overshot bite in dogs free sample

Occlusion is defined as the relationship between the teeth of the maxilla (upper jaw) and mandibles (lower jaw). When this relationship is abnormal a malocclusion results and is also called an abnormal bite or an overbite in dogs and cats.

The mouth is split into quadrants: left maxilla, right maxilla, left mandible and right mandible. Each quadrant of the mouth in both dogs and cats contains incisors (I), canines (C), premolars (PM) and molars (M).

In the normal, aligned mouth, the left and right side mirror each other. Dogs have a total of 42 adult teeth and cats have 30 adult teeth. The normal occlusion of a dog and cat mouth are similar. Below we"ll share how malocclusions can affect both canines and felines.

A malocclusion in that case, is either a tooth in an abnormal position and/or the misalignment of the maxilla and mandible with respect to one another."

A Class I malocclusion takes place when one or more teeth are in an abnormal position, but the maxilla and mandibles are in a normal relationship with each other. A Class I tooth may be pointing in the wrong direction or rotated.

Class III malocclusions are considered underbites in dogs and cats; the mandibles are longer in respect to their normal relationship to the maxilla. Class III malocclusions are commonly seen in brachycephalic dogs (boxers, pugs, boston terriers, etc).

Class IV malocclusions result from asymmetrical development of the maxilla or mandibles. The asymmetry of this malocclusion results in skeletal malformations leading to a side to side malalignment.

While cats do not get malocclusions nearly as frequently as dogs, they are not free from this problem. When present, felines malocclusions tend to be more severe and can cause more problems. There is a definitely a breed predisposition for cats with malocclusions. Persians and Himalayan cats tend to have a higher incidence of malocclusions, most frequently underbites.

Just as with dogs, cats with malocclusions should always be evaluated by a veterinarian and treated if their bite is traumatic and causing them pain. Malocclusions are frequently diagnosed in kittens. These abnormal bites are often painful and the sooner they are treated, the better the prognosis for gaining a pain-free and functional bite.

Malocclusions can result in an abnormal bite which can affect function and result in pain. Malocclusions predispose the patient to periodontal disease, endodontic (pulp) disease and oral trauma.

Our belief at Animal Dental Care and Oral Surgery is that all pets deserve a pain-free and functional bite. In most situations, the earlier a malocclusion is diagnosed the better the prognosis.

Class II and class III malocclusions are skeletal abnormalities resulting from abnormal development of the maxilla and mandible. It is rarely possible to restore the maxilla and mandibles to a normal relationship with each other, but it is always possible to permanently relieve pain that these malocclusions cause.

Although complete correction of certain teeth misalignments may not be possible, there is always something we can do to improve the functionality of the bite and make the patient comfortable. For best results, it is important to recognize a malocclusion as early as possible.

The upper incisor teeth slightly overlap the lower incisors. The lower canine tooth (fang) sits between the upper canine tooth and 3rd incisor. The premolar teeth do not touch each other and form zigzag-like pattern between the upper and lower premolars. The large upper 4th premolar tooth rests on the cheek side of the lower first molar. This tooth is also known as the upper carnassial tooth. The molars are not visible in this image.

Known as a canine overbite, the upper canine tooth is sitting in front of the lower canine tooth and is pointed forward. This is referred to as a mesioverted or “lance” canine tooth. Compare this image to the normal occlusion in figure 2.

Known as a canine underbite, the lower incisors are in front of the upper incisors and the lower canine tooth is resting against the back of the upper 3rd incisor. This bite is common in brachycephalic breeds, such as boxers and pugs.

Each side of the mandible developed at different rates resulting in a deviation to the left side.  Note how the right lower canine is poking into the palate (roof) of the mouth. This is a significant source of pain for this patient.

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Many standards are explicit in their bite description, down to an exact number of teeth. Other breeds, such as the Scottish Deerhound, simply require dentition to be strong and level.

Sporting: For the majority of sporting breed standards, less is more when it comes to describing the bite, which is most often scissors. But the Gordon Setter standard contains an interesting inclusion: Pitted teeth from distemper or allied infections are not penalized.

Hounds: The Otterhound might be known for his shaggy coat and webbed feet, but his bite is certainly the most unique among hound breeds: The jaws are powerful and capable of a crushing grip.

Working: The Working Group contains the most stringent dental standards. For example, breeds such as the Doberman Pinscher, German Pinscher, Leonberger must have precisely 42 teeth. That’s why the Cane Corso stands out—the bite is less important than the overall head structure: Bite: Slightly undershot (no more than a quarter inch) and level preferred. Scissor bite is acceptable, if parameters of the head and muzzle are correct.

Terriers: Despite his dandelion coif and saucer eyes, the Dandie Dinmont Terrier is equipped with a set of teeth capable of hunting badgers. The standard spares no words in describing both bite and number of teeth: The teeth meet in a tight scissors bite. The teeth are very strong, especially the canines, which are an extraordinary size for a small dog. The canines mesh well with each other to give great holding and punishing power. The incisors in each jaw are evenly spaced and six in number.

Toy: As companion dogs, most toy breeds have lax dental standards, forgiving a few missing teeth. The Japanese Chin even includes instructions to judges when examining bite: The Japanese Chin is very sensitive to oral examination. If the dog displays any hesitancy, judges are asked to defer to the handler for presentation of the bite.

Non-Sporting: The Bulldog’s bite is among the breed’s signature features, and the standard is precise in its description: The jaws should be massive, very broad, square and “undershot,” the lower jaw projecting considerably in front of the upper jaw and turning up. … The teeth should be large and strong, with the canine teeth or tusks wide apart, and the six small teeth in front, between the canines, in an even, level row.

Herding: Many herding breed standards instruct the judge to overlook broken or missing teeth lost in the line of duty. The Australian Cattle Dog standard provides a perfect visual image of why good teeth are essential to function: The teeth, sound, strong and evenly spaced, gripping with a scissor-bite, the lower incisors close behind and just touching the upper. As the dog is required to move difficult cattle by heeling or biting, teeth which are sound and strong are very important.

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This question, posed to me by a fellow passenger on my return flight from a veterinary conference, caused me to put my current task (subject-tagging images of dogs" and cats" mouths on my computer) on pause. I explained that in cats and dogs, the goal of orthodontic correction isn"t a pretty smile but pain-free, functional occlusion.

What happens when you peek into the mouth of a patient and note that one or more teeth are out of place? Hopefully you don"t quickly close the mouth, hoping that the pet owner didn"t spot the problem. (Out of sight, out of mind.) It"s much better to let your client know when something isn"t right in their pet"s mouth and explain what it will take to fix a poor or nonfunctional bite. But before you can recommend orthodontic care for your patients, you"ll need to embrace the concepts of malposition and malocclusion.

Occlusion refers to the relationship between the maxillary and mandibular teeth when they approach each other, as occurs during chewing or rest. Normal occlusion exists when the maxillary incisors just overlap the mandibular incisors (Figure 1A), the mandibular canines are equidistant from the maxillary third incisors and the maxillary canine teeth, and the premolar crown tips of the lower jaw point between the spaces of the upper jaw teeth in a saw-toothed fashion (Figure 1B). Flat-faced breeds, such as boxers, shih tzus, Boston terriers, Lhasa apsos and Persian cats, have abnormal bites that are recognized as normal for their breed in which the mandibular jaw protrudes in front of the maxillary jaw, altering the above tooth-to-tooth relationship (Figures 2A and 2B).

Malocclusion refers to abnormal tooth alignment. Skeletal malocclusion occurs when jaw anomalies result in abnormal jaw alignment that causes the teeth to be out of normal orientation. Dental malposition occurs when jaw alignment is normal but one or more teeth are out of normal orientation.

When dental malposition or skeletal malocclusion causes trauma to other teeth or oral soft tissues, the condition is termed poorly functional ornonfunctional and treatment is indicated. Therapy options include moving or removing the offending or offended tooth or teeth, or surgically creating additional space for the malpositioned tooth to occupy without causing trauma.

Mandibular distoclusion (also called overbite, overjet, overshot, class 2, and mandibular brachygnathism) occurs when the lower jaw is shorter that the upper and there"s a space between the upper and lower incisors when the mouth is closed. The upper premolars will be displaced rostrally (toward the nose) compared with the lower premolars. Mandibular distoclusion is never normal in any breed (Figures 3A and 3B).

Figure 3B. A dog"s mandibular distocluson.Mandibular mesioclusion (also called underbite, undershot, reverse scissor bite, prognathism, and class 3) occurs when the lower teeth protrude in front of the upper teeth. If the upper and lower incisor teeth meet each other edge to edge, the occlusion is an even or a level bite (Figure 4).

Figure 4. Mandibular mesioclusion in a dog.Maxillary mandibular asymmetry (also called wry bite, especially by breeders) is a skeletal malocclusion in which one side of the jaw grows differently from the other side (Figures 5A and 5B).

Rostral cross bite occurs when the canine and premolar teeth on both sides of the mouth are normally aligned but one or more of the lower incisors are positioned in front of the upper incisors (Figure 6).

Figure 6. Rostral cross bite.Mesioverted mandibular canines (also called lingually displaced canines or base narrow canines) occur when the lower canine teeth protrude inward, impinging on or penetrating the maxillary gingiva (Figure 7). Often this condition is due to retained deciduous teeth. The resulting trauma can be alleviated through tooth movement, crown reduction and restoration, or extraction.

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One of the most disappointing things that can happen to a dog breeder is to have what appears to be an almost perfect specimen born and raised, only in the last few months of growth to have it become ‘undershot’. There are puppies born which develop this misfit jaw characteristic in their first few weeks of growth, others which develop it at three or four months and others not until after five months. And it is not necessarily those which are most seriously affected which show it early. One of the worst examples of this protruding lower jaw I have seen was in a cocker Spaniel which up until teething time had a perfect fitting set of teeth; the lower incisors fit right behind the upper, when the mouth was closed. When she was seven months old her lower incisors protruded three-quarters of an inch.

Is this character inherited? Most certainly yes, but in what strange manner, no one has yet been able to say with certainty. And there is the opposite character in which the lower jaw is too short for the upper, known as ‘overshot’. There is as yet no definite measurement for us to say whether the trouble lies in the mandible being too short or the upper jaw has grown too far forward.

Such peculiarities might be expected to appear in crosses between different breeds, like a Collie mated to a Boston Terrier, but they appear within a pure breed. They are especially prone to appear in the Collie breed, although I have seen it in many breeds. This mode of inheritance is likewise not known.

Undershot Cocker Spaniels, in a closely bred strain, throws some light on the problem. Among my Cocker Spaniels there is not an undershot puppy or adult in the kennels. But every year a goodly number of undershot puppies appear. Therefore, one might reason that the character is recessive. But let us see. In the first place when they do appear, they do not necessarily appear in a twenty-five percent ratio. A very wonderful bitch named Charm, whose mouth was perfect, was mated to a dog name Red Brucie, whose mouth was also perfect. They produced four puppies every one of which was badly undershot, and one with a perfect mouth. Her name was Kathlyn. Kathlyn was bred to Champ, a son of Roderic. In all the puppies of Roderic, I have not had an undershot puppy, and he was bred to many bitches. But when Champ was mated to Kathryn on many occasions, there were always one or two undershot puppies. But their puppies were so fine that it paid to mate these dogs and destroy the undershot puppies. They had seven litters of which ten puppies were undershot. So here it would seem that the trait was recessive. But let us look further. Some undershot puppies have appeared from other parents. I mated a pair of these, which were not badly deformed and, of five puppies in a litter, not one was undershot. If undershot is a recessive, then all of these puppies should have been undershot.

Again, we have a case of character which runs in families, which seems to be inherited as a recessive, and yet does not behave that way consistently. There are all degrees of the defect. In fact, if we believe that dogs’ teeth to be a correct bite, should allow the lower incisors to slip behind the uppers, then an even bite of the front teeth is a little undershot, and possibly there has been so much selection for an even bite that dog breeders have unconsciously been breeding undershot dogs. If they are undershot a little, then a little addition to that little makes them appear badly undershot. And it is hard to draw the line.

An interesting study in a strain of long-haired Dachshunds was made by Gruenberg and Lea. Their dogs were so badly overshot that the canine teeth of the under jaw (mandible) occluded behind the upper teeth, instead of in front of them. The tooth size was reduced by the factor and the lower jaw appears to be shortened, and the upper jaw lengthened. This is seen in many breeds. I know a strain of Borzoi which was so badly affected that some of the puppies could not eat out of a pan normally. Gruenberg and Lea found, upon conducting some matings that this trait was inherited as a simple recessive.

The lower jaw or mandible sometimes is much too short. Phillips found this condition to be a recessive, with modifying factors, so that when the maximum expression of these factors occurs the jaw is so short as to cause the death of the dog.

There was no much attention paid until now to bite and teeth quality of Louisiana Catahoula. The reason is that Catahoula is the American breed and there is generally only a little attention focused on this matter. Both NALC standard, valid since 1977 (last revision in 1994) and UKC standard (2008) say that: „A scissors bite is preferred, but a level bite is acceptable. Full dentition is greatly desired, but dogs are not to be penalized for worn or broken teeth. Overshot or undershot bite are serious faults, but not disqualifying“. Catahoula is working breed and working qualities have been always more demanded than an ideal conformation and a superior bite. This is also the heritage we must deal with now.

Evaluation of European breeds and breeding was always more strict in this point of view and more focused on correct bite and full dentition, namely in breeds that preserve more or less normal skull parameters. Thus, scissor bite and full dentition is what most of breed standards demand and faults are more penalized. There is a good reason for it, because an efficient function needs a proper skull and jaw structure and teeth position. However, some anomalies were found also in wild living wolves and some faults are fairly common among various dog breeds even if not wanted.

Full dentition with all adult teeth fully erupted consist of incisors (Incisives – I), canines (Caninus – C), premolars (Praemolares – P), and molares (Molares – M). Upper and lower jaw differ in a number of molars. The teeth pattern is following:

In order to understand severity of dental faults it is good to know what is correct and why. A way how a wolf uses its teeth would be the best example to explain this matter. Concerning Catahoula, it a good example, too, because this breed has got most probably a red wolf among its ancestors.  It could also support one of explanations of Schutzhund as a not very suitable activity for this breed that was mentioned by Anke Boysen elsewhere (https://www.ealc.info/en/working-dog-catahoula/).

In training and performing Schutzhund the preferred grip is a „full mouth bite“. The dog should grasp subject’s arm or leg well into its mouth, between its molars and premolars and behind the canines. This is not the way a wolf does it. A wolf grips with the front of his mouth. The four canine teeth puncture the prey and their overlapping structure combined with jaw strength prevents the prey from pulling free. Once the prey is down, the premolars are used for biting off chunk of meat. The upper P4 and the lower M1 on each side are especially developed for this task. The carnasals are the most massive teeth in the canine jaw. They are very sharp and their location mid-way down the length of the jaw puts them at the point where jaw pressure is greatest. The incisors located at the front of the mouth are specialized for delicate work. They nibble the last bits of meat off bones and are also handy for scratching an itch or pulling something bothersome out of the coat or from between the pads. Molars, other than mentioned, are flat for grinding plant matter. Wolves eat also some fruits, grasses and other plant matter and this type of food must be chewed a little to start digestive process.

All those specialized teeth have their proper position in the jaw, which is determined by their function, and they require a properly formed skull and lower jaw to function efficiently. The muzzle must be long enough and broad enough to accommodate the teeth in their proper locations. Jaw strength comes not only from the muscles, but the shape of the skull (1).

Most working breeds with normal skull mantained generally above mentioned dental structure, because it is the most efficient also for their work such as herding, hunting, etc. Nevertheless, missing teeth and malocclusions are typical dental faults in these breeds.

Research among wild wolves showed that the most frequent anomaly was the absence of the last molar in the lower jaw, M3. As it does not change the function, the absence of M3 should not be considered breeding deficiency also in dogs (2).

Missing teeth(hypodontia) is the fault observed often also in Catahoula breed. This fact and the degree of the fault should be evaluated according to which teeth and how many are missing. Some of premolars (P1, P2 or P3) and some of molars (M2, and most probably also M3) are most frequently among missing teeth. If the first premolar (P1), one of the smallest teeth, is missing, it is much less a problem than missing the upper P4 or M1 which belong to the most important teeth (see above). The more teeth that are missing, the more faulty and less functional the bite becomes.

As missing teeth like to appear in certain families and lines, it is important to take this into account when choosing breeding partners and to avoid those affected the same way. Inheritance of hypodontia is not possible to describe by a simple model and its analysis  indicated heterogenous genetic control of different forms. Whereas the absence of P2 can be described by the recessive major-gene model, the absence of P4 have more complex genetic mechanism (3).

Faults of bite concern also Catahoula breed. Dog’s bite is the way his teeth fit when his upper and lower jaws are closed. The standard type is a scissor bite, in which the upper incisors just overlap and touch the lower incisors and all premolars and molars fully fit. Another possible variation is a tight scissor bite, when upper and lower incisors touch each other more then above or lower incisors are outwards of longitudinal line of bottom jaw. Catahoula has also a level (even) bite permitted by the breed standard. It is when the upper and lower incisors meet exactly, surface to surface. This means that teeth can be worn down much faster, but it does not affect actually the function and both jaws are of the same length as in previous cases. Level bite is considered normal in some breeds, including Catahoula, nevertheless,  some consider this type of bite as an expression of underbite. On the other hand, research among wild wolves showed that fully a third of animals had even bites. No structural fault is tolerated to this degree in a natural species, particularly in a feature so critical to the survival of that species.

Undershot bite is when the upper jaw is perceptibly shorter than the lower jaw and the lower incisors are located in front of the upper ones. This is typical for some breeds such as Boxer, Bulldog, Pug, Pekinese, etc. that have a shorter foreface and longer lower jaw.

Overshot bite is caused by physically longer upper jaw than the lower one and the uneveness between them is larger than 2 mm. This fault occurs more often among dog breeds nowadays. Contrary to undershot, this fault can be controlled by genetics, nutrition, environment and by mechanical forces generated by the interlock of the upper and lower teeth. Overshot  can affect the mouth’s function more than undershot and indicates usually weakness in the lower jaw.

The incidence of level bites is increasing among Catahoulas beside some missing teeth. Undershot bite is one of more serious faults that occur in this breed. There is no doubt that such faults and abnormalities are inherited. Upper and lower jaws grow independently, factors influencing a size of jaw are different from those affecting the size of teeth and various genes are involved in this process. These problems are polygenic resulting from the action of many genes, thus it is difficult to eliminate them because there is no single „bad bite“ gene.  The length of the skull and the muzzle play a role and a dominant way of a shorter skull inheritance is known. Thus, this must be taken into account in case of Catahoula, too. A combination of parents with rather different length of their muzzles is not recommended, because it could increase the incidence of faults in bites and occurrence of undershot or overshot bites among offsprings. And we have proved already that Catahoulas may vary in their muzzle size in more than one third of its length.

Inheritance and elimination of severe dental faults is difficult in breeds more numerous than Catahoula. There is impossible to exclude from breeding all individuals that show any fault due to complicated, polygenic and often recessive way of inheritance in such a rare breed. However, those showing more serious faults, such as the overshot and the undershot bite and numerous and the most important teeth missing, should be surely excluded from breeding.

Nevertheless, it is not quite clear now how these faults are spread over Catahoula population in Europe. There is no statistic here or in the country of origin and the recessive way of inheritance of some anomalies means that many dogs can carry genes for such traits. The increasing incidence of level bite occurrence among young Catahoulas is warning, because it is not clear how this can affect future breeding. Although it is not possible to eradicate all faults fully, breeders can lower their incidence by selective breeding. However, it is necessary to map the problem within the breed first. Therefore thorough and wide spread check in offsprings is necessary to find some relations among particular parents and faults occurrence. It should be done both by breeding clubs and breeders themselves at least at the age of 1 or 2 years,  when all faults are visible already. Our experience shows that tight scissor bite observed at one year of age changed quite often to the level bite at two or later. The analysis and statistics should be done and published by breeding clubs, because it is beyond any breeder’s possibility, and all responsible breeders should obtain such informations for their proper decisions in breeding.

(3)    Axenovich, TI; Zorkoltseva, IV; Aulchenko, YS; et al :Inheritance of hypodontia in Kerry Blue Terrier dogs. Russian Journal of Genetics 40/5: 529-536 , 2004.

There was no much attention paid until now to bite and teeth quality of Louisiana Catahoula. The reason is that Catahoula is the American breed and there is generally only a little attention focused on this matter. Both NALC standard, valid since 1977 (last revision in 1994) and UKC standard (2008) say that: „A scissors bite is preferred, but a level bite is acceptable. Full dentition is greatly desired, but dogs are not to be penalized for worn or broken teeth. Overshot or undershot bite are serious faults, but not disqualifying“. Catahoula is working breed and working qualities have been always more demanded than an ideal conformation and a superior bite. This is also the heritage we must deal with now.

Evaluation of European breeds and breeding was always more strict in this point of view and more focused on correct bite and full dentition, namely in breeds that preserve more or less normal skull parameters. Thus, scissor bite and full dentition is what most of breed standards demand and faults are more penalized. There is a good reason for it, because an efficient function needs a proper skull and jaw structure and teeth position. However, some anomalies were found also in wild living wolves and some faults are fairly common among various dog breeds even if not wanted.

Full dentition with all adult teeth fully erupted consist of incisors (Incisives – I), canines (Caninus – C), premolars (Praemolares – P), and molares (Molares – M). Upper and lower jaw differ in a number of molars. The teeth pattern is following:

In order to understand severity of dental faults it is good to know what is correct and why. A way how a wolf uses its teeth would be the best example to explain this matter. Concerning Catahoula, it a good example, too, because this breed has got most probably a red wolf among its ancestors.  It could also support one of explanations of Schutzhund as a not very suitable activity for this breed that was mentioned by Anke Boysen elsewhere (https://www.ealc.info/en/working-dog-catahoula/).

In training and performing Schutzhund the preferred grip is a „full mouth bite“. The dog should grasp subject’s arm or leg well into its mouth, between its molars and premolars and behind the canines. This is not the way a wolf does it. A wolf grips with the front of his mouth. The four canine teeth puncture the prey and their overlapping structure combined with jaw strength prevents the prey from pulling free. Once the prey is down, the premolars are used for biting off chunk of meat. The upper P4 and the lower M1 on each side are especially developed for this task. The carnasals are the most massive teeth in the canine jaw. They are very sharp and their location mid-way down the length of the jaw puts them at the point where jaw pressure is greatest. The incisors located at the front of the mouth are specialized for delicate work. They nibble the last bits of meat off bones and are also handy for scratching an itch or pulling something bothersome out of the coat or from between the pads. Molars, other than mentioned, are flat for grinding plant matter. Wolves eat also some fruits, grasses and other plant matter and this type of food must be chewed a little to start digestive process.

All those specialized teeth have their proper position in the jaw, which is determined by their function, and they require a properly formed skull and lower jaw to function efficiently. The muzzle must be long enough and broad enough to accommodate the teeth in their proper locations. Jaw strength comes not only from the muscles, but the shape of the skull (1).

Most working breeds with normal skull mantained generally above mentioned dental structure, because it is the most efficient also for their work such as herding, hunting, etc. Nevertheless, missing teeth and malocclusions are typical dental faults in these breeds.

Research among wild wolves showed that the most frequent anomaly was the absence of the last molar in the lower jaw, M3. As it does not change the function, the absence of M3 should not be considered breeding deficiency also in dogs (2).

Missing teeth(hypodontia) is the fault observed often also in Catahoula breed. This fact and the degree of the fault should be evaluated according to which teeth and how many are missing. Some of premolars (P1, P2 or P3) and some of molars (M2, and most probably also M3) are most frequently among missing teeth. If the first premolar (P1), one of the smallest teeth, is missing, it is much less a problem than missing the upper P4 or M1 which belong to the most important teeth (see above). The more teeth that are missing, the more faulty and less functional the bite becomes.

As missing teeth like to appear in certain families and lines, it is important to take this into account when choosing breeding partners and to avoid those affected the same way. Inheritance of hypodontia is not possible to describe by a simple model and its analysis  indicated heterogenous genetic control of different forms. Whereas the absence of P2 can be described by the recessive major-gene model, the absence of P4 have more complex genetic mechanism (3).

Faults of bite concern also Catahoula breed. Dog’s bite is the way his teeth fit when his upper and lower jaws are closed. The standard type is a scissor bite, in which the upper incisors just overlap and touch the lower incisors and all premolars and molars fully fit. Another possible variation is a tight scissor bite, when upper and lower incisors touch each other more then above or lower incisors are outwards of longitudinal line of bottom jaw. Catahoula has also a level (even) bite permitted by the breed standard. It is when the upper and lower incisors meet exactly, surface to surface. This means that teeth can be worn down much faster, but it does not affect actually the function and both jaws are of the same length as in previous cases. Level bite is considered normal in some breeds, including Catahoula, nevertheless,  some consider this type of bite as an expression of underbite. On the other hand, research among wild wolves showed that fully a third of animals had even bites. No structural fault is tolerated to this degree in a natural species, particularly in a feature so critical to the survival of that species.

Undershot bite is when the upper jaw is perceptibly shorter than the lower jaw and the lower incisors are located in front of the upper ones. This is typical for some breeds such as Boxer, Bulldog, Pug, Pekinese, etc. that have a shorter foreface and longer lower jaw.

Overshot bite is caused by physically longer upper jaw than the lower one and the uneveness between them is larger than 2 mm. This fault occurs more often among dog breeds nowadays. Contrary to undershot, this fault can be controlled by genetics, nutrition, environment and by mechanical forces generated by the interlock of the upper and lower teeth. Overshot  can affect the mouth’s function more than undershot and indicates usually weakness in the lower jaw.

The incidence of level bites is increasing among Catahoulas beside some missing teeth. Undershot bite is one of more serious faults that occur in this breed. There is no doubt that such faults and abnormalities are inherited. Upper and lower jaws grow independently, factors influencing a size of jaw are different from those affecting the size of teeth and various genes are involved in this process. These problems are polygenic resulting from the action of many genes, thus it is difficult to eliminate them because there is no single „bad bite“ gene.  The length of the skull and the muzzle play a role and a dominant way of a shorter skull inheritance is known. Thus, this must be taken into account in case of Catahoula, too. A combination of parents with rather different length of their muzzles is not recommended, because it could increase the incidence of faults in bites and occurrence of undershot or overshot bites among offsprings. And we have proved already that Catahoulas may vary in their muzzle size in more than one third of its length.

Inheritance and elimination of severe dental faults is difficult in breeds more numerous than Catahoula. There is impossible to exclude from breeding all individuals that show any fault due to complicated, polygenic and often recessive way of inheritance in such a rare breed. However, those showing more serious faults, such as the overshot and the undershot bite and numerous and the most important teeth missing, should be surely excluded from breeding.

Nevertheless, it is not quite clear now how these faults are spread over Catahoula population in Europe. There is no statistic here or in the country of origin and the recessive way of inheritance of some anomalies means that many dogs can carry genes for such traits. The increasing incidence of level bite occurrence among young Catahoulas is warning, because it is not clear how this can affect future breeding. Although it is not possible to eradicate all faults fully, breeders can lower their incidence by selective breeding. However, it is necessary to map the problem within the breed first. Therefore thorough and wide spread check in offsprings is necessary to find some relations among particular parents and faults occurrence. It should be done both by breeding clubs and breeders themselves at least at the age of 1 or 2 years,  when all faults are visible already. Our experience shows that tight scissor bite observed at one year of age changed quite often to the level bite at two or later. The analysis and statistics should be done and published by breeding clubs, because it is beyond any breeder’s possibility, and all responsible breeders should obtain such informations for their proper decisions in breeding.

(3)    Axenovich, TI; Zorkoltseva, IV; Aulchenko, YS; et al :Inheritance of hypodontia in Kerry Blue Terrier dogs. Russian Journal of Genetics 40/5: 529-536 , 2004.

There was no much attention paid until now to bite and teeth quality of Louisiana Catahoula. The reason is that Catahoula is the American breed and there is generally only a little attention focused on this matter. Both NALC standard, valid since 1977 (last revision in 1994) and UKC standard (2008) say that: „A scissors bite is preferred, but a level bite is acceptable. Full dentition is greatly desired, but dogs are not to be penalized for worn or broken teeth. Overshot or undershot bite are serious faults, but not disqualifying“. Catahoula is working breed and working qualities have been always more demanded than an ideal conformation and a superior bite. This is also the heritage we must deal with now.

Evaluation of European breeds and breeding was always more strict in this point of view and more focused on correct bite and full dentition, namely in breeds that preserve more or less normal skull parameters. Thus, scissor bite and full dentition is what most of breed standards demand and faults are more penalized. There is a good reason for it, because an efficient function needs a proper skull and jaw structure and teeth position. However, some anomalies were found also in wild living wolves and some faults are fairly common among various dog breeds even if not wanted.

Full dentition with all adult teeth fully erupted consist of incisors (Incisives – I), canines (Caninus – C), premolars (Praemolares – P), and molares (Molares – M). Upper and lower jaw differ in a number of molars. The teeth pattern is following:

In order to understand severity of dental faults it is good to know what is correct and why. A way how a wolf uses its teeth would be the best example to explain this matter. Concerning Catahoula, it a good example, too, because this breed has got most probably a red wolf among its ancestors.  It could also support one of explanations of Schutzhund as a not very suitable activity for this breed that was mentioned by Anke Boysen elsewhere (https://www.ealc.info/en/working-dog-catahoula/).

In training and performing Schutzhund the preferred grip is a „full mouth bite“. The dog should grasp subject’s arm or leg well into its mouth, between its molars and premolars and behind the canines. This is not the way a wolf does it. A wolf grips with the front of his mouth. The four canine teeth puncture the prey and their overlapping structure combined with jaw strength prevents the prey from pulling free. Once the prey is down, the premolars are used for biting off chunk of meat. The upper P4 and the lower M1 on each side are especially developed for this task. The carnasals are the most massive teeth in the canine jaw. They are very sharp and their location mid-way down the length of the jaw puts them at the point where jaw pressure is greatest. The incisors located at the front of the mouth are specialized for delicate work. They nibble the last bits of meat off bones and are also handy for scratching an itch or pulling something bothersome out of the coat or from between the pads. Molars, other than mentioned, are flat for grinding plant matter. Wolves eat also some fruits, grasses and other plant matter and this type of food must be chewed a little to start digestive process.

All those specialized teeth have their proper position in the jaw, which is determined by their function, and they require a properly formed skull and lower jaw to function efficiently. The muzzle must be long enough and broad enough to accommodate the teeth in their proper locations. Jaw strength comes not only from the muscles, but the shape of the skull (1).

Most working breeds with normal skull mantained generally above mentioned dental structure, because it is the most efficient also for their work such as herding, hunting, etc. Nevertheless, missing teeth and malocclusions are typical dental faults in these breeds.

Research among wild wolves showed that the most frequent anomaly was the absence of the last molar in the lower jaw, M3. As it does not change the function, the absence of M3 should not be considered breeding deficiency also in dogs (2).

Missing teeth(hypodontia) is the fault observed often also in Catahoula breed. This fact and the degree of the fault should be evaluated according to which teeth and how many are missing. Some of premolars (P1, P2 or P3) and some of molars (M2, and most probably also M3) are most frequently among missing teeth. If the first premolar (P1), one of the smallest teeth, is missing, it is much less a problem than missing the upper P4 or M1 which belong to the most important teeth (see above). The more teeth that are missing, the more faulty and less functional the bite becomes.

As missing teeth like to appear in certain families and lines, it is important to take this into account when choosing breeding partners and to avoid those affected the same way. Inheritance of hypodontia is not possible to describe by a simple model and its analysis  indicated heterogenous genetic control of different forms. Whereas the absence of P2 can be described by the recessive major-gene model, the absence of P4 have more complex genetic mechanism (3).

Faults of bite concern also Catahoula breed. Dog’s bite is the way his teeth fit when his upper and lower jaws are closed. The standard type is a scissor bite, in which the upper incisors just overlap and touch the lower incisors and all premolars and molars fully fit. Another possible variation is a tight scissor bite, when upper and lower incisors touch each other more then above or lower incisors are outwards of longitudinal line of bottom jaw. Catahoula has also a level (even) bite permitted by the breed standard. It is when the upper and lower incisors meet exactly, surface to surface. This means that teeth can be worn down much faster, but it does not affect actually the function and both jaws are of the same length as in previous cases. Level bite is considered normal in some breeds, including Catahoula, nevertheless,  some consider this type of bite as an expression of underbite. On the other hand, research among wild wolves showed that fully a third of animals had even bites. No structural fault is tolerated to this degree in a natural species, particularly in a feature so critical to the survival of that species.

Undershot bite is when the upper jaw is perceptibly shorter than the lower jaw and the lower incisors are located in front of the upper ones. This is typical for some breeds such as Boxer, Bulldog, Pug, Pekinese, etc. that have a shorter foreface and longer lower jaw.

Overshot bite is caused by physically longer upper jaw than the lower one and the uneveness between them is larger than 2 mm. This fault occurs more often among dog breeds nowadays. Contrary to undershot, this fault can be controlled by genetics, nutrition, environment and by mechanical forces generated by the interlock of the upper and lower teeth. Overshot  can affect the mouth’s function more than undershot and indicates usually weakness in the lower jaw.

The incidence of level bites is increasing among Catahoulas beside some missing teeth. Undershot bite is one of more serious faults that occur in this breed. There is no doubt that such faults and abnormalities are inherited. Upper and lower jaws grow independently, factors influencing a size of jaw are different from those affecting the size of teeth and various genes are involved in this process. These problems are polygenic resulting from the action of many genes, thus it is difficult to eliminate them because there is no single „bad bite“ gene.  The length of the skull and the muzzle play a role and a dominant way of a shorter skull inheritance is known. Thus, this must be taken into account in case of Catahoula, too. A combination of parents with rather different length of their muzzles is not recommended, because it could increase the incidence of faults in bites and occurrence of undershot or overshot bites among offsprings. And we have proved already that Catahoulas may vary in their muzzle size in more than one third of its length.

Inheritance and elimination of severe dental faults is difficult in breeds more numerous than Catahoula. There is impossible to exclude from breeding all individuals that show any fault due to complicated, polygenic and often recessive way of inheritance in such a rare breed. However, those showing more serious faults, such as the overshot and the undershot bite and numerous and the most important teeth missing, should be surely excluded from breeding.

Nevertheless, it is not quite clear now how these faults are spread over Catahoula population in Europe. There is no statistic here or in the country of origin and the recessive way of inheritance of some anomalies means that many dogs can carry genes for such traits. The increasing incidence of level bite occurrence among young Catahoulas is warning, because it is not clear how this can affect future breeding. Although it is not possible to eradicate all faults fully, breeders can lower their incidence by selective breeding. However, it is necessary to map the problem within the breed first. Therefore thorough and wide spread check in offsprings is necessary to find some relations among particular parents and faults occurrence. It should be done both by breeding clubs and breeders themselves at least at the age of 1 or 2 years,  when all faults are visible already. Our experience shows that tight scissor bite observed at one year of age changed quite often to the level bite at two or later. The analysis and statistics should be done and published by breeding clubs, because it is beyond any breeder’s possibility, and all responsible breeders should obtain such informations for their proper decisions in breeding.

(3)    Axenovich, TI; Zorkoltseva, IV; Aulchenko, YS; et al :Inheritance of hypodontia in Kerry Blue Terrier dogs. Russian Journal of Genetics 40/5: 529-536 , 2004.

There was no much attention paid until now to bite and teeth quality of Louisiana Catahoula. The reason is that Catahoula is the American breed and there is generally only a little attention focused on this matter. Both NALC standard, valid since 1977 (last revision in 1994) and UKC standard (2008) say that: „A scissors bite is preferred, but a level bite is acceptable. Full dentition is greatly desired, but dogs are not to be penalized for worn or broken teeth. Overshot or undershot bite are serious faults, but not disqualifying“. Catahoula is working breed and working qualities have been always more demanded than an ideal conformation and a superior bite. This is also the heritage we must deal with now.

Evaluation of European breeds and breeding was always more strict in this point of view and more focused on correct bite and full dentition, namely in breeds that preserve more or less normal skull parameters. Thus, scissor bite and full dentition is what most of breed standards demand and faults are more penalized. There is a good reason for it, because an efficient function needs a proper skull and jaw structure and teeth position. However, some anomalies were found also in wild living wolves and some faults are fairly common among various dog breeds even if not wanted.

Full dentition with all adult teeth fully erupted consist of incisors (Incisives – I), canines (Caninus – C), premolars (Praemolares – P), and molares (Molares – M). Upper and lower jaw differ in a number of molars. The teeth pattern is following:

In order to understand severity of dental faults it is good to know what is correct and why. A way how a wolf uses its teeth would be the best example to explain this matter. Concerning Catahoula, it a good example, too, because this breed has got most probably a red wolf among its ancestors.  It could also support one of explanations of Schutzhund as a not very suitable activity for this breed that was mentioned by Anke Boysen elsewhere (https://www.ealc.info/en/working-dog-catahoula/).

In training and performing Schutzhund the preferred grip is a „full mouth bite“. The dog should grasp subject’s arm or leg well into its mouth, between its molars and premolars and behind the canines. This is not the way a wolf does it. A wolf grips with the front of his mouth. The four canine teeth puncture the prey and their overlapping structure combined with jaw strength prevents the prey from pulling free. Once the prey is down, the premolars are used for biting off chunk of meat. The upper P4 and the lower M1 on each side are especially developed for this task. The carnasals are the most massive teeth in the canine jaw. They are very sharp and their location mid-way down the length of the jaw puts them at the point where jaw pressure is greatest. The incisors located at the front of the mouth are specialized for delicate work. They nibble the last bits of meat off bones and are also handy for scratching an itch or pulling something bothersome out of the coat or from between the pads. Molars, other than mentioned, are flat for grinding plant matter. Wolves eat also some fruits, grasses and other plant matter and this type of food must be chewed a little to start digestive process.

All those specialized teeth have their proper position in the jaw, which is determined by their function, and they require a properly formed skull and lower jaw to function efficiently. The muzzle must be long enough and broad enough to accommodate the teeth in their proper locations. Jaw strength comes not only from the muscles, but the shape of the skull (1).

Most working breeds with normal skull mantained generally above mentioned dental structure, because it is the most efficient also for their work such as herding, hunting, etc. Nevertheless, missing teeth and malocclusions are typical dental faults in these breeds.

Research among wild wolves showed that the most frequent anomaly was the absence of the last molar in the lower jaw, M3. As it does not change the function, the absence of M3 should not be considered breeding deficiency also in dogs (2).

Missing teeth(hypodontia) is the fault observed often also in Catahoula breed. This fact and the degree of the fault should be evaluated according to which teeth and how many are missing. Some of premolars (P1, P2 or P3) and some of molars (M2, and most probably also M3) are most frequently among missing teeth. If the first premolar (P1), one of the smallest teeth, is missing, it is much less a problem than missing the upper P4 or M1 which belong to the most important teeth (see above). The more teeth that are missing, the more faulty and less functional the bite becomes.

As missing teeth like to appear in certain families and lines, it is important to take this into account when choosing breeding partners and to avoid those affected the same way. Inheritance of hypodontia is not possible to describe by a simple model and its analysis  indicated heterogenous genetic control of different forms. Whereas the absence of P2 can be described by the recessive major-gene model, the absence of P4 have more complex genetic mechanism (3).

Faults of bite concern also Catahoula breed. Dog’s bite is the way his teeth fit when his upper and lower jaws are closed. The standard type is a scissor bite, in which the upper incisors just overlap and touch the lower incisors and all premolars and molars fully fit. Another possible variation is a tight scissor bite, when upper and lower incisors touch each other more then above or lower incisors are outwards of longitudinal line of bottom jaw. Catahoula has also a level (even) bite permitted by the breed standard. It is when the upper and lower incisors meet exactly, surface to surface. This means that teeth can be worn down much faster, but it does not affect actually the function and both jaws are of the same length as in previous cases. Level bite is considered normal in some breeds, including Catahoula, nevertheless,  some consider this type of bite as an expression of underbite. On the other hand, research among wild wolves showed that fully a third of animals had even bites. No structural fault is tolerated to this degree in a natural species, particularly in a feature so critical to the survival of that species.

Undershot bite is when the upper jaw is perceptibly shorter than the lower jaw and the lower incisors are located in front of the upper ones. This is typical for some breeds such as Boxer, Bulldog, Pug, Pekinese, etc. that have a shorter foreface and longer lower jaw.

Overshot bite is caused by physically longer upper jaw than the lower one and the uneveness between them is larger than 2 mm. This fault occurs more often among dog breeds nowadays. Contrary to undershot, this fault can be controlled by genetics, nutrition, environment and by mechanical forces generated by the interlock of the upper and lower teeth. Overshot  can affect the mouth’s function more than undershot and indicates usually weakness in the lower jaw.

The incidence of level bites is increasing among Catahoulas beside some missing teeth. Undershot bite is one of more serious faults that occur in this breed. There is no doubt that such faults and abnormalities are inherited. Upper and lower jaws grow independently, factors influencing a size of jaw are different from those affecting the size of teeth and various genes are involved in this process. These problems are polygenic resulting from the action of many genes, thus it is difficult to eliminate them because there is no single „bad bite“ gene.  The length of the skull and the muzzle play a role and a dominant way of a shorter skull inheritance is known. Thus, this must be taken into account in case of Catahoula, too. A combination of parents with rather different length of their muzzles is not recommended, because it could increase the incidence of faults in bites and occurrence of undershot or overshot bites among offsprings. And we have proved already that Catahoulas may vary in their muzzle size in more than one third of its length.

Inheritance and elimination of severe dental faults is difficult in breeds more numerous than Catahoula. There is impossible to exclude from breeding all individuals that show any fault due to complicated, polygenic and often recessive way of inheritance in such a rare breed. However, those showing more serious faults, such as the overshot and the undershot bite and numerous and the most important teeth missing, should be surely excluded from breeding.

Nevertheless, it is not quite clear now how these faults are spread over Catahoula population in Europe. There is no statistic here or in the country of origin and the recessive way of inheritance of some anomalies means that many dogs can carry genes for such traits. The increasing incidence of level bite occurrence among young Catahoulas is warning, because it is not clear how this can affect future breeding. Although it is not possible to eradicate all faults fully, breeders can lower their incidence by selective breeding. However, it is necessary to map the problem within the breed first. Therefore thorough and wide spread check in offsprings is necessary to find some relations among particular parents and faults occurrence. It should be done both by breeding clubs and breeders themselves at least at the age of 1 or 2 years,  when all faults are visible already. Our experience shows that tight scissor bite observed at one year of age changed quite often to the level bite at two or later. The analysis and statistics should be done and published by breeding clubs, because it is beyond any breeder’s possibility, and all responsible breeders should obtain such informations for their proper decisions in breeding.

(3)    Axenovich, TI; Zorkoltseva, IV; Aulchenko, YS; et al :Inheritance of hypodontia in Kerry Blue Terrier dogs. Russian Journal of Genetics 40/5: 529-536 , 2004.

Every dog breed encounters health problems and Weimaraners are no exception. The below is a partial listing of some health issues that may affect Weimaraners. Note that only some, but not all of these are hereditary, genetic, and congenital conditions.

If you are searching for a Weimaraner puppy, please discuss these health anomalies with your breeder. Ask them if they’ve encountered any of these health woes, and how they’ll help new puppy owners address these issues if their puppy has or develops any of these conditions:

Cervical Spondylomyelopathy (CSM), or Wobbler Syndrome. This is a disease of the cervical spine (at the neck) that is commonly seen in large and giant-breed dogs. CSM is characterized by compression of the spinal cord and/or nerve roots, which leads to neurological signs and/or neck pain. The term wobbler syndrome is used to describe the characteristic wobbly gait (walk) that affected dogs have. Symptoms include a strange, wobbly gait, neck pain and stiffness, weakness, possible short-strided walking, spastic with a floating appearance or very weak in the front limbs, inability to walk, partial or complete paralysis, possible muscle loss near the shoulders, worn or scuffed toenails from uneven walking, increased extension of all four limbs, and difficulty getting up from a lying position. Causes: nutrition in some cases (excess protein, calcium and calories in the case of Great Danes), or fast-growth. Wobbler syndrome is diagnosed via visualization. X-rays, myelographs, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) will allow your doctor to view the spine and vertebrae. X-rays should be used mainly to rule out bony disorders while myelographs, CT and MRI are used to visualize the compression of the spinal cord. Diseases that will need to be ruled out though a differential diagnosis include diskospondylitis, neoplasia, and inflammatory spinal cord diseases. The results of the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) analysis should pinpoint the origin of the symptoms.

Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (or Congenital Diaphragmatic Rupture) is a tear in the muscle that separates the abdomen and the chest. In Weimaraners, we see this as a peritoneal-pericardial diaphragmatic hernia (PPDH) when development of the diaphragm is incomplete in the fetus. When the muscle tears, abdominal contents (stomach, liver, intestines, etc.) enter the chest cavity and puts pressure on the lungs, which in turn causes respiratory distress (difficulty breathing). Symptoms include breathing difficulties and periods of upset stomachs. In more severe cases, there is respiratory distress, abnormal heart rhythm and other signs of shock. Diagnosis is done via x-ray and ultrasound. Once diagnosed, the hernia is corrected surgically, and the prognosis is usually good if surgery is a success.

Elbow dysplasia is a common cause of front-leg lameness in large-breed dogs. Dogs with elbow dysplasia have one or more of the following inherited developmental defects, which may occur singly or in combination: ununited anconeal process, fragmented medial coronoid process, osteochondritis dissecans of the medial condyle of the head of the humerus, and incongruity of growth rate between the radius and ulna resulting in curvature of the radius. The first three defects are related to osteochondrosis. The fourth is related to an enlargement of the epiphyseal growth plate at the head of the radius.

Signs of elbow dysplasia usually appear in puppies at 4 to 10 months of age, but some dogs may not show signs until adulthood, when degenerative joint disease starts. The signs consist of varying degrees of front-leg lameness that worsens with exercise. Characteristically, the elbow is held outward from the chest and may appear swollen.

The diagnosis is made using detailed ­X-rays of the elbow joint, taken in extreme flexion. Radiologists are particularly interested in the appearance of the anconeal process of the ulna. In a dog with elbow dysplasia, the anconeal process has a rough, irregular appearance due to arthritic changes. Another sign of dysplasia is widening of the joint space associated with a loose, unstable joint. X-rays may be difficult to interpret before a pup is 7 months of age. A CTscan may be required to demonstrate a fragmented coronoid process.

The OFA evaluates X-rays and maintains registries for dogs with elbow dysplasia. Dogs must be 24 months of age or older to be certified by OFA, although it accepts preliminary X-rays on growing pups for interpretation only.

Treatment: Medical treatment is similar to that described for Hip Dysplasia. Surgery is the treatment of choice for most dogs. Several factors, including the age of the dog and the number and severity of the defects, govern the choice of surgical procedure. The more defects in the elbow, the greater the likelihood that the dog will develop degenerative arthritis-with or without surgery.

Hip dysplasia is a genetic disease that primarily affects large and giant breeds of dogs but can also affect medium-sized breeds like Weimaraners. Most Weimaraners who eventually develop hip dysplasia are born with normal hips, but due to their genetic make-up the soft tissues surrounding the joint develop abnormally.

The symptoms of hip dysplasia cause afflicted Weimaraners to walk or run with an altered gait, similar to a bunny-hop. They begin to resist any movement that requires full extension or flexion of the rear legs and experience stiffness and pain in their rear legs after exercising and on first rising in the morning. Climbing stairs becomes difficult if not impossible. Some Weimaraners limp and are less willing to participate in normal daily activities, including walks they formerly enjoyed.

Because hip dysplasia is primarily an inherited condition, there are no products that can prevent its development. However, poor nutrition, inadequate or improper exercise, and increased body weight may all contribute to the severity of osteoarthritis after the hip dysplasia has developed. Through proper diet and exercise, it is possible slow the progression of hip dysplasia.

Hypertrophic Osteodystrophy (HOD). HOD is a disease of the front limbs in large-breed puppies. Affected puppies suffer from a noninfectious inflammation of the bony spicules (pointed, mineral structures) in the metaphysis of the long bones. The metaphysis is the conical part of the bone between the epiphysis (the growing end of the bone), and the diaphyses (the shaft of the long bone). The most severely affected bones are those that grow most rapidly. Swelling around the metaphyses, and bone deposition, cause widening of the metaphyses. Tiny fractures of the bony spicules in the metaphyses, and metaphyseal separation occur close to and parallel to the physis. The physis is the epiphysial cartilage in the joints – the soft, connective part of the bone that hardens (ossifies) after full growth has been reached, joining the parts of the