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If you’ve been thinking about getting a new dog then you’re not alone – Kennel Club figures show that the number of people looking for puppies surged by around eight per cent since the start of the global pandemic.

But with 221 different breeds of pedigree dog to choose from, there’s plenty of thinking to do before you select your family’s latest four-legged addition – whether you want a large dog, family-friendly dog, or crossbreed.

There’s even academic guidance to seek out, with Psychologist Stanley Coren’s book ‘The Intelligence of Dogs’ ranking breeds by instincts, obedience, and the ability to adapt.

Different breeds of dog also tend to have very different physical attributes and strengths, including how strong their bite is – a measure that has been studied by scientists.

Of course, this dosn’t necessarily mean that these breeds will be more likely to bite – and individual dogs will vary greatly in strength – just that you need to be extra-careful to train these dogs properly as they have the potential to cause serious harm.

So, here are the breeds that research has shown to have the strongest bites, in pressure per square inch (psi). For reference the average human’s bite is around 162 psi.

For the purposes of this article we are only using breeds recognised by the UK Kennel Club, meaning such breeds as the Cane Corso (700 psi), Dogo Canario (540 psi) and Dogo Argentino (500 psi) are not included.

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The Kangal has the strongest bite of any breed of dog - a hefty 743 psi. This makes them particularly good at guarding livestock from predators in their native Turkey, but the breed is also known to be a great family dog if properly trained, getting on particularly well with children.

The Dogue de Bordeaux has a fearsome bite strength of 556 psi - although this breed is notoriously so lazy they are unlikely to often use it.

The Mastiff's impressive 552 psi bite has been used to great effect over the years in everything from guarding villages to hunting wolves. Now they are more often gentle giants used as family dogs.

Another gentle giant, the Leonberger is most likely to use its 399 psi bite to chew sticks, toys - and maybe its owners shoes.