Dogs and humans have been friends since ancient times about 15,000 years ago. Dogs are known as the first domesticated animals so that friendships with humans have been established until present, especially Pitbull. Since then, dogs have had multiple roles, especially in being human from threats that lurk.
Pitbull are chosen as great pets, as they can protect their boss and do multiple roles. In choosing Pitbull as a pet, you may need to learn about Pitbull’s bite force, as not all dogs can be great as your companion. That’s because some dogs may also be a threat to the family. So, it’s important for you to know about the dog’s bite force.
How Strong Is Pitbull’s Bite?
According to some sources, Pitbull-type dogs have a bite strength roughly 235 pounds per square inch (PSI). This amount is consistent with the bite strength of other dog breeds in the same weight/size class. However, Pitbull’s bite force is lower than many large dog breeds that are exhibited in testing.
The most important thing you should know is that the bite strength is a hard thing to measure accurately.Certainly, there are a number of factors which can affect the force of a dog’s bite at any given time.
With the force of the bite of their jaws, Pitbull are able to break many objects which are quite difficult for them to break if they so wish. You do not forget that pitbull also has a wide face with a powerful jaw which is their main defense.
As we know, Pitbulls are a very athletic dog breed that really need to exercise with you daily. If you have a Pitbull at home, don’t be surprised as you find some up-turned couch cushions when you go back home.
Specifically, many misconceptions revolve around Pitbull bites, indicating that they have extremely strong bites. Aside from that, they can also lock their jaws or they are more prone to bite or kill than other breeds. However, none of which are true. In fact, Pitbull’s bite force is definitely better indicated by the overall size of the dog rather than by breed.
Talking about PSI or Pound Per Square is the pressure rating with which most Americans are familiar, as this is part of the avoirdupois system of measurement. In this case, PSI rating will inform you how much pressure in pounds is being exerted on a surface which measures one square inch.
Some Factors That Impact a Pitbull’s Bite Strength
Certainly, there are a lot of factors both internal and external factors that contribute to the actual force of a pitbull’s bite. What are they? Here are they:
- Body Weight
For a general clue, the bigger Pitbulls, the stronger they bite.
Body weight is the main factor that is correlated to Pitbull’s bite strength. In fact, body weight is an indicator of a dog’s bite force. As all studies reported that there’s no correlation between bite strength and specific breeds.
There may be a bit of variation in weight and size between members of the same breed, especially Pitbull breeds. Pitbull can reach weight from around 30 pounds to upwards of 90 pounds. Sure, you can imagine that a petite 30-pound Pitbull will have a significantly less strong bite than a larger one.
Certainly, even though some sources revealed that Pitbull’s bite strength is around 235 PSI, that’s an average that cannot be an exact measurement for all Pitbull-type dogs. Additionally, Pitbull that is obese will not have any bite strength than a healthy-weight Pitbull.
- Jaws and Teeth Condition
It happens naturally when a Pitbull gets pain in his jaws or teeth when he bites down. He will not likely bite hard. In fact, Pitbull will avoid biting at maximum strength when they get some medical conditions including TMJ disorders, tooth decay, misaligned teeth and jaw muscle atrophy.
So, when a Pitbull gets those medical conditions, they cannot bite strongly.
- Skull Size and Shape
Even though only in medium and large dogs, the shape of jaws and skull will also correlate with bite force. In this case, you can measure a Pitbull’s bite force especially if you have two dogs with the same weight. You can then measure on which can bite harder based on which has the wider jaws and the bigger head.
As Pitbull is known for wide smiles, he will commonly have a stronger bite than a dog of another breed, though they have the same weight, but Pitbull has narrower jaw and a smaller head.
- Bite Inhibition
Determining whether a dog will bite at all or not is also inseparable from training. It plays a big role and if he does, how hard he bites. If you have a Pitbull at home, you’ve probably taught him biting inhibition as puppies tend not to bite as adults. Of course, they could pay more attention to the power they exert with their jaws.
- Individual Dog
In this case, a Pitbull bite strength can also come down to the temperament of an individual dog. Aside from that, the training that he has received will affect their temperament. In fact, there are some Pitbull that are more easily irritated than others, so they may react more aggressively.
- Motivation and Situation
Why are motivation and situation included? If we make an analogy, if you are chewing something soft like porridge, you surely will not chew with nearly the force or power that you are eating a strip of beef jerky.
So as with Pitbull, they will only bite with their force as they need to do for the situation. That’s why it’s a bit hard to measure bite strength accurately in dogs who are awake. In this case, you can motivate your Pitbull to bite as hard as he can while not breaching any ethical boundaries.
In a real situation, if a dog is in pain and feels threatened, he will be more highly motivated to bite the threat hard when we compare to casually chomping on a snack in the lab.
