Hi there,

I have a girl here who was a tight undershot mouth, to look at her head you woud not have guessed she was undershot in anyway at all. Anyway, by the time she was 2 it was still the same, so I decided to mate her, a colleague of mine had a bitch many years ago who was also undershot, she went on to produce 2 Champions, one of whom went on to be a Top Stud within our breed!

Guess what? After she had had her litter, my girls mouth went correct! Occassionally the hormones produced in pregnancy can correct a bad mouth.

I am not trying to give you false hope here, just letting you know that a bad mouth need'nt be a disaster!

As for showing her, well I would rather have a dog with a fault I can see than one I can't!!

Hope this is of help?

In gundogs an overshot mouth is a serious fault I wouldnt mind a level bite at hat age as it can change when the head breaks, but I wouldnt show an undershot one. if I did I certainly wouldnt get placed

I wouldn't show it. Maybe the mouth will correct itself, but things like this get around, I would not want to be known as the person showing a dog with that fault. Ok, so some people make dogs up with obvious or serious faults.... how many times is that exhibitor a "face?" I am often staggered at the poor quality of some Champions in my breed and there are many I wouldn't even place. There are also those who show unsound dogs yet still win classes.
Under FCI rules which Ireland is now operating, there has been a marked upswing in awards withheld if the judge believes that exhibits show "insufficient merit". At the last show, all bitch awards were withheld. As judging is supposed to be comparing an exhibit to the standard, I personally think that this will encourage better quality instead of giving tickets (or even a place) to an exhibit simply because of numbers or lack of.
Just my opinion.

Ah yes, I'd agree with this, in gundogs. The bite does seem to be more important here as a level or undershoot is said to make the mouth 'hard.'

In the Mastiff type heads, where the jaw length is shorter, level and slightly undershot isn't that uncommon. It's just one of the consequences of breeding away from the normal canine head structure. Breeds with the shortest jaws, the brachycephalics (Boxer, Pug, Bulldog etc) are always undershot.

If all less than perfect bites were eliminated from show and breeding, the breeds would suffer decline in other respects. I think it's a case of evaluating one fault against another. There are no perfect dogs

It's because people do continue to breed from dogs with faults that they persist. I agree that each dog should be judged on it's own merits but to me an obvious fault such as an undershot jaw in a breed that should have a scissor bite should not be bred from.
It's the same with people who tape ears etc, all they are doing is masking the fault and so it perpetuates.
Becky

no I wouldnt show it.

Even if you have money to waste (as you will 9/10 times find yourself at the end of the line, or leave the ring unplaced), your dog will always be remembered as one who doesnt get placed....even if they dont know why - although word will get out.
Unfortunately mud sticks, and even in the event that the bite comes good, people will remember a time when it wasnt!

Much better IMO, to wait and see, as you have years to take the dog world by storm .

A lot dependson what breed your in so advice from the breeder & others in your breed is probably most valuable, also as time goes by you'll get to know which judges will knock you hard for this & which won't.
However I'd say it still has a chance to right itself, certainly in GSDs if the mouth is right between 6 & 8 weeks I've found it can go over & or under as the jaws seem to grow at different times nut it will usually come back to how it was as a baby.

I have known young dogs with a undershot mouth which have corrected themselves only time will tell and the dog is only a baby.
If the dog is slightly undershot there is a good chance that it will correct itself as the head as a whole is the last thing to come together on a dog. Take her to a show and see how you get on good look.:smt023