Common Myths
And a few uncommon truths
Pit Bulls have locking jaws:
Completely untrue! The American Pit Bull Terrier’s jaws are the same and any other breed. Ask any veterinarian and they can verify that this is a total fabrication. Pit Bulls like any other breed of dog can release its bite whenever it wants to at any time.
Al W. Stinson, D.V.M
Director of Legislative Affairs, Michigan Association for Pure Bred Dogs, and the Michigan Hunting Dog Federation, and a member of the Board of Directors of the American Dog Owners Association.
The following quote was sent to me from Dr. Howard Evans, Professor Emeritus, College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University, Ithaca New York. “I have spoken with Dr. Sandy DeLahunta (the foremost dog neurologist in the country) and Dr. Katherine Houpt (a leading dog behaviorist) about jaw locking mechanism in Pit Bulls or any other dog breed and they both say, as do I, that there is NO SUCH THING AS JAW LOCKING IN ANY BREED.”
Dr. I. Lehr Brisbin of the University of Georgia
“The few studies which have been conducted of the structure of the skulls, mandibles and teeth of Pit Bulls show that, in proportion to their size, jaw structure and thus its inferred functional morphology, is no different than that of any breed of dog. There is absolutely no evidence for the existence of any kind of “locking mechanism” unique to the structure of the jaw and /or teeth of the American Pit Bull Terrier.”
Pit Bulls have 1800psi Jaw Pressure:
Wrong again! There is no factual research to support this claim. This myth stems from an article published in the 1989 The Journal of Trauma “Mauling by Pit Bull Terriers: A Case Report” by Bret R. Baack, M.D., John O. Kucan, M.D., Gerland Demarest, M.D. and E. Clyde Smoot, M.D. On page 519 it states: “Pit Bulls bite with a greater force than most dogs (up to 1,800lb/in2) (4).
Reference (4) cited for this fact is: “Dog bites in children: Epidemiology, microbiology, and penicillin prophylactic Therapy by Douglas A Boenning, M.D., Gary R. Fleisher, M.D., and Joeshp M. Campos, PhD.
However, neither the topic of bite pressure nor pit bulls is addressed or even mentioned throught the entire article. This case report is promoted by many people as fact, yet it’s not substantiated anywhere. Now there is scientific evidence proving this myth is just that a MYTH.
Dr. Brady Barr of National Geographic (Dangerous Encounters: Bite Force, 8pm est 8/18/2005)
Dr. Barr measured bite forces of many different creatures. Domestic dogs were included in the test. Here are the results of all the animals tested:
Humans- 120 lbs. of bite pressure
Wild Hogs- 310 lbs.
Lions- 600 lbs.
White Sharks- 600 lbs.
Hyenas- 1,000 lbs.
Snapping Turtles- 1,000 lbs.
Crocodiles- 2,500 lbs.
and last but not least, Domestic dogs: 320 lbs. of bite pressure on average.
A German Shepard, American Pit Bull Terrier, and Rottweiler were tested using a bite sleave equipped with a Specialized computer instrument. The American Pit Bull Terrier had the least amount of pressureof the three dogs tested.
Pit Bulls don’t feel pain:
Nope! Pit Bulls have the same nervous system of any other breed, and they can and do feel pain. Historically, those dogs that would tolerate for ignore discomfort and pain and finished the task they were required to perform were the dogs that were bred and the sort of dogs breeders strove to produce. This is the trait of “gameness” that many breed fanciers speak of, which may be defined as; The desire to continue on and/or complete a task despite any odds.
Pit Bulls brains swell/grow larger than their skulls causing them to go “crazy”:
Not true! This rumor start back in the days that the Doberman Pincher was in high popularity. It was rumored that the Doberman suffered from an affliction that caused its brain to swell or to keep growing in which the skull became too small to house the dogs grey matter. This, according to the rumor, would cause the animal to go “crazy” or just snap and out of nowhere the dog would attack their owners. This subsequently had no merit as it was never scientifically proven in any way. Now that the Doberman fad has died down and the American Pit Bull Terrier has gain the public spot light. The myth has been carried over to the Pit Bull, but still as in the Doberman it is no more true now then it was then.
I have only listed a couple here when in fact there are many common myths about the American Pit Bull Terrier. We as responsible owners and lovers of our dogs ask that before you believe in this myths you should evaluate for yourself and research the validity of each myth.
Pit Bulls are one of the most stable people friendly dogs:
The National Canine Temperament Testing Association tested over 100 different breeds, and the American Pit Bull Terrier is one of the top with 84.1% passing rate as of December 2006. (www.atts.org)
A recent article by Suzanne Sparhawk goes into detail about which dogs are more likely to bite and how to prevent dog bites.
Pit Bulls are Heroes:
America’s first war dog was a Pit Bull named Stubby. He earned several medals during WWI and was honored at the White House. You can read all about Stubby's adventures on the Conneticut Military Department website.
The Ken-L-Ration dog hero of 1993 was a Pit Bull named Weela. She saved 30 people, 29 dogs, 13 horses and a cat during a flood in Southern California.
Pit Bulls are one of the most versatile dogs out there:
Pit Bulls have a wide range of abilities and are titled in numerous types of competitions. Here are just a few:
Serve as therapy/service dogs
Search and Rescue
Police K-9 dogs
Weight Pulling
Agility dogs
Herding dogs
Tracking dogs
Wild Hog Hunters
Movie and TV actors
The list goes on and on……But the best is our confident, loving, big hearted, family dog!