Pitbulls are one of the strongest dogs.
Pitbulls muscular and robust body gives them a ferocious appearance. Their strong muscles mean that these dogs are extremely strong and powerful.
The strength of a dog depends on a lot of factors. A dog’s weight, size, behavioral patterns, gameness, agility, bite strength, power, and stamina all contribute to deciding how strong a dog is.
1) Size and physique
The size of a dog is usually equivalent to how strong it will be. Pitbulls are not considered large dogs, but they still fall under the medium category.
Pitbulls may not be the largest dogs in size, but that does not mean that they are not as strong as large dogs. Actually, in proportion, Pitbull might even be the strongest dog in the lightest body.
Because the Pitbull is not one single breed, the size of Pitbulls varies.
Overall, an adult Pitbull can weigh anywhere between 30 to 90 pounds. It is one of the strongest dogs in the medium dog breed category, and with good reason.
The Pitbull’s body is very muscular. More than fats, it is made up of muscles, which makes it truly powerful.
The Pitbull has comparatively shorter legs, which give it a lower center of gravity. This makes it ideal for pulling and climbing.
It has a broad chest and dense shoulder muscles that make it very powerful, and able to run, jump and pull with immense strength.
2) Head and jaw
The strength of a dog’s bite depends on the amount of pressure it applies with its jaws, and the amount of pressure depends on the size of its head.
The Pitbull has a large and wide head that can measure up to 25 inches. Therefore, it has a huge jaw that can deploy a bite force of 235 psi.
However, the bite of a Pitbull is not that strong. It bites with around 300 pounds of pressure, which is a little less than an average dog bite, which is 320 pounds of pressure.
For comparison, the human bite is 120 pounds, while the great white shark bites with 600 pounds of pressure.
Why then, does the Pitbull have one of the most powerful bites?
Let us look at the reasons below
Hold and shake
One of the reasons that make an impact on its bite is the fact that when Pitbulls bite something, they hold on to it and shake it.
Because it is such a muscular dog, the grip is combined with a strong shake, which causes a lot more damage.
Don’t let go
Another factor why the Pitbull’s bite is one of the most feared is that when the Pitbull clamps on to something, it doesn’t let go.
Pitbulls have been bred in such a way that they hold on to what they bite for a long time. This has resulted in people thinking that they have a locking jaw, but that is not the case.
Pitbulls do not have jaw anatomy that is different from other dogs. If they did, there would have been visible differences in its bone structure and those of other dogs.
They just have very strong jaw muscles that give them the ability to hold on tightly and not let go. This is more of a personality trait than a physical one.
Pitbulls are tenacious and stubborn, which is why they will not let go easily.
The reason Pitbulls do not let go of so easily is because of their history. They were bred was to be better at blood sports like bull-baiting and dogfighting.
For these sports, they were trained to latch onto their bait and not let go, or else they would n=lose and face worse punishment.
So even when these practices were outlawed, Pitbulls retained this characteristic of not letting go easily.
3) Temperament
In terms of temperament, Pitbulls are very strong, powerful, energetic, and agile. They are determined as well, which means that once they set their mind to something, they will try to attain it at any cost.
They do not give up easily, which goes a long way in making them strong.
However, Pitbulls can develop behavioral problems, especially if they have a bad past.
If the Pitbull has been abused, manhandled, isolated, or trained improperly, it will generally become aggressive and can turn on anyone that it feels threatened by.
This is why Pitbulls get a bad reputation as being dangerous and aggressive, when in fact they are some of the most loveable family dogs out there.
That is also why it is necessary to train and socialize your Pitbull properly, and let it know that it is loved and cared for.
Pitbulls are also very intelligent, which makes it easy to train them. They learn commands very quickly.
They require an owner who has the physical strength that it takes to keep them in control and handle them because of their strength and be someone that they can respect and obey.
4) Muscular dog
Pitbulls might be the most blessed with powerful muscle tissue.
It has the most muscular body among all breeds of dogs. Pitbulls are genetically pre-disposed to packing muscles, meaning it does not have much to do to look this way.
5) History
The Pitbull originated from the Old English Bulldog and the Old English Terrier. Pitbulls were bred for sports like bull-baiting and dogfighting.
Both the sports have thankfully been banned now. But if something good has come out of it, it is the Pitbull’s athletic prowess.
After the cruel sports were put to a stop, Pitbulls were back to what they were originally used for: herding, guarding the livestock and families. This is when they were crossbred with a terrier, which created an agile, powerful and intelligent animal.
No matter what role they played, Pitbulls were preferred because of their muscular strength and their strong bite.
How to keep Pitbulls strong and muscular?
The muscles of the Pitbull are what makes them so strong.
While a Pitbull has a body that can easily gain muscular fat, here are some ways you can make sure how to keep them healthy and fit.
Diet
Just like humans go for a protein-rich diet when they want to pack up on muscles, Pitbulls also need a food regimen that is abundant with good quality protein-rich food.
Meat is the major element of this diet. Some owners use raw meat for their pets, which is a healthy option.
Some owners have their dogs on a diet made entirely of meat. While it is good for dogs, it can be quite expensive. A way around this is to mix dry kibbles along with meat. Look for high-quality kibble that uses meat as the main ingredient.
Introduce lean meat slowly into your dog’s diet.
Lean meat choices like pork, beef, eggs, and chicken will not only give your Pitbull a more muscular frame, but also smooth muscle tissue.
Try to give smaller portions at more frequent intervals, as that will be better for digestion as well.
Exercise
A good amount of exercise every day is another thing that will keep your Pitbull strong, muscular, and healthy.
Strength training
A good, fast-paced walk is a great exercise not only for the Pitbull but also for its owner.
You can gradually increase the distance or increase the pace to increase the stamina of your pet.
For more advanced exercises, weight pull is a great choice as it helps in building muscles. There is a special harness for the dog wearing which it can pull different amounts of weights.
You can start with a lower amount and then increase it as the dog becomes accustomed to it. You can also increase the distance it has to pull the weight.
Running exercises
If you are thinking of getting a Pitbull, make sure that there is enough space for it to run and exercise.
Make sure the dog has enough space to move around indoors and especially outdoors to stretch its muscles. This is very important as Pitbulls are highly energetic dogs who need to use up their energy.
Always make sure that there is plenty of water for your Pitbull to drink while exercising, as Pitbulls get dehydrated very easily and are even prone to heat strokes on very sunny days.
Make sure your Pitbull is on a leash while running outdoors in public.
If they are socialized well, they might not be aggressive towards other people, but they can easily become hostile when confronted with other animals.
Tug stations
Pitbulls have oversized neck muscles and very strong jaws.
If you get a tug station for your dog, you can exercise your dog’s neck and jaw muscles freely without worrying about anyone getting hurt.
What is the proper age to exercise Pitbulls?
If your Pitbull is still a puppy, avoid setting an exercise regime for your puppy at any cost. If you start exercising your dog when it is 18 months or younger, it could harm the development of its body.
It might result in hip displacement, joints growing improperly, or even muscles growing out of proportion.