Top 5 Most Dangerous Dog Breeds (According to a Dog Trainer)

I've worked with thousands of dogs all over the world for the last decade. Dogs who bite people, fear cases, reactivity, dogs that have launched themselves at complete strangers, and I've handled breeds that most trainers won't even go near or turn down. So when I tell you that there's certain dogs that genuinely scare me in the wrong hands, this is something you might want to pay attention to. And so today I'm breaking down the five breeds that I personally, as a pro dog trainer, would consider the most dangerous in the hands of the most inexperienced dog owners. And now if you own one of these breeds, don't go anywhere because this video is just as much for you as anyone else. Let's get into it. Breed number one on this list, guys, is the Presa Canario. If you've never heard of the Presa before, pay close attention because this one is the most misunderstood and underestimated breeds on the entire planet. The Presa Canario originates from one of the Canary Islands off the coast of Spain. These dogs originally were bred as catch dogs, used to work large, powerful livestock. They also have been documented in history in dog fighting, before this was outlawed, of course. This breed was purpose-built for confirmation, physical power, and holding its ground. Here's where things go wrong in the average home. Presa Canarios are genuinely loving and loyal with their family, but the management demands around strangers, gas delivery drivers, Amazon, FedEx, et cetera, kids, people servicing your home, your AC. Those are enormous, right? So we're talking about a dog that can hit 130 plus pounds and carry his guardian instinct that is always on and has a very low threshold for perceived threats. Put that animal in a busy household without an experienced handler running structured management every single day, and you guys are likely going to be sitting on a liability that can change lives in an instant. And here's what makes it even more serious. The Presa went through periods of deeply inconsistent breeding, including heavy influence from fighting bloodlines. Now, this is really fascinating and important for you guys to understand, because like any dog, poorly bred individuals can display aggression that doesn't follow the predictability of the guardian pattern. So if you get any dog that has guardian instinct or protection instinct, this is where things get deadly. Between 1982 and about 2014, there were over 110 documented attacks involving this breed in particular, resulting in 18 fatalities. I don't bring it up to be sensational at all. I bring it up because people need to understand what's at stake when temperament breaks down in a dog this powerful. And that goes for any big dog like I was talking about. When you take a dog that's that big and that powerful, and the breeding starts to get mismatched and starts going awry, that is a very big recipe for a disaster. This breed is for experienced owners only that have dedicated time and space and attention to be able to handle this dog. This isn't your average dog. The next one, guys, is the Fila Brasileiro, also called the Brazilian Mastiff. It's one of the most instinctively suspicious guardian breeds in the entire world. And we're talking about another big, giant dog. This breed was developed in Brazil to work as a catch dog for large game and livestock, a lot like the Presa, and historically was used to track and apprehend escaped slaves in the colonial plantations. These dogs are bred to be relentless trackers, powerful catch dogs, and properly guardian dogs. And it all rolled into a massive package. Males can reach easily over 150 pounds of pure drive and muscle. And here's the trait that makes this breed unlike most anything that you'll ever encounter before. Ogeliza. Now, that's Portuguese word for innate, deep-rooted distrust and rejection of strangers. And it's considered a hallmark trait in the Fila. And guys, of course, you can breed certain things out of dogs, but it's very difficult to do. And you're still not 100% certain that that's going to happen, considering the bloodlines for years and decades has been to be very suspicious and even aggressive towards new people. Now, you take that dog home, your neighbor walks through the gate unannounced. Hey, how's it going? Your kid's friends come over for a sleepover and they reach out to pet the dog because the dog is big and they have a big dog at home that sleeps on the couch all day. Not this dog. Every one of those interactions is a potential nightmare. The Fila bonds deeply and devotedly with its family for sure. They're great with their family, but that loyalty is real and it's beautiful to the right extent. But the flip side of that coin is the dog that views the rest of the world as a potential threat. Breed number three is the Chow Chow. Now, here's one that I know is going to get some pushback. And I want to be really precise here because the Chow Chow community is obviously very passionate about defending this breed. And honestly, they're not wrong. They should be. But here's the thing. I'm going to tell you exactly why this dog still belongs on this list. Now, they were bred in ancient China as these versatile, really cool working dogs. And that extraordinary heritage also shaped a dog with fundamentally different psychology. And you guys, if you have one, you're probably laughing than what most people are used to. So if you have one of these Chow Chows, you know exactly what I'm saying. I've had some in the past as dog walking clients and they're aloof and they're independent, but they're deeply devoted to their immediate family and completely indifferent, sometimes openly cold towards everyone else, which is hilarious because that's been my experience with them ever since I've worked with them. But here's where it goes wrong. People see this fluffy bear-like gorgeous dog and they bring one home because of course they're cute as puppies. They look a little bear cubs, but they don't understand what they're actually getting into because the Chow Chow does not warm up quickly to strangers. It does not naturally enjoy meeting new people or even new dogs or being handled by those it doesn't know. Resource guarding and possessiveness are well documented in this breed. And as a pro dog trainer, I can confirm. And the problem with inexperienced owners is that they either try to force socialization in ways that backfire really badly, or they misread the dog's stoic, aloof nature as calm and relaxed right up until the moment where it isn't. Now, before we get into the breeds four and five, I want to just take a second to talk about something very important with this. If this video is resonating with you and you want to go deeper into dog psychology, I have a full step-by-step training process and I put everything I've gathered over the last 13 years into a couple really cool training courses and programs. If your dog pulls in the leash, we have master the walk. If you want to do e-collar and off-leash training, we have the e-collar introduction. If your dog is aggressive or reactive on the leash, we have the reactive to neutral course. And or if you want to just start from scratch, we have the Kickstarter course. Guys, those courses have helped thousands of people all over the world. You guys can find the link in the description. Let's get back into the video. Breed number four, guys, is the Tibetan Mastiff. I mean, look, just look at this dog, guys. One of the most striking, majestic animals that you will ever lay your eyes on. And that's probably the biggest problem. For thousands of years, these dogs were bred in the Himalayan highlands of Tibet to guard monasteries. Now, this is way back in the day and some people may use them today, but it was really serious back then. They were protecting these villages and livestock often against wolves and leopards. Leopards, guys, these are not dogs that were selected to breed to respond to commands or follow your lead by any means. They were bred to patrol, to make autonomous decisions and to protect without human directing them. That means they needed to protect on instinct and what they thought was a threat. That independent nocturnal guardian mentality is not a training issue that you can fix. It is literally baked into their DNA like almost every dog on this list. A well-bred Tibetan Mastiff is a deeply loyal dog, especially to their family, but they're also deeply suspicious of everyone else. They do not warm up quickly. They do not make new friends easily and or if at all, and their size of males can hit 150 pounds. And that means even a defense reaction can cause serious harm. I remember I flew out to Logan Paul's house in Los Angeles a couple of years ago and worked with his dog and immediately told him like, hey, this is not the right dog for you. And of course, he did rehome the dog. Thank God for him, his dog and everyone else. And the dog is now living a happy life. But in my household, I've got kids. I got friends coming over, a neighbor who walks through my backyard, just as neighbors do a busy schedule. And that means I'm not always there to manage every single interaction. Now, a Tibetan Mastiff needs acres of space, an experienced handler and consistent structured socialization from the very few weeks of its life. When you bring the dog home, add in the nighttime barking that can wake up an entire neighborhood because the dog hears a squirrel outside your window. And you've got a dog that genuinely demands a lifestyle built entirely around its needs. And a poorly bred Tibetan Mastiff, this concerns me the most. As the breed became trendy, especially in China, where individual dogs were selling for over a million dollars. This is crazy. Backyard breeders started churning out litters with no regard to temperament. This happens in the States too, of course. And a poorly bred Mastiff like this can display unpredictable fear-based aggression that doesn't come with a clear warning signal. Now, this is the worst of the worst. This is where things get really dangerous and deadly. Now, guys, the dog breed is stunning itself, but it is not. And I repeat, not for the average household. Not even close. Don't think about it. Forget about it. Look at them from afar. Look at them on Instagram and TikTok and move on. Breed number five, guys, is the Cane Corso. Now, I've saved this one for last because I think it might be the most misrepresented breed in this conversation around powerful guardian dogs right now. And the gap between how they are actually marketed and what they actually require is genuinely pretty scary. These were dogs that were bred to run into battle. Over the centuries, the breed evolved into versatile Italian farm dogs used to guard property, drive livestock, and hunt large games. And they still can today if you really wanted to. But they are confident, assertive, and deeply, deeply loyal to their family. The breed is known for being highly intelligent and highly capable of reading and responding to perceived threats. Now, again, in the right home with the right circumstances and the right training, they're an amazing dog. Actually, probably the most docile dog on this list is comparable, right? But here's the problem I'm seeing constantly right now. The Cane Corso has exploded in popularity. And the content surrounding them online because they're big and they look scary and they look cool. The clips that you're seeing, the aesthetic of them, that big black beauty coat, their reputation is drawing a huge wave of owners who are completely, and I mean completely unprepared for what this dog actually demands. The Cane Corso needs leadership. They need experience. They need absolute consistent clarity from day one. They test boundaries, not because they're defiant, but because that's how intelligent and smart that they are. They know if you don't know what you're doing. This breed also carries natural dog aggression and strong guardian instincts, and they must be properly neutrally socialized and managed carefully from puppyhood. Now, it's important for breeders, breeders who prioritize in size, head shape, and aesthetic over temperament and producing dogs with the physical power and intensity of a guardian breed and none of the mental stabilities. These are things that you guys have to look for. Those are the cases I'm getting calls about. The dogs are big. They're beautiful, but they're unpredictable. They're reactive. They don't trust people, and they're out of control. Those are the dogs that end up in the shelters or even worse situations, and that sucks. And in the wrong hands, they are one of the most dangerous mismatches you can ever make, but so is a Malinois, and so is a Border Collie, and so is a freaking, I don't know, any other Mastiff, right? But these dogs just possess a lot more guardianship and protectiveness than most of those dogs. So guys, that's it for this list. I really hope that you enjoyed this. I hope that it was really insightful and helpful, and hopefully I've saved some people some headaches and some sadness and some heartbreak in the future understanding these breeds and making sure that you guys are checking off on the wrong list. Now again, most of these dogs in this list are not made for a pet home, and you guys must understand the difference between a pet home and a working dog home. A working dog home, these dogs don't go inside. They're not cuddling with you on the couch. They're not dogs who want to do any of these things. These are dogs who are out there working. They're coming in. They're eating. They're going to bed. They're doing it again tomorrow. They're sleeping on hay. They're sleeping outside in the rain, under shelter, etc. It's a big difference between the pet and the working line, especially the Tibetan Mastiff and the Fila. So guys, hopefully this was helpful. Again, make sure you hit that subscribe button. We put videos out like this twice a week. Follow me on Instagram. Links in the description below and all my courses, and of course, all of my products and all of our merch. I will talk to you guys in the next one. Thanks for watching. Peace.