Cranial dimensions and forces of biting in the domestic dog

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the effects of cranial size and shape in domestic dogs ( Canis familiaris ) on predicted forces of biting. In addition to continuous size-shape analysis, nine size-shape groups were developed based on three skull shape categories and three skull size categories. Bite forces were predicted from measurements made on dried skulls using two lever models of the skull, as well as simple models derived by regression analysis. Observed bite force values were not available for the database used in this study, so only comparisons between categories and models were undertaken. The effects of shape and size on scaled predicted bite forces were evaluated. Results show that bite force increases as size increases, and this effect was highly significant ( P < 0.0001). The effect of skull shape on bite force was significant in medium and large dogs ( P < 0.05). Significant differences were not evident in small dogs. Size × shape interactions were also significant ( P < 0.05). Bite force predictions by the two lever models were relatively close to each other, whereas the regression models diverged slightly with some negative numbers for very small dogs. The lever models may thus be more robust across a wider range of skull size-shapes. Results obtained here would be useful to the pet food industry for food product development, as well as to paleontologists interested in methods of estimating bite force from dry skulls.

Dog bite injuries to the hand

“…Not surprisingly the bite force increased with body and skull size and body weight [14]. The bite force also correlated to the skull shape, which was indexed by (skull width x100/skull length).…”

Feeding kinematics and performance of basal otariid pinnipeds, Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus), and northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus): implications for the evolution of mammalian feeding

“…Kiltie, 1982;Thomason, 1991;Binder and Van Valkenburgh, 2000;Huber et al, 2005;Wroe et al, 2005;Christiansen and Wroe, 2007;Christiansen, 2008;Ellis et al, 2008Ellis et al, , 2009Davis et al, 2010;Mara et al, 2010;Marshall et al, 2012Marshall et al, , 2014b. In general, bite force in terrestrial mammals is related to body size, aspects of craniodental morphology, biomechanics and feeding ecology.…”

Predicting bite force in mammals: two-dimensional versus three-dimensional lever models

“…We do not (nor may we ever) know this to be a fact, and behavioral variation in bite force could explain some of the variation in the data. Electro-physiological stimulus is one method of assuring that muscles contract maximally to produce a maximum measured bite force and has been done, for example, in domestic dogs (Ellis et al, 2009). Testing our 3-D Distributed Traction method against the data collected for domestic dogs would be one way to further investigate the accuracy of our 3-D model and validity of the assumptions we made.…”