The American Pit Bull Terrier (or APBT) has long been targeted in the news media and in the realm of urban legend as a vicious animal with great tenacity and aggression problems. Sadly, this has led to the influx of breed specific legislation, hate crimes targeted at towards
bully breeds, and general fear and hatred of these dogs. The American Pit Bull Terrier, in the right hands, makes an excellent family dog, a great companion for children, and with proper supervision and socialization can be around other pets including cats, farm animals, and other dogs. There are many urban legends that are accepted as gospel about the APBT, including, but not limited to, "the locking jaw", "the 2000lb PSI bite pressure", and "stupid" myth, which every person that has ever owned the APBT knows is untrue.
 
The first myth to debunk is the interesting myth of "the locking jaw". It is interesting to find people in all walks of life including doctors, lawyers, and college graduates, that all believe that this is a true statement. The American Pit Bull Terrier does not have any different anatomical jaw mechanism than any other breed of dog. The jaw does not "lock" and render all attempts at release obsolete. What happens, in reality, is that the APBT, being a large terrier with a large amount of jaw strength, has been bred for tenacity and gameness over the years of being bred for the fighting ring. The APBT, and any other breed of dog for that matter, bites and holds on because it can and wants to do so, not because it is unable to let go due to some kind of locking mechanism in its mandible.

Another very common urban legend that is touted as fact is the "2000lbs per square inch bite pressure" that the APBT is purported to have. This is also an untruth. Dr. Brady Barr of National Geographic did a study in which he measured bite pressures on many different animals. The average dog, according to Dr. Barr, has a bite pressure of 320lbs PSI, far less than is commonly believed by people. And, in fact, the APBT was found to have the least bite pressure out of the three dogs measured, the Rottweiler, the German Shepherd, and the APBT. This
information can be found on the following website: http://dogfacts.wordpress.com/2008/02/03/national-geographics-dr-brady-barrs-bite-pressure-tests/.

Many people also believe, and this is a very common thing to hear, that the American Pit Bull Terrier is not very bright. Anyone that owns or loves an APBT can tell you that, most of the time, the opposite is true. The APBT is extremely intelligent and many are excellent ambassadors for our breed; in fact, Bandog Dread, now deceased, owned by Diane Jessup was a heavily titled dog, earning titles in schutzhund, herding, obedience, conformation and more. Another excellent dog was Popsicle, an APBT found in a freezer as a pup during a drug raid, who was used by US Customs as a narcotics detection dog. After such a rocky start in life, Popsicle's future did not look promising, but, he went on to become a decorated US Customs dog with a highly successful career. Those are just a few examples among many, but certainly, it is
obvious that the APBT is anything but dumb!