it's _not_ _fair_ to expect them to. Give them the help they need!

And some situations are just too much for young children, or dogs, to handle without getting over-stressed, over-tired, over-excited. It's not fair to thrust them into those situations, and then blame them for the result--be it a temper tantrum or ankle-biting.

My current dog is now fine with people eating dinner here, even though at first any "stranger" coming into the house was a cause for alarm. She's more likely to try to beg than when it's just family, but that just means she needs more practice.

My first dog, many years ago, just couldn't handle the stress of a dinner party's worth of people in the house without taking an hour or two in her crate to adjust to the sounds and smells of them being there. So she'd be in her crate when they arrived, be brought out to say hello when everyone was settled, usually back to the crate with special tidbits from our dinner while we ate, and then join us again when it was dessert and conversation.

As time passed and she had more experience of these "invasions" with nothing bad happening, she got calmer and calmer, and able to handle more and more people in the house at one time. We just made sure that she was not subjected to more than she could handle.

Your little guy is afraid of being stepped on? Yes, get him out from under the table! Protect him from that situation! Give him a spot to be during dinner, a spot that's his, and make sure he gets special stuff when he's there when you have guests over.

Lis July 12th, 2008 02:03:00 PM

katie, you reminded me of my pre-op visit w/ my Scottie, and a young 'newbie' came in and said "Did you know that Scotties have the same pounds of pressure (ability) in their jaws as a German Shep?" I said "not only that, but the same SIZE teeth!"

My dogs have never bitten anyone, except me! Breaking up a rare fight & Pearl (pre-pain relief)---I always thought that Pearl could never do damage with her smaller teeth----not so! A week out of work, and I know why the Sealy description is "powerful, bone-crushing jaws", and the scars years later!

Barbara A. Albright/New Hampshire July 12th, 2008 03:55:00 PM

barbara: that's funny! my parents have a rescued wire fox terrier and i swear her canines are as big as our lab shepard's! she has a hard time "keeping the godzilla inside" when she's tired or food is involved cuz she lived in an awful pet store where the big dogs in her shared kennel beat her up and stole her food. fortunately, she's learning to go in her house when she starts to feel crabby.

Sarah July 12th, 2008 05:04:00 PM

Hi Lis..
All well, and good.. Sock's biting people is not acceptable, and needs correction... You managed to make that clear.. but that wasn't my question.. Basically what I need is information, or ideas on how to correct this behavior.. I don't have the time for a trainer.. Yes, my guy does have a problem, but to be honest.. he plays an important part in my (elderly) parents lives.. as I 've been dropping him off on the way to work... The guy has never destroyed anything in either house, and has really been a model citizen.. I guess you have to see the good, and bad in all of G-ds creatures.. and pick, and choose your priorities..

barri July 12th, 2008 08:45:00 PM

Just wanted to drop in and add my two cents, as far as Socks goes, he is just a little guy and maybe he is just trying to let people know he is there and "please don't kick Me". As far as lying under the table we all know that he wants to be near people and this is why he is stay right there.

trudy July 12th, 2008 08:52:00 PM

"All well, and good.. Sock's biting people is not acceptable, and needs correction... You managed to make that clear.. but that wasn't my question.. Basically what I need is information, or ideas on how to correct this behavior.. I don't have the time for a trainer.. Yes, my guy does have a problem, but to be honest.. he plays an important part in my (elderly) parents lives.. as I 've been dropping him off on the way to work... The guy has never destroyed anything in either house, and has really been a model citizen.. I guess you have to see the good, and bad in all of G-ds creatures.. and pick, and choose your priorities.."

Barri, you are really, truly, not getting my point.

If you love Socks and value the role he plays in your, and your elderly parents' lives, you need to give him the help he needs to behave in a way that won't put him at risk.

Because if he is biting people, HE IS AT RISK.

If the sole cause and trigger of his biiting is that he's afraid of getting stepped on when he's under the dining table when there are too many, or unfamiliar, guests, then that help might be as simple as making sure being under the table when people are dining is not an option for him.

You can do that by confining him to another room, or you can do it by teaching him to iay on his own mat or bed in the same room while you're dining. You can do this training with a bed he finds comfy, a clicker, and some treats--totally positive, and fun for both of you. A couple of sessions with a trainer would be good for both of you, but it's not necessary. There are quite a few good books on clicker training, and "go to your mat" is one of the standard commands in most of those books.

If Socks is a priority for you, you will find the time to do this. Because if you don't, and Socks keeps biting--whatever the circumstances, eventually he will do some real injury or bite the wrong person, and there will be a complaint. And since the law is a donkey, it will be your dog that pays the price for that.

Lis July 12th, 2008 10:44:00 PM

OMG I forgot my sister's toy poodle bit me and drew blood....because I got too close to his rawhide bone. I did the usual alpha roll appropriate for his size and advanced age. He NEVER stopped snarling at me.... now I have done this with several large dogs and never had a problem...it's always worked and with amazing results. But this little guy- he'd been pampered and spoiled and encouraged to bark and teased until he is what he is. And until I got bit, my sister thought it was cute. Then she realized the damage he could do to her several small grandkids. So now he gets put up when he's eating and there are no triggers left out when kids are around.
We did eventually get him to be less snarfy about toys and treats by doing the trade up game. Offer him something better than he has while taking what he has. But still, for 12 pounds, he's pretty scary.

agadoresmama July 12th, 2008 11:20:00 PM

*sigh*

"...for 12 pounds, he's pretty scary."

Of course he is.

"But this little guy- he'd been pampered and spoiled and encouraged to bark and teased until he is what he is."

Do you realize that your assertion that he was "pampered and spoiled" is contradicted by the "encouraged to bark and teased" ?

Your sister "loved" her little darling so much, that she allowed him to be teased and taunted and bullied in a way that's a bad idea with any dog, and really scary for a very small one. He's surrounded by giants who do threatening or scary things, and laugh at his reaction! And they offer him great things and then snatch them away! Or snatch away what he already has!

That makes for an insecure, defensive dog who lives with constant anxiety.

People don't do this to big dogs as often, because they understand that the big dogs can hurt them when they get fed up with that kind of treatment--just as it's rarely the school's star jock who is the target of schoolyard bullying, regardless of whether he's actually liked.

And then the little dogs are blamed for being barkers and biters, and "meaner" than those big dogs that are rarely treated that way unless the _intention_ is to make them vicious.

Your sister should have been working on basic obedience training, INCLUDING "leave it," "drop it," and "trade," from the time she first brought him home.

Now, though, she is what she has _trained_ him to be.

Lis July 13th, 2008 07:58:00 AM

Lis,
I'm curious if your trained dog trainer?

A lot of your replies here seem really defensive and hostile instead of just informative and helpful. And I take it that you have a fair bit of knowledge on the subject, which I respect, but perhaps we all need to recognize that there are different ways and a million different methods to train dogs and its all somone's opinon. Which one is the best method.

shady July 13th, 2008 09:49:00 AM

Okay, I've tried twelve times to post a substantive response to Shady's post. Let's see what this does.

Lis July 13th, 2008 10:33:00 AM

This is fascinating, really it is.

Lis July 13th, 2008 10:35:00 AM

Okay, even though it's not a particularly long post, here's the abridged edition:

No, I'm not a professional trainer.

I and my family have had well-behaved dogs of various breeds and sizes for forty years.

The experience of walking my Chinese Crested is quite different from walking a Lab or a border collie, because people react quite differently--and not always nicely.

Little dogs are living in a world of giants, many of whom think it's FUNNY to scare and provoke them, and if their owners don't both protect them, and teach them the skills they need to cope, they are left to try to defend themselves in this scary world, and then used as "proof" that "little dogs" are somehow inherently nastier.

Lis July 13th, 2008 10:41:00 AM

Lis, you have a point there. Would someone walking their little lab puppy, let it charge up to a full-grown Mastiff? maybe/maybe not, but the same owner that wouldn't, may let it run up to a full-grown dog its own size.

Makes me think of the years going to obedience school, when respect of "personal space" was number #1, but not always heeded by the trainer/owners/handlers.

The owner of the exhuberant puppy lets it invade the grown little dog space, jump all over it; when the little dog growls or snaps---the puppy owner thinks the little dog is "nasty"!

Barbara A. Albright/New Hampshire July 13th, 2008 03:43:00 PM

Barbara, this exact event happened to me, when I'd had Addy about a month. I was walking her up a quiet side street--because it was quiet, and I was trying to create positive experiences for her. A family on that street had, unknown to me, just acquired a four-month-old Bernese Mountain Dog--already at least three times Addy's size. They let their "little" puppy bound up to us, and as I'm saying, "Call him back, get him under control," they're saying, "Oh, it's okay, he's friendly!"

I attempted to explain that he was too big and too bouncy for my dog, and she was scared and could be hurt. But I don' think they got anything out of it except that both the little dog and her owner were "not friendly." They didn't see the _problem_ in their or their dog's behavior.

Lis July 13th, 2008 04:38:00 PM

"Oh, look, it's Anonymous Coward again, displaying its usual grasp of logic and evidence."
# Posted By Lis | 7/11/08 7:10 PM

I can’t believe you said that, that is so UNBELIEVABLY RUDE !!!

"But I don' think they got anything out of it except that both the little dog and her owner were "not friendly." They didn't see the _problem_ in their or their dog's behavior."
# Posted By Lis | 7/13/08 4:38 PM

Can’t see how that would have happened.

Circe July 13th, 2008 10:09:00 PM

Lis- back to my sister's dog. I am a huge fan of Cesear Milan and use his methods, They have worked for me, my dogs, and my household. My standard poodle and my rescued pitbull are both very well socialized, well behaved, and well liked. Both have successfully passed basic obedience. I take them everywhere. They get along fabulously with many dog friends to whom they have been properly introduced.

We don't go to dog parks, not because of pitbull bans, but because it would be setting my guys up for failure. Dog parks can be great, but my experience is that there are usually too many dogs without proper socialization, and too many owners not paying attention the their dogs.

OK now back to my sister's dog. We are not just snatching things from him willy nilly. Through Cesear's books, through The Bark magazine, through Dog Fancy magazine, through a book by the Monks of New Skete.....all of them address the toy guarding issue and offer a training solution. Which is what we do when we trade up..we're teaching the dog that it isn't bad to give it up to us. It took about three sessions, but now Floyd doesn't attack if you get too close to his toy.

My sister and I have very different views on many things, including how to raise a dog. She's always amazed at how mellow and laid back my guys are--nothing bothers them. She's just now starting to understand that I didn't get "lucky" and happened to come across two such great dogs, that I have put a LOT of time and training and socialization onto them. Hopefully her next dog will have that benefit also.

agadoresmama July 13th, 2008 11:22:00 PM

""But I don' think they got anything out of it except that both the little dog and her owner were "not friendly." They didn't see the _problem_ in their or their dog's behavior."
# Posted By Lis | 7/13/08 4:38 PM

Can’t see how that would have happened.
# Posted By Circe | 7/13/08 10:09 PM "

Cuz, of course, it was perfectly civil and polite behavior for them to let theirfifty-pound puppy rush up to and bounce on top of my then-12-pound adult dog. And then ignore my attempts to separate them.

Adagoresmama, I'm glad you've been able to introduce sanity into your sister's handling of her poor dog.

Lis July 14th, 2008 07:24:00 AM

I consistently walk my Golden Retriever twice a day to give him exercise and I took him to obedience classes twice as he was a definite handful. Before he turned two years old, he was charged and attacked at by Boxers twice and an American Staffordshire Bull Terrier. In fact the 2nd Boxer attack had me caught in between and I got bitten on two left hand fingers, and the AmStaff attack happened one hour later on the way home when it jumped out of a parked car and ran at us across the street.

Does my dog bite? He wasn't dog aggressive until that awful day. After spending lots of time socializing him and letting him play with friends' kids and dogs, all that training went down the tube.

Whether it is a little or big dog, I absolutely hate the idea of irresponsible owners letting their dogs off leash and terrorizing/charging at dogs on leash. It is now to the point where my dog sends off dominant/alert signals, hackles up, stiff posture etc and I have to try and keep him away from these dogs. What is infuriating is that these same dog owners claim, "oh my dog is being friendly." My dog is no longer friendly to strange dogs and he left some scars on that AmStaff just like he received some.

BTW, people around the neighbourhood have commented on how well behaved my golden retriever is and he is very well behaved around little kids and people. At home, I have a very calm and mellow dog.