Everyone thinks they have the "goodest dog." But, statistically speaking, there are some naughty dog breeds out there.
Every pup, and their human, want to be on Santa's nice list. But inevitably, curious pooches will do something that lands them on the naughty list — tear out freshly planted flowers, pull out trailer wiring, chew up your favorite pair of shoes, or masterfully slip their harness and chase geese into the middle of a lake. You get the idea! Pups can get up to some serious and sometimes comical shenanigans. Still, most pet owners won't leave their pups on the naughty list for long. Even after the most egregious offenses, our affectionate dogs are just too cute to stay mad at for long.
However, some dog breeds get themselves into more trouble than others. Instagram research conducted by Protect My Paws uncovered that the 10 naughtiest dog breeds in the United States are all over the map, and not surprisingly, the usual suspects are not very high on the 160 breed list.
The 10 Naughtiest Dog Breeds
Protect My Paws
10. English Springer Spaniel
The English Springer Spaniel loves to be a part of your family and is typically affectionate. They do well with other dogs in the home, too! However, these pups have a lot of energy since they were bred to be hunters, which means they can get into some mischief if not properly exercised.
9. Keeshond
While they may have ended up in the top ten naughtiest dog breeds, Keeshonds are known to be fabulous pets. They are great companion dogs, better with children, and do well around other dogs. They also take to training fairly easily. However, they need to be kept busy because they easily get bored.
8. Welsh Terrier
Welsh Terriers are friendly, sweet, playful companions who have a very high prey drive. These pups were bred for hunting and had an independent, feisty streak.
7. Poochon
These cute trouble makers are a mix of toy Poodles and Bichon Frise dogs. I can't imagine that adorable little face getting into trouble.
6. Chug
Chugs are a designer mix of a chihuahua and a pug. These sweet pups are loving, playful, and adorably small!
5. Wirehaired Vizsla
Wirehaired Vizsla's come from Hungry and have a wiry coat. According to the AKC, this rare breed is fantastic with young children and is incredibly affectionate. Wirehaired Vizslas also are avid hunters on both land and water.
4. Cockapoo
Cockapoos are an adorable mix of a cocker spaniel and a poodle. These hypoallergenic dogs make for great companions and are very smart.
3. Mudi
Mudi is an easily trained herding dog who needs tasks and can be trained to do almost anything. Most herding dogs need jobs to do and can get into a lot of trouble if they get bored.
2. Shichon
The Shichon is a mix between a Shih Tzu and a Bichon Frise. These furballs are known for being sweet, smart dogs with large personalities.
1. Japanese Spitz
Looking a lot like the Samoyed, the Japanese Spitz is a white furry floor that is known for being a watchdog.
Other Naughty Dog Breeds
Breeds like German Shepherds, Border Collies, American Pit Bull Terriers, and Corgis found themselves on the more positive side of the list. Usually, Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers find themselves high on family-friendly lists and best breed lists, but they wound up above the middle of the naughty doggy list. Both came in with 60% of their owners using naughty dog hashtags on Instagram.
Here's how some of your other favorite breeds faired in the research:
- Cocker Spaniel: 72% naughty tags
- Dachshund: 68% naughty tags
- Shih Tzu: 66% naughty tags
- Bulldog: 64% naughty tags
- Pug: 63% naughty tags
- Beagle: 60% naughty tags
- Staffordshire Bull Terrier: 58% naughty tags
- Poodle: 57% naughty tags
- Jack Russell Terriers: 55% naughty tags
- Yorkshire Terrier: 53% naughty tags
- Chihuahua: 48% naughty tags
- Basenji: 64% positive tags
- Belgian Malinois: 67% positive tags
- Jindo: 75% positive tags
Herding dogs found themselves predominantly in the middle of the pack, though many led toward the positive side. Mutts did not make the list, but I suspect you could get an idea of which way your pup leans by the breeds that predominantly make up their genetics.
U.S. States With Naughty Dog Breeds
Protect My Paws did a study comparing how often the tags #gooddog and #baddog were used on Instagram. The company broke their findings down by state in a nifty map that shows where in the United States the naughtiest puppies live. Conversely, it also shows where the best-behaved pups live too!
Overall, the naughtiest dogs seem to live in Kansas and North Carolina. These two states had the highest instances of using hashtags like #naughtydog, #baddog, #naughtypuppy, #cheekydog, or #muddydog, with numbers coming in over 50 percent. South Dakota and West Virginia dog owners were a little less decisive as both states came in neutral with a 50/50 split between using the #goodboy and other positive hashtags and #baddog and other negative tags. Overall in the United States, dog behavior leaned heavily toward the positive. The remainder of the states had less than 40 percent usage of negative tags, leaving them with positive dog behavior overall. States that came close to the neutral mark were Louisiana, Alabama, and Hawaii.
The best-behaved dogs seem to reside in the District of Columbia, though, with only 7.5 percent of the hashtags being used for naughty dogs. Maryland, Maine, Montana, and Indiana came in with positive numbers, with under 20 percent of naughty dog hashtags.
The study took it one step further and broke the naughty dogs down by city, where the outlook is a little less positive. Both Miami, Florida, and Honolulu, Hawaii have some pretty naughty dogs, with Instagram users opting for the #baddog almost 60% of the time. Cities with over 50% usage of naughty dog hashtags are:
- Madison, Wisconsin: 57.6%
- Charlotte, North Carolina: 57%
- Cincinnati, Ohio: 57%
- New Orleans, Louisiana: 56.9%
- Houston, Texas: 55.9%
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: 55%
- Nashville, Tennesse: 51%
- Minneapolis, Minnesota: 51%
- Huntington Beach, California: 50%
If you're looking for cities with the well-behaved puppers, you may have the best luck at the dog park in these cities that have less than 30% usage in Instagram posts:
- Sacramento, California: 27.4%
- Louisville, Kentucky: 27%
- Colorado Springs, Colorado: 26%
- San Diego, California: 25%
- Phoenix, Arizona: 23%
- Seattle, Washington: 22%
- Virginia Beach, Virginia: 18%
- Tampa, Florida: 18%
- Indianapolis, Indiana: 17%
- Jacksonville, Florida: 14%
- San Antonio, Texas: 13%
- Tuscon, Arizona: 10.8%
- Arlington, Virginia: 9%
- Baltimore, Maryland: 8%
- Buffalo, New York: 6%
- Bend, Oregon: 4%
While the District of Columbia takes the cake for having the overall best-behaved pups in the United States, Bend, Oregon is by far the city with friendly dogs who are all good pups!
Protect My Paws also looked across the world to see which country the naughtiest dogs live and, by far, the naughtiest pups reside in South Africa, Australia, Slovakia, and Singapore. The United States has some of the best-behaved dogs by almost 70%, but Russia and Ukraine took the cake for having the sweetest pups with 94% and 96% good dogs, respectively.
Did your pup make it on the naughty list? Tell us on our Wide Open Pets Facebook page!
