Belgian Malinois’ are medium to large-sized dogs with strong and muscular bodies. Because they look dangerous, some people may wonder what their bite force is.
The Belgian Malinois bite force is 195 PSI. This is a very strong bite force compared to other dog breeds. The strong bite force paired with the large and frightening size, makes these dogs perfect for police work and guard dog jobs. But there is more to know about this dog.
- Short Introduction To The Belgian Malinois
- How To Measure Bite Force?
- What Is The Belgian Malinois Bite Force?
- Comparison Of Belgian Malinois Bite Force To Other Breeds
- Why Do Belgian Malinois Bite?
- How To Stop A Belgian Malinois From Biting
- What Jobs Do Belgian Malinois Dogs Have?
Short Introduction To The Belgian Malinois
The Belgian Malinois is a medium to large dog with a height of 22-26 inches and a weight of 40-80 pounds. This dog originates from Belgium, hence the name. It was initially used as a herding dog but later joined the police force for its great guard dog traits.
Personality-wise, this dog is affectionate and loyal to its owners, but very vigilant of strangers. It is a very intelligent dog that is eager to please and training it can be easy. It is very protective of its owners and territory, so it makes for an amazing guard dog.
How To Measure Bite Force?
To find out what the Belgian Malinois biting force is, you need to know how to do the dog bite force measurement.
Bite strength is measured in pounds per square inch, or PSI for short. This shows how much force is applied in a square inch of a flat surface. To appropriately measure it, one would need the dog’s weight, the size of its jaw, the surface which is bitten and its hardness, as well as the angle of biting. A testing device called a “bite sleeve” can be used for better calculation.
It’s important to mention that measuring the PSI will not always give us a correct answer. Usually, only the bite force of the front jaw is measured and it doesn’t take into account the strength of the back jaw.
What Is The Belgian Malinois Bite Force?
The calculated bite force of the Belgian Malinois is 195 PSI. That means that once this dog bites, 195 pounds of pressure is applied to every square inch. This is enough force to fracture a bone.
This force is as strong because the Belgian Malinois is quite a large dog. It also has an appropriately made jaw to deliver a stronger bite to its victim. Depending on the reason for the bite, it can also be stronger or weaker. Playful bites are quite tame compared to biting an intruder in the home.
Comparison Of Belgian Malinois Bite Force To Other Breeds
Compared to other dog breeds, the Belgian Malinois does have a very high bite strength. However, it isn’t the highest bite strength. In fact, it isn’t even in the top 10 highest. Even Poodles can bite stronger, with a bite force of 200-400 PSI.
The dog breed with the highest bite force in the world is the Kangal, a breed that comes from Turkey. It has a bite force of 743 PSI, making it a very fearsome dog. Following this, comes the Cane Corso with a 700 PSI, and Tosa Inu with a 556 PSI in the top 3. Other dog breeds that complete the top 10 include:
- Dogue de Bordeaux – 556 PSI
- English Mastiff – 552 PSI
- Tibetan Mastiff – 550 PSI
- Wolfdog – 406 PSI
- Akita Inu – 350-400 PSI
- Rottweiler – 328 PSI
- Siberian Husky – 320 PSI
Why Do Belgian Malinois Bite?
The Belgian Malinois was bred as a herding dog. Its genes are encoded with the need to chase, hunt, and bite if needed. Every time this dog feels frustrated, scared, or protective, it might resort to biting its victim. But this dog might bite for other reasons too.
Because the Belgian Malinois bite power is so high, it is reasonable to question if this dog bites its owners. If the owner trained and socialized the dog properly, there will be no problems with biting. It could only end up with a bite if the dog has a health problem that causes pain and frustration.
A healthy Belgian Malinois will bite a stranger if the stranger enters the home unannounced or threatens the dog’s family. Dog bite prevention is important to know for any dog owner.
How To Stop A Belgian Malinois From Biting
Because the Belgian Malinois bite pressure is so high, you wouldn’t want yours to bite you and cause you pain. So there are things you can do to prevent that.
Early Training And Socialization
You should start training the dog from an early age so it doesn’t keep its biting habit once it grows up. In fact, the training starts with the dog’s mother and siblings. When they are young puppies, they bite each other as a form of play while trying not to hurt each other. This is called “bite inhibition” and is a thing that the owner should continue teaching.
To teach bite inhibition, play with your dog, and every time it bites hard, stop and say “Ouch”. Do this a few times until the dog realizes its biting is too strong for you. Besides bite inhibition, you should also do obedience training and socialization.
Chew Toys And Exercise
To control the Belgian Malinois forceful bite, you can get the dog a few chew toys. These toys will help by allowing the dog to follow its instinct while not endangering anyone. Chew toys are also great for the dog’s dental health. Just don’t buy any rope toys. If the dog swallows the string from a rope toy, it may suffer from digestive problems.
The Belgian Malinois is a very energetic dog due to being bred as a working dog. It needs around 60-90 minutes of exercise every day. This should be split into more sessions during the morning and evening. Besides physical exercise, these intelligent dogs will also need mental stimulation to spend their energy.
Supplements And Professional Help
There are some supplements that can calm a dog down if it feels frustrated and anxious. One good supplement for calming is valerian root made for dogs. You can also calm the dog down by giving it sufficient nutrients and preventing hunger.
If you can’t deal with the Belgian Malinois bite potency by yourself, the best thing to do is to ask for help from a professional. There are dog trainers or canine behaviorists who can help you and your dog. They do K9 training to fix canine behavior and prevent dog aggression. You can also enroll your dog in obedience training courses where it will learn to be obedient to its owner and follow commands.
What Jobs Do Belgian Malinois Dogs Have?
Because they are strong, athletic, and very trainable dogs, Belgian Malinois’ are often used for other jobs besides herding.
There are records that the NYC Police Force purchased five of these dogs in 1908 to work as police dogs. These days, law enforcement dogs still serve in police departments. They are used for gas detection, drug detection, search and rescue dog operations, and bomb detection.
Due to the high Belgian Malinois jaw strength, the dogs are also used as part of the Navy SEALs in special K9 units. In fact, a Belgian Malinois called Cairo helped the team of Navy SEALs that took down Osama Bin Laden.
Some Belgian Malinois’, like the 3-year-old Rouse, are also capable of skydiving. This dog works as a rescue dog in the Columbian Air Forces.
So Is The Belgian Malinois Bite Intensity High?
The Belgian Malinois is a big and strong dog originating from Belgium that was initially bred for herding. This is an affectionate and loyal dog, that is very protective of its “pack”. The high intelligence and eagerness to please make it very easy to train, which is why this dog is still used as a working dog.
The bite force of the Belgian Malinois is calculated to be 195 PSI. PSI, meaning pounds per square inch, is used to describe the bite pressure of dogs. There are dogs with an even higher bite force. The dog breed with the highest canine bite force is the Kangal.
Because Belgian Malinois’ has such a high bite force and strong canine anatomy, they are used in the police force and as military working dogs. These dogs can bite intruders but don’t worry, they don’t bite their owners.
FAQ
How strong is a human bite?
The human bite is calculated to average around 162 PSI. This is less than the average bite force of a Belgian Malinois but it can still cause damage to the body.
What is the bite force of a wolf?
The bite force of a wolf is around 400 PSI. This is almost double the Belgian Malinois bite force. But it is also lower than the highest dog bite force of the Kangal which reaches 743 PSI.
What’s the strongest bite on Earth?
The strongest bite force in the world belongs to the saltwater crocodile. Saltwater crocodiles have a bite force of 3700 PSI. Great White Sharks have also shown an incredible bite force, but the calculations were unchecked.