In the vast majority of cases it's not the dog that's the problem, it's the idiot that owns it. Dogs do in fact take after their owners. If the owner is responsible person, who has a good heart and conduct he or herself in a responsible manner, the dog will show the same characteristics. The average dog does not need to be trained by a so-called professional trainer but it does need to be shown how to act and conduct itself around other dogs and people, as you would a child, very little difference. Two dogs from the same litter can act totally differently and have different personalities, depending on the actions of the owner. FACT. Some people should not be allowed to own a pet. Perhaps people should have to be screened for the ownership of pets. After all, in the wrong hands they can be a lethal weapon, once again, not the dogs fault . So in most cases, don't blame the dog, blame the owner. Maybe the owner should be put down and the dog go to rehab. Just a thought.  Jacka.

There is a degree of nature and lots of nurture. Some breeds and some dogs are naturally more aggressive. I'm surprised not to see Chihuahuas on the list!

But proper training and socialisation goes a long way to making a dog act appropriately and not be aggressive.

I had two well-trained German Shepherds who took a dislike to children. Then I discovered kids were throwing stones at them, as they went to and from school. So hardly surprising!

Yes, I am very surprised to see Labradors on the list. I have an English lab and  she is the sweetest and most gentle member of the family. I can only assume the American labrador is what they are talking about, but even so, there is an element of surprise.

Of course for any dog to behave well, it has to have proper training by its owner. Some people should never be dog owners.

A neighbour of mine once owned a Poodle.(Ricci was his name). The older it got the more nasty it got. It used to jump on her bed and when she tried to get it off he would snarl and show his teeth to her. She needed to get the fur trimmed so she rang the Vet who came to the house and gave it a shot to tranquillise him so his hair could be cut. The Vet said he was the runt of the litter and it would be better to put him down before he became too vicious. She did eventually have him put down because he attacked her badly and savaged her arms. I hate to think what would have happened if a child had come to visit. 

I note the study has been conducted in a children's hospital.

Perhaps the problem is that dogs are not toys and some children are very cruel to animals.

this is a skewed survey it does not take into account the numbers of dogs of each breed in the area around the hospital as Labardors are regarded as good family pets i would expect to see there were far more labaradors in the area than pitbulls rottweilers etc so that the number for the labs is higher than expected