Ranking Dog Breeds based on their Prey Drive

Last Updated: Nov 22, 2022

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Dog Breeds that do not Get Along well with Smaller Pets
Dog Breeds that Get Along Well with Smaller Pets

Introduction

It used to be very difficult to reliably measure the temperament of dogs.

However, in 2015, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania developed the Canine Behavioral Assessment & Research Questionnaire (C-BARQ) tool.

Many research studies have shown that the C-BARQ tool can reliably measure the behavior of dogs.

With data from the C-BARQ tool, you can calculate how bad or good the temperament of a dog breed is.

We analyzed data from the C-BARQ database to obtain the temperament score of dog breeds for Chasing. This allowed us to rank dogs based on Chasing.

Note that the fact that a dog breed ranks high for bad behavior does not mean all hope is lost for the dog breed. With proper early training, you can always mold a dog`s temperament into what you want.

Also, smaller dog breeds tend to have high aggression scores. However, aggression in small dog breeds is usually born out of insecurities or fear, and less from the meanness of their hearts.

Note that Chasing is one of the 14 temperament components that the C-BARQ test measures.

The complete 14 temperament components are:

Below is our ranking of dog breeds based on Chasing.

Click on the link for each breed to learn more about the complete temperament of the breed.

Click here to see our ranking of dog breeds from the ones with the overall `best` temperament to the ones with the `worst` temperament.

Dog Breeds that do not Get Along well with Smaller Pets

1. Basenji

Weight of the Basenji : 22 to 24 pounds

Height of the Basenji : 16 to 17 inches tall at the shoulder

Lifespan of the Basenji : 10 to 12 years

Basenji Puppy Price : $1450 to $1450

See list of Reputable Basenji Puppy Breeders here

Guide on how much food to feed the Basenji

2. Dingo

3. Ibizan Hound

Weight of the Ibizan Hound : 45 to 50 pounds

Height of the Ibizan Hound : 22 to 27 inches tall at the shoulder

Lifespan of the Ibizan Hound : 10 to 14 years

See list of Reputable Ibizan Hound Puppy Breeders here

4. Parson Russell Terrier

Parson Russell Terrier Puppy Price : $1500 to $2000

See list of Reputable Parson Russell Terrier Puppy Breeders here

5. Borzoi

Weight of the Borzoi : 55 to 105 pounds

Height of the Borzoi : 26 to 32 inches tall at the shoulder

Lifespan of the Borzoi : 10 to 12 years

Borzoi Puppy Price : $1500 to $1500

See list of Reputable Borzoi Puppy Breeders here

Guide on how much food to feed the Borzoi

6. Whippet

Weight of the Whippet : 18 to 48 pounds

Height of the Whippet : 18 to 22 inches tall at the shoulder

Lifespan of the Whippet : 12 to 15 years

Whippet Puppy Price : $2500 to $2600

See list of Reputable Whippet Puppy Breeders here

Guide on how much food to feed the Whippet

7. Jack Russell Terrier

Weight of the Jack Russell Terrier : 13 to 17 pounds

Height of the Jack Russell Terrier : 10 to 15 inches tall at the shoulder

Lifespan of the Jack Russell Terrier : 10 to 15 years

Jack Russell Terrier Puppy Price : $700 to $1250

Guide on how much food to feed the Jack Russell Terrier

8. West Highland White Terrier

Weight of the West Highland White Terrier : 13 to 22 pounds

Height of the West Highland White Terrier : 10 to 11 inches tall at the shoulder

Lifespan of the West Highland White Terrier : 12 to 16 years

West Highland White Terrier Puppy Price : $1600 to $2700

See list of Reputable West Highland White Terrier Puppy Breeders here

Guide on how much food to feed the West Highland White Terrier

9. Border Terrier

Weight of the Border Terrier : 11 to 15 pounds

Height of the Border Terrier : 10 to 11 inches tall at the shoulder

Lifespan of the Border Terrier : 12 to 15 years

Border Terrier Puppy Price : $800 to $1400

See list of Reputable Border Terrier Puppy Breeders here

Guide on how much food to feed the Border Terrier

10. German Shorthaired Pointer

Weight of the German Shorthaired Pointer : 45 to 70 pounds

Height of the German Shorthaired Pointer : 1 foot, 9 inches to 2 feet, 1 inch tall at the sho

Lifespan of the German Shorthaired Pointer : 12 to 15 years

German Shorthaired Pointer Puppy Price : $800 to $1300

See list of Reputable German Shorthaired Pointer Puppy Breeders here

Guide on how much food to feed the German Shorthaired Pointer

Dog Breeds that Get Along Well with Smaller Pets

1. Pug

Weight of the Pug : 14 to 18 pounds

Height of the Pug : 10 to 14 inches tall at the shoulder

Lifespan of the Pug : 12 to 15 years

Pug Puppy Price : $1200 to $1875

See list of Reputable Pug Puppy Breeders here

Guide on how much food to feed the Pug

2. Bulldog

Weight of the Bulldog : 40 to 50 pounds

Height of the Bulldog : 12 to 15 inches tall at the shoulder

Lifespan of the Bulldog : 8 to 12 years

Bulldog Puppy Price : $3000 to $4500

See list of Reputable Bulldog Puppy Breeders here

Guide on how much food to feed the Bulldog

3. Shih Tzu

Weight of the Shih Tzu : 9 to 16 pounds

Height of the Shih Tzu : 9 to 10 inches tall at the shoulder

Lifespan of the Shih Tzu : 10 to 16 years

Shih Tzu Puppy Price : $1200 to $2300

See list of Reputable Shih Tzu Puppy Breeders here

Guide on how much food to feed the Shih Tzu

4. Bernese Mountain Dog

Weight of the Bernese Mountain Dog : 70 to 115 pounds

Height of the Bernese Mountain Dog : 23 to 28 inches

Lifespan of the Bernese Mountain Dog : 6 to 10 years

Bernese Mountain Dog Puppy Price : $1800 to $3438

See list of Reputable Bernese Mountain Dog Puppy Breeders here

Guide on how much food to feed the Bernese Mountain Dog

5. Great Pyrenees

Weight of the Great Pyrenees : 85 to 160 pounds

Height of the Great Pyrenees : 25 to 32 inches tall at the shoulder

Lifespan of the Great Pyrenees : 10 to 12 years

Great Pyrenees Puppy Price : $500 to $1000

See list of Reputable Great Pyrenees Puppy Breeders here

Guide on how much food to feed the Great Pyrenees

6. Mastiff (English)

Weight of the Mastiff : 130 to 220 pounds

Height of the Mastiff : 27 to 32 inches tall at the shoulder

Lifespan of the Mastiff : 6 to 10 years

Mastiff Puppy Price : $1100 to $2200

See list of Reputable Mastiff Puppy Breeders here

Guide on how much food to feed the Mastiff

7. Keeshond

Weight of the Keeshond : 35 to 45 pounds

Height of the Keeshond : 1 foot, 4 inches to 1 foot, 7 inches tall at the s

Lifespan of the Keeshond : 12 to 15 years

Keeshond Puppy Price : $1800 to $2000

See list of Reputable Keeshond Puppy Breeders here

8. Black and Tan Coonhound

Weight of the Black and Tan Coonhound : 75 to 100 pounds

Height of the Black and Tan Coonhound : 23 to 27 inches tall at the shoulder

Lifespan of the Black and Tan Coonhound : 10 to 12 years

Black and Tan Coonhound Puppy Price : $400 to $800

See list of Reputable Black and Tan Coonhound Puppy Breeders here

9. Anatolian Shepherd

Weight of the Anatolian Shepherd Dog : 80 to 150 pounds

Height of the Anatolian Shepherd Dog : 2 feet, 3 inches to 2 feet, 5 inches tall at the s

Lifespan of the Anatolian Shepherd Dog : 11 to 13 years

Anatolian Shepherd Dog Puppy Price : $750 to $1150

See list of Reputable Anatolian Shepherd Dog Puppy Breeders here

Guide on how much food to feed the Anatolian Shepherd Dog

10. Samoyed

Weight of the Samoyed : 50 to 60 pounds

Height of the Samoyed : 1 foot, 7 inches to 2 feet tall at the shoulder

Lifespan of the Samoyed : 12 to 14 years

Samoyed Puppy Price : $1500 to $3000

See list of Reputable Samoyed Puppy Breeders here

Guide on how much food to feed the Samoyed

See below the full ranking of dog breeds based on Chasing.

Chasing Rank	Breed	Chasing Score
1	Basenji	100.0 %
2	Dingo	97.8 %
3	Ibizan Hound	95.8 %
4	Parson Russell Terrier	88.7 %
5	Borzoi	87.0 %
6	Whippet	85.5 %
7	Jack Russell Terrier	82.1 %
8	West Highland White Terrier	82.0 %
9	Border Terrier	81.3 %
10	German Shorthaired Pointer	76.3 %
11	Cairn Terrier	76.2 %
12	Pit Bull mix	75.8 %
13	Afghan Hound	75.1 %
14	Shiba Inu	75.0 %
15	Fox Terrier (Wire/Wire-haired)	74.4 %
16	Airedale Terrier	74.2 %
17	Brittany	73.2 %
18	Fox Terrier (Smooth)	72.2 %
19	Siberian Husky	71.3 %
20	Australian Cattle Dog	69.7 %
21	Akita	69.5 %
22	Miniature Schnauzer	69.1 %
23	Schipperke	69.0 %
24	Rhodesian Ridgeback	67.1 %
25	Belgian Malinois	66.4 %
26	Rat Terrier	65.4 %
27	Alaskan Malamute	65.1 %
28	Weimaraner	64.8 %
29	Irish Water Spaniel	64.6 %
30	Doberman Pinscher	64.5 %
31	Irish Setter	64.1 %
32	Standard Schnauzer	63.7 %
33	Chesapeake Bay Retriever	63.3 %
34	Alaskan Husky	63.0 %
35	English Setter	62.8 %
36	Giant Schnauzer	62.4 %
37	German Wirehaired Pointer	62.3 %
38	Staffordshire Bull Terrier	62.2 %
39	Australian Silky Terrier	61.5 %
40	Gordon Setter	59.6 %
41	Bullmastiff	58.3 %
42	Chinese Shar-Pei	58.3 %
43	Bouvier des Flandres	58.1 %
44	Dachshund	57.5 %
45	English Springer Spaniel	56.7 %
46	Old English Sheepdog	56.5 %
47	Treeing Walker Coonhound	56.2 %
48	Vizsla	56.0 %
49	German Shepherd	54.8 %
50	Redbone Coonhound	54.8 %
51	American Pit Bull Terrier	54.7 %
52	Pit Bull	54.4 %
53	Cocker Spaniel (English)	54.3 %
54	Irish Wolfhound	53.5 %
55	Dalmatian	53.1 %
56	American Staffordshire Terrier	51.3 %
57	Greyhound	50.9 %
58	Boston Terrier	50.7 %
59	Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever	50.2 %
60	Newfoundland	48.4 %
61	Boxer	48.3 %
62	Belgian Tervuren	48.2 %
63	Cocker Spaniel (American)	48.0 %
64	Australian Shepherd	47.3 %
65	Poodle (Standard)	46.9 %
66	Dachshund (Miniature)	46.8 %
67	Beagle	46.7 %
68	American Eskimo Dog	46.5 %
69	Flat-Coated Retriever	46.2 %
70	Pembroke Welsh Corgi	46.1 %
71	Tibetan Terrier	46.0 %
72	Miniature Pinscher	45.8 %
73	Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier	45.4 %
74	Cardigan Welsh Corgi	45.0 %
75	Portuguese Water Dog	44.6 %
76	Bull Terrier	44.3 %
77	Rottweiler	44.3 %
78	Yorkshire Terrier	43.5 %
79	Norwegian Elkhound	42.8 %
80	Chinook	42.1 %
81	Kuvasz	41.6 %
82	Bearded Collie	41.0 %
83	Pomeranian	40.8 %
84	Poodle (Miniature)	40.7 %
85	Scottish Terrier	40.0 %
86	Cavalier King Charles Spaniel	39.8 %
87	Chow Chow	39.6 %
88	Havanese	38.9 %
89	American Bulldog	38.8 %
90	Fox Terrier (Toy)	38.4 %
91	Australian Kelpie	35.7 %
92	Poodle (Toy)	34.4 %
93	Maltese	34.1 %
94	Lhasa Apso	33.8 %
95	Border Collie	32.5 %
96	Pekingese	30.9 %
97	Golden Retriever	30.7 %
98	Belgian Sheepdog	30.6 %
99	Labrador Retriever	30.5 %
100	Bichon Frise	30.4 %
101	Papillon	29.9 %
102	Italian Greyhound	29.9 %
103	Pointer	29.6 %
104	Lagotto Romagnolo	28.7 %
105	Eurasier	28.5 %
106	Great Dane	28.0 %
107	Basset Hound	27.9 %
108	Shetland Sheepdog	27.1 %
109	Saint Bernard	27.0 %
110	Chihuahua	26.5 %
111	Chinese Crested	26.2 %
112	French Bulldog	25.1 %
113	English Bulldog	24.0 %
114	Collie	23.9 %
115	Samoyed	19.8 %
116	Anatolian Shepherd	19.8 %
117	Black and Tan Coonhound	19.2 %
118	Keeshond	18.5 %
119	Mastiff (English)	18.2 %
120	Great Pyrenees	14.3 %
121	Bernese Mountain Dog	11.3 %
122	Shih Tzu	10.7 %
123	Bulldog	7.5 %
124	Pug	0.0 %