Teeth question - Page 2

Sonora -
He's currently 27 months and I acquired him at 20 months. The tooth damage was already done at the time I got him.  I came to look at him in person to check temperament and to make sure he didn't have broken teeth or exposed pulp (the owner informed me of his tooth condition beforehand). FYI, he was not bought as a Schutzhund dog. Got him because he has the scariest bark I have ever heard and I have a crazy ex-boyfriend. Probably wouldn't protect me, but he certainly sounds like it and that's all I really need. I'm asking about Schutzhund because this dog needs something more to do and I think he'd enjoy Schutzhund.

Yes, the other canine teeth are also flat. It's difficult to get a picture of them as he's a feisty little guy. Pretty much all of his teeth are flat on top, to varying degrees. This is why I do not believe it was done intentionally. Also, the angles are different for the back molars when compared to the front teeth...as if he would grab/nibble on a rock with his front teeth and then crunch down from the side with his back molars. This fits the chewing behavior I have observed in him (with chew toys). I specifically asked a vet, as I also feared that perhaps it had been done intentionally, and he agreed that the angle does not fit with traditional tooth filing.

I don't mind questions :) I'm here to learn, too.

VomMarischal-
My dog also has the little black dots (just on the canines though). The seller told me about his teeth beforehand so I read up on it, and made SURE that the nerves were sealed and there were no broken teeth. Thank you for the info about your dogs, that's very helpful! I'll watch out for those diabetes-like symptoms... This dog was also kenneled for most of his life and housetraining was very interesting :/

"The reason I'm so interested in Schutzhund is that he definitely needs to be doing something more...challenging than he's doing now." End quote.

You answered your own question right there above.

Without knowing specifics and just reading what has been said, my initial gut feeling is that the dog was kenneled all the time before you got it and didn't get to do jackshit EVER.

When a highly inteligent animallike a GSD is bored and stir crazy, they can do some weird stuff, and most of it would not be appreciated by the owner once caught.

I think chewing rocks started as "just something to do" cause I ain't doing anything else today.Yesterday was the same and tomorrow doesn't lookthat promising either. I might as well chew on a rock... BTW, rocks and metal are about as uninteresting to a dog as it is to us, so he must have REALLY been bored to death and the previous owner didn't give a fuck. Too bad and sad, really.

Later on, it developed into a habit and we got what we got now, worn teeth.

As far as regarding ableto do Schutzhund or holding onto a sleeve or not. I believe he will do fine with it. Even dogs that have no teeth whatsoever left, when grabbing an unprotected human arm would leave a nasty bruise and a saliva bath on it.

So, it sounds like a nice, smart dog just itching to do something -  go out there and enjoy your time together with him.

Even with teeth worn as it is now, if he were hypotheticaly to bite your ex boyfriend, trust me he wouldn't be back for seconds.By some estimates a strength of a GSD bite is over 200 lbs PER SQUARE INCH (of course varies by dog). That's a lot of pressure to withstand and most definitely would be painful  for anyone.

With all that being said, go out there and have fun with your dog.

Hope that helps and wishing you all the best.

Hi Molly,

Thank you ,for your reply.I'm sure it would not affect his biting the sleeve.

Like Adi mentioned , go for it , enjoy yourself and take control.

Adi-
Thank you for your response! That's my impression as well about his previous life. Just a really really bored dog. It's kind of a shame because he's so willing to work (for food, praise, toy, anything) and he had no benefit of the sort of imprinting that can be done as a pup.

sonora-
Thank you, I'm planning on it ;)

Yes, the kongs stand up to freezing.  I put peanut butter inside and freeze them.  It makes it harder to get the PB out of the kong.  How much did you give him that he got the runs?  I don't cram it full because it will cause loose stools if too much is given.  I like to put a good smear of PB in and add dry kibble and using a knife press the kibble into the PB.  It gives them a job to do and no, it doesn't last very long but I think it continues to smell like PB is why my dog will continue to chew it.  You can also break a milkbone treat up and cram it into the kong and if you do it right, it's darn near impossible for the dog to get it out so they spend a lot of time working on it. 
Good luck.
Deb

Deb- It was just a tiny bit smeared on the inside, maybe a tablespoon? I wonder if there's some sort of meat paste I could freeze into it...maybe if I puree some chicken.
Thanks again! :D