liamber Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 I have just recieved my cavalier puppy that I have been waiting for for about 9 months!!! She is 12 weeks old and She is lovely but the next day after getting her I realised her bite is slightly undershot. I realise as they are growing and developing that their skulls and mouths can change. This is not my first cavalier and she was supposed to be for showing. My question is, do you think her bite will go to scissor bite?? I contacted the breeder straight away and they said they had checked her bite only the week before and they were really happy with it, that it was good. They didn't check it just before she was flown out and they were very sorry. They also told me that a bite in a cavalier can take up to 2 years or more to correct itself. Is this correct?? Any info or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavNrott Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 As the bottom jaw is the last to grow an undershot bite doesn't usually improve. If she was overshot she probably would end up with a nice scissor bite but I don't think this will improve. It's more likely to end up a bit more undershot that she is at present. One of my Cavs is undershot too and she was supposed to be a show quality pup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gretel Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 Undershot can come right but it can take time and there are no guarantees that it will Ingrid was undershot till about a year old and then eventually changed to level and then scissor. It's not uncommon in Cavs for an undershot mouth to crop up. Some come good and some don't. I guess you need to decide whether you are happy to wait and see if it will come good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra777 Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 No experience with CKCS but with bull breeds an undershot jaw virtually never corrects itself and I would be sending the pup back for the breeder to take the risk if you are serious about showing. Examine her premolars - if they lineup correctly you have more chance of her mouth coming right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dellcara Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 Any CKCS breeder will tell you that "Bites" CAN and DO change ..... Yes, they can change up to 2-3 years. I have never seen an overshot mouth correct ... I have seen MANY undershot mouths correct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavNrott Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 Any CKCS breeder will tell you that "Bites" CAN and DO change ..... Yes, they can change up to 2-3 years. I have never seen an overshot mouth correct ... I have seen MANY undershot mouths correct. I have never bred a dog of any breed and never will. I leave the breeding to the experts. I know more about Rottweilers than Cavs I wonder how undershot mouths correct when the bottom jaw is the last to grow. If the bottom teeth are already undershot with Rotties they usually stay undershot. It they're overshot it often corrects as the bottom jaw grows. Just so we are all on the same page. Overshot is when the top teeth overlap in front of the top teeth (by a larger margin than a scissor bite) and undershot is when the bottom teeth overlap and are in front of the top ones. Are we in agreement? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 I know more about Rottweilers than Cavs I wonder how undershot mouths correct when the bottom jaw is the last to grow. If the bottom teeth are already undershot with Rotties they usually stay undershot. It they're overshot it often corrects as the bottom jaw grows. Top and bottom jaws grow at different times. If the bottom jaw had just undergone a period of growth, the top jaw might grow to meet it. Dog is young enough that there is probably more growing to do. It might correct. Then again, it might not. If I had my heart set on showing the dog, I'd be sending it back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pebbles Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 I've seen and had minor overshot mouths correct but never an undershot. This covers Affies, Setters, Borders, Min Pins and a couple of other breeds. For showing I'd never consider a bub that was undershot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gretel Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 As Dellcara stated in Cavaliers undershot can correct. Since it's a Cavalier being asked about I'd be listening to people who know the breed rather than what happens in other breeds. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pebbles Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 Sorry, when I was judging I understood the Cav mouth was to be - Mouth: Jaws strong, with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. the upper teeth closely overlapping the lower -- Has it been altered? I don't know how Cav babies progress but I'd still be very wary of an undershot mouth at any age. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Baggins Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 In a mad moment of not sleeping last night I suddenly remembered that I had a pup last year born in Feb. Lived in a pet home but shown by my daughter. In June at the champ show I chanced to look in his mouth while grooming and nearly died. From 8 weeks to 4 months it had gone from perfect scissor to very out. It was undershot by about 2 fingers. I chatted to a long time breeder and judge and she said it should fix. Advised the family to give bones to chew and use tug toy. By the Royal in September a perfect bite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavNrott Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 As Dellcara stated in Cavaliers undershot can correct. Since it's a Cavalier being asked about I'd be listening to people who know the breed rather than what happens in other breeds. ;) One of my Cavaliers had a perfect scissor bite at 8 weeks and his mouth is great at 7yo. My Cav girl had a scissor bite at 4 months and she was undershot at 2yo. by a small margin. Their teeth are nice and clean and they've never needed a dental. This is how it worked out with my Rottweiler. A perfect scissor bite became a level bite and went on to be undershot. It does no harm to read about mouths in other breeds. There's no need for abrupt comments, thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dellcara Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 (edited) Sorry, when I was judging I understood the Cav mouth was to be - Mouth: Jaws strong, with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. the upper teeth closely overlapping the lower -- Has it been altered? of course you have to judge the dog on the day .... and take into consideration what the standard also states; Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog." Edited June 8, 2011 by Dellcara Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bex80 Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Cavaliers can and do change for up to 2 years. I'd never keep a Setter puppy with an undershot mouth, they don't ever get better. However we had a Cav bitch that was fine as a baby and then went undershot and it didn't come good until about 18 months. We didn't show our Cav until her mouth righted itself, we had other dogs to show so we left her at home until it came good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gretel Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Sorry I don't mean to be abrupt. It's just I don't see how commenting on what you'd expect in another breed is very helpful in this case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chevorne Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 I have had some have a perfect bite as babies, then when the adult teeth come through become undershot. I also had a puppy arrive undershot and it never changed, regardless of all the treatments I was advised to try. SEND THE PUPPY BACK! What are you going to do with it for the 2 years it might take to correct, you cannot show the puppy like that. Look in the mouth every day? And feel hope or despair every day? And do you have room for another pet? If you are at your Council limit for number of dogs, you cannot buy yourself another show dog. I have been there and done that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pebbles Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 (edited) Wow, see you can learn something new everyday. I've never had close dealings with any Cav. people to have seen bubs and learnt about the changing mouths. All the breeds I've been involved with, any sign of an undershot and you'd run a mile, even looked carefully at any real youngun's that had a level bite as a bub. as these can go over. Thanks for the info. although I'm not judging any more it's good to learn. Reckon there'd be some nail-biting waiting to see if it would correct lol. Edited June 8, 2011 by pebbles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dellcara Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Wow, see you can learn something new everyday. I've never had close dealings with any Cav. people to have seen bubs and learnt about the changing mouths. All the breeds I've been involved with, any sign of an undershot and you'd run a mile, even looked carefully at any real youngun's that had a level bite as a bub. as these can go over. Thanks for the info. although I'm not judging any more it's good to learn. Reckon there'd be some nail-biting waiting to see if it would correct lol. You are so rigtht .. re the nail biting It depends on what your priorities are ... and whether you're prepared to run them on and play the waiting game. As a breeder ... I would not instantly dismiss a puppy with a slightly off mouth if everything else was what I wanted. One of my top winning dogs went "under" as a baby .. I showed him as a baby for experience and then he sat at home ... he returned to the show ring as an adult (2.5yrs) with a scissor bite .. and is a multiple Best in Show winner. Of course not everyone will want to "wait and see" ... and if I was jusat starting out I would probably want the mouth to be correct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chevorne Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 I have just recieved my cavalier puppy that I have been waiting for for about 9 months!!! She is 12 weeks old and She is lovely but the next day after getting her I realised her bite is slightly undershot. I realise as they are growing and developing that their skulls and mouths can change. This is not my first cavalier and she was supposed to be for showing. My question is, do you think her bite will go to scissor bite?? I contacted the breeder straight away and they said they had checked her bite only the week before and they were really happy with it, that it was good. They didn't check it just before she was flown out and they were very sorry. They also told me that a bite in a cavalier can take up to 2 years or more to correct itself. Is this correct?? Any info or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. I just noted where you are based, interestingly I was sent a dog when I lived in Darwin who had a bad mouth on arrival. The airfreight up and back if I had of returned the puppy was more than the cost of the dog! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavNrott Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Sorry I don't mean to be abrupt. It's just I don't see how commenting on what you'd expect in another breed is very helpful in this case. S'ok Gretel. It wasn't an expectation in either my Rottweiler or my Cavalier. I was relating my actual experience of what took place with both breeds and both were on the main register. My little main reg. Cav had a perfect bite at 4 months and an underbite at 2 years. She is 6yo now and the underbite is as it was when she was 2yo. As Pebbles said, you learn something every day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now