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New Survey Reveals 'Best Behaved' Dog Breeds and It's an Interesting Mix

According to a new survey, some dog breeds are better behaved than others, and the top 10 "best behaved" dog breeds are an interesting mix.

A new survey conducted by Forbes Advisor sought to determine which dog breeds are the "best behaved" and then created a ranking of the top ten. Take a look.

To narrow down the list, the research team commissioned a survey conducted by Talker Research of 5,000 dog parents in total, with 200 dog parents for each of the 25 most popular dog breeds, according to the American Kennel Club.

From there, the team analyzed the data for 14 metrics in two categories: following commands and temperament. The survey looked at how dogs follow commands when at an off-leash park and dogs that jump on people, beg for food, or bark at others.

The survey also considered dogs that behave well if they whine or tend to destroy things. Each metric is weighed and given a score, and the total results highlight the "best-behaved" dog breeds. 

These Are the Best-Behaved Dog Breeds

  1. Labrador Retriever
  2. Rottweiler
  3. Shih Tzu
  4. Cane Corso
  5. Golden Retriever
  6. German Shepherd
  7. Boston Terrier
  8. Poodle
  9. Yorkshire Terrier
  10. American Bulldogs

Looking deeper into the data, the Labrador Retriever won the top spot because it's the only dog breed in the survey to get a perfect score of 100. This breed ranked in the top three for being "most likely to have excellent and pretty good behavior," raking second for dogs whose health has never been threatened by their behavior, and for being the second-least likely breed to ingest foreign objects. And to round it out, the Labrador Retriever is also the third-least likely dog breed to whine.

Rottweilers scored 92.49 out of 100, landing this dog breed in the second spot. It was named the dog breed that is "least likely" to whine and the second-least likely dog breed that "never follow commands when off-leash in public."

The Shih Tzu comes in third with a total score of 91.08 out of 100. It "is one of only three small breed dogs included in the top most behaved dog breeds in the analysis," the survey explains. This dog breed ranked top for being least likely to jump on people, least likely to destroy things, and least likely to ingest foreign objects.

The Cane Corso ranks at the top for having "excellent and pretty good behavior" and a dog that "always and often follows commands when off-leash in public." These have landed this pup a total score of 89.07 out of 100.

Rounding out the top five is the Golden Retriever who has a total score of 88.77 out of 100 and the data is in line with what we typically hear about Golden Retrievers. "The analysis finds that the reputation of Golden Retrievers as happy-go-lucky companions rings true; they ranked highly for having good behavior and not being disruptive with barking or whining," the report explains.

To find out more, including the dog breeds that didn't score so well, check out the full report

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