I observe that the inimitable Elkhound was not included; undoubtedly because it would have put other dogs to shame. :-) /joke
*doggie ping*
He's a Mountain Feist, you see. Squirrels are his game, and he plays for keeps!
I've owned smooth and longhaired dachshunds, and chihuahuas. The real reason little dogs are mean is because their humans laugh at them when they growl and snarl, and thereby encourage aggression. When , say , a rottweiler puppy growls at either a human or another dog, his human is apt to scold or even smack him to discourage such behavior. But when a dachshund puppy growls at even his own human, the response is apt to be,"Ah, isn't that cute? He thinks he's so fierce. Look, now he's raising his hackles at me-isn't he just adorable when he's mad? Come here, let me pick you up and give you a hug-awwww, he just severed my jugular vein! He's getting to be a big dog!"
Little dogs just aren't taken seriously when they act aggressively-and maybe it irritates them, to be laughed at when they're trying to intimidate.
Incidentally, the smooth dachshund is the true dachshund. They are proverbial for being aggressive, manipulative, domineering, and too damn smart for their or their human's good . The longhaired dachshie was created by breeding dachshies to spaniels-they are the sweetest, gentlest, most submissive of dachshunds. (I also think they're not as bright.) The wire haired dachshund was created by breeding the snausages to terriers-they're said to be even worse than smooth dachshunds in terms of aggressiveness and personality-I find that hard to believe.
Boston terriers didn’t make the list because their methane output incapacitated two researchers and drove the rest from the test site.
OTOH I love Beagles and while the article says they tend to bite, I have found this is more of a playful nip than aggression.
The article needs to indicate the difference between watch dog and attack dog. A Beagle may make a good watchdog, but instead of attacking an intruder, he'll want to play fetch with him.
This is the love of my life;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H91m_lOiBzk
Some of the pics in the slide show are from Angie Wheat. That’s who I got my Brucey from.