Head difference by region

[Newcastle]

LOL - actually the title in my earlier post is a link, too, but I didn't want to point that out.

[markwantsaboxer]

I'm just speculating, but wonder if the lines with bigger heads were bred to enhance bite work in Schutzhund Sport, and way back Boar hunting.  I think it's called bite force, and the size of a dog's head has a lot to do with the amount of pressure it can exert with it's jaws.  Rottweillers and Mastiffs I think have the most bite force.  We're talking very large heads.  If you've seen how hard they have to hit the cuff, bite it hard and full, and then hang on while they're lifted off the ground it makes sense that the mouth and jaw are so important.  I wonder if the shorter muzzle makes the bite more efficient.

Ann WI

Yes, I've heard that bite pressure is primarily a function of head size, but also of head shape and face muscles.

National Geographic did a test, and their results were for species:

Humans: 120 pounds of bite pressure.   

Domestic dogs: 320 LBS of pressure on avg. A German Shepherd Dog, American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT), and Rottweiler were tested using a bite sleeve equipped with a specialized computer instrument. The APBT had the least amount of pressure of the 3 dogs tested.

Wild dogs: 310 lbs

Lions: 600 lbs

White sharks: 600 lbs

Hyenas: 1000 lbs

Snapping turtles: 1000 lbs

Crocodiles: 2500 lbs

For the GSD, Pit, and Rott: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADDxe24ud90&feature=related

German Shepherd: 238 lbs

Pit Bull:  235 lbs

Rottweiler:  328 lbs 

Other (uncertain) dog breeds: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-WcIJbx9x8

Dutch Shepherd: 195 lbs.

Bulldog (American?): 220 lbs. or 305 lbs.

Mastiff (Boerboel or Tosa?): 556 lbs.   

I once read that a Bouvier de Flandres can have a bite force of up to 1000 lbs., but I am skeptical. 

I would assume that a Boxer, with the leverage that a short muzzle provides, would have a very high bite pressure.

[AnnF]

We were working obedience at a Schutzhund club yesterday, and I did ask the breeder about the short muzzle in the Euro lines.  She said it's because that head is considered more beautiful there.  Regarding bite, another member with an imported GSD said the Boxer needs to bite deep into the sleeve because the muzzle is shorter.  I forgot to ask if this allows a stronger hold.  The size and shape of the nose are also important. 

I got to watch a couple Bouviers work last summer, and they were amazing.

Ann WI
Gus-Boxer (1-1/2