Dog Shows + Undershot Jaw

[PossumCorner]

Also look at Flyball.  There are some good teams in Queensland and some staffies have excelled, fast and athletic.  The furthest north one is Maryborough.  It's still necessary to do at least basic obedience as a lead-up (as with agility) before flyball training. 

[Dogsfevr]

4 hours ago, PUREnvy said:

We (my step-daughter and I) have never really been overly focused on placing in shows, it was more for the experience and fun of it. 

 

All things considered I think we will look into obedience / agility or possibly both. 

 

We’ll get more involved with some of the breed clubs before we start and maybe look for another pup for conformation shows at some point.

 

I’d like to experience all aspects of showing, confirmation shows were just where we thought we would start but makes little difference either way. I’m sure my step-daughter will enjoy it all the same. 

 

Thanks to everyone for your replies. 

Its not about whether you wish to be competitive or not you are  still paying money to enter & its no fun being potentially non awarded .
There is nothing stopping you from attending handling classes to learn the ropes & like others have mentioned plenty of other sports you can have a go at that your step daughter can really enjoy as well & learn about training with dogs ,Rally o is great for obedience ,flyball is a fun sport ,lure coursing is also a great day out.
I can appreciate wanting to show & as i said nothing stopping you
 

[asal]

As one exhibitor told me decades ago, " I will not keep a hernia free pup if it's herniated littermate is superior conformation, it's not listed as a disqualification  in the standard. I doubt you will be able to find a hernia free pup within 12 years. ". That was a few years before "pedigree dogs exposed" hit the airwaves. 

Scissor bite for your breed is preferred but is not listed as disqualification  ditto for many breeds, I have seen many champions with undershot or level bite yet still awarded their challenge certificate  because they are excellent in every other department.

Its a case of assessing all the dog, the whole picture,  not just one point alone. everyone has different priorities, for me hernias versus undershot? I know my priorities are very different to the breeder I had that conversation with. 

The perfect specimen hasn't been born, nothing is perfect 

 

Edited June 30, 2018 by asal

[PossumCorner]

I'm guilty, I showed a bitch with wry mouth through to Champion, yes I knew it was a fault but she still blew others away with classy movement and generally very correct.  Not that I'd advise anyone to do the same, but the world didn't come to an end, I only bred one litter from her, all had good mouths, two males went to show homes, they did okay but weren't bred from.

[ellz]

On ‎27‎/‎06‎/‎2018 at 4:03 PM, asal said:

Friend had a pup that the bottom teeth began to come forward, turned out she loved playing tug of war, the pulling was suspected to be a contributing factor, stopped the game and scissor bite returned, many change bite as the bones grew as top n bottom don't grow at same rates doesn't help

 

Sorry but at that age, my personal experience with the breed and looking at that photo says that it's not going to change enough into a bite that wouldn't be penalised in the show ring.

[ellz]

A final observation.....

 

Whilst I do agree with bites in some breeds being a minor issue and other faults being far more serious (particularly those which relate to health and longevity), in general, Staffords are very popular in the show ring and when you've got a lineup of otherwise good dogs with many virtues and no great outstanding faults, it would be very hard to compete with a dog with an obviously incorrect bite.  Many get away with a misaligned tooth, TOO many get away with inverted canines, but the majority would have, at first glance or quick glance, a bite which isn't far off scissor.  

 

I've got many tales of winning in the show ring with dogs that had faults in various breeds as well, but because Staffords are very much a WYSIWYG breed, bite is important. 

 

Definitely get involved in breed clubs and do some networking and look into performance sports which are great fun for man and dog alike.

[Ruffis]

PUREnvy how did this turn out in the end ?

[_PL_]

8 hours ago, Ruffis said:

PUREnvy how did this turn out in the end ?

 This is a 4yr old thread so the original poster may not be on Dol anymore. :) You could begin your own thread.

 

[Dozer76]

I am not a SBT breeder or show person however, have quite a bit of showing experience with bull breeds.

 

I am going to answer yes and no to your question as the focus on the bite of a dog in the show ring will be individual for judges.  It is possible to do very well with an undershot bite and also possible to do very poorly.  Some judges will overlook shocking mouth faults and it's all that others will consider.

 

If the standard calls for a scissor bite then that is the ideal and I think you will find in your standard wording to the effect that any departure or fault should be considered proportionally to its extent and impact on the dogs health.

 

My opinion only, in a SBT firstly I would be looking to see if the canines are correctly aligned- this generally indicates that the jaw is correctly aligned and there is good balance between the upper jaw and underjaw.  If the incisors are level or just undershot (sometimes referred to as reverse scissor) this is a fault however, I would not consider it as serious as a gap between the upper and lower incisors (or a gap the opposite way - overshot).  The greater the gap, the greater the difficulty the Dog will have from a health perspective.

 

So a few tips:

1. Check that the canines are correct

2. Check if there is a gap in the undershot bite between the upper and lower incisors

3. The greater the departure from the ideal, the greater the chance a judge may view it unfavorably

 

Personally, I would be reluctant to show a dog with a mouth fault, even minor unless it was of amazing quality otherwise, and you would always need to be prepared for and accept it may be viewed negatively and go against you.

 

I think every one who shows would agree that literally anything can happen, so I don't want to curb your enthusiasm.  All I am saying is that you need to understand your dogs faults and understand and be aware of what can happen.  Teeth are an obvious part of the dog so they usually will be scrutinised.