Chihuahua Bite Force: Hidden Facts You Need to Know

Even though Chihuahuas are extremely cute due to their size, this breed of canines is known to be very aggressive when compared with other dog breeds.

This is not because they are evil or anything, but it’s simply because they have an over-protective instinct towards their owner, and everything else that they believe is their property.

Or in some cases when they feel that they are not safe, which is very normal in all dogs. Even as a human, if someone tries to hurt you, your first instinct would be to defend yourself in any way you can.

So before we start talking about a Chihuahua bite force it’s important to remember that they are not bad dogs, and with the right training and environment, they can also act like normal dogs.

What is The Bite Force of a Chihuahua?

When you search on the internet about Chihuahua bite force PSI, the first result that’ll pop up on your screen is 3,900 PSI (Pounds Per Square Inch).

However, looking at the size of these cuties, it is very hard to believe it’s true. Especially since the bite force of a lion is 650 PSI. And according to these results, the Chihuahua bite force is six times more intense than the king of the jungle, which we all can agree with sounds ridiculous.

But with this revelation, comes a question, what is the bite force of a Chihuahua? You’ll be surprised to know that there are no accurate answers to this question. But the closest answer you get from some research is 450 PSI.

There are no scientific studies that reveal the Chihuahua bite force PSI. Because when you’re conducting an experiment on bite forces, you need to be sure that the subject is biting as hard as it can, and you can’t tell a dog to do that.

Therefore, you can never conclude an accurate or reliable answer because you’ll never know if the dog was biting as hard as he can or not.

Proof That 3,900 PSI is Not The Actual Bite Force of a Chihuahua

According to an article published in 2010 and written by a professor of psychology known as Stanley Coren who teaches at the University of British Columbia, it is said that there is some up-to-date research available that gives more accurate answers to the question: what is the bite force of a Chihuahua?

He went on and said that the bite force of an animal depends on the size and shape of the jaw of that animal. The larger the head, and the wider the jaw, the higher will be the bite strength.

He continued to say that the bite force of the largest dog breed (Mastiff) is 552 PSI, which if you don’t know, is just a few times less than that of a lion.

Coren further said that two types of research have been carried out to determine the bite force of canines, and the highest number came out was 2,000 Newtons. Which later resulted in the majority of websites interpreting ‘Newtons’ as ‘PSI’. However, it’s actually 450 PSI.

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What Are The Chihuahua Bite Statistics?

From the above-mentioned research reference, everyone can agree that the idea of 3,900 PSI being the Chihuahua bite force is nothing more than a misunderstanding.

They are very small and have small heads and tiny jaws, and to think that they can apply this amount of force with their tiny skulls is total nonsense.

After digging deeper, you can find research on the bite force of a Chihuahua conducted by The Colorado Veterinary Medical Association in 2009. In this research, 188 different dog breeds were surveyed and some interesting points concluded after this research was the following:

• Chihuahuas hold the 4th rank in the breeds that bite children.
• Chihuahuas bite veterinarians more than any other breed of canines.

In another research, 4,000 different dog breed owners were surveyed and later it was concluded that Chihuahuas are the most aggressive dogs.

But it’s important to keep in mind that the Chihuahua bite force PSI does not depend on how aggressive the Chihuahua is, it depends on how much force the Chihuahua is capable of releasing from its skull and jaw, which certainly is not 3,900 PSI.

Can Chihuahuas Kill Humans?

Hearing this sentence at first, it is completely normal to be shocked, or even laugh. Although, it is possible for Chihuahuas to kill humans.

Dogsbites.org is a website that reveals the annual statistics of dog bites, along with dog attacks that result in human fatalities in the US, and when you take a look at their published data from the year 2005-2017, you’ll find this:

As shocking as this may be, a Chihuahua actually killed someone between the years 2005-2017, at that death was logged in the US.

After some further research, you’ll find that a Chihuahua also killed a person in 2018. This means that there are 2 recorded deaths caused by Chihuahuas from 2005 to 2020. But again, this doesn’t mean that the Chihuahua bite force is larger than many other huge dog breeds.

A reasonable explanation is that a Chihuahua bit someone in the main artery, and they weren’t able to get medical supervision in time. The person either died from excessive blood loss or Tetanus which is a life-threatening disease caused by humans, or dog bites.

The point is, you don’t have to run away from Chihuahuas like they are lions, there’s a slight chance they might bite you, but they’re not capable of hunting you down, or for that matter, killing you.

Conclusion

To summarize this whole thing, Chihuahuas may be a little more aggressive than other dogs, but they are also sweethearts that deserve to be loved.

So the next time you see a Chihuahua, no need to run for your life. They are small and sensitive. Try to focus on their size rather than Chihuahua bite force PSI.

All you need to do is take some necessary precautions and that’s it! If they don’t feel threatened by you, they won’t hurt you.

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