Can an Overbite be developed??? - Page 1

A weird question, but say a puppy has a PERFECT sissors bite when you buy it, and it keeps that perfect sissors bite until it turns 15 weeks old...Is it normal? Can an overbite be caused, if so, by what? I play strictly with soft material tugs, never hard items, our tug-o-war games dont ever last longer than a minute at a time, and we only play 3 times a day...I am hoping her bite might be screwy because she's going to start teething... I'd say the amount of the overbite is the thickness of a quarter...Is this normal? Is there anything I can do to fix it, or if nothing else, am I causing it, and what should I stop doing?

As far as I understood, and don't quote me on it because someone could have told me wrong, but I believe that it is hereditary, and again PLEASE don't quote me on that I could be wrong. I'm sure other people on here will give you better advise!!

Both of her parents have perfect sissor bites, and I've seen other offspring from both parents, again, perfect bites...I think I caused this :(

its hereditary.......

So its not a temporary thing? Not a very slight one because she's probably going to start teething? Sorry if I sound desperate, I'm drawing at straws here!

If it is hereditary, it could come from anywhere down the line, maybe not her parents, but maybe her grandparents. Again don't quote me on this. I have never had this issue.

Upper and lower jaw grow at a different rate on a puppy and young dog. At 15 weeks of age don't bother even worrying. I like to remark here also where your puppy's head comes from and how it is composed. It is incorrect to assume that your puppy inherited its head directly from either dam or sire, or both. Sets of teeth, the jaws come from different dogs in the pedigree. The head is not inherited from one or two dogs in the pedigree. parts are inherited from different dogs in the ancestry. For example, if you have 70 to 80% good heads in the 5 generation pedigree, the head of your puupy will be good. It will look like the dam's or sire's head, but only because it has been backed up by the high number of good heads. Genetics unfortunately do not always work the way we expect them to work. Let's assume you have worked through planning your litter and everything looks fine. You are already in the third generation of good heads on the planned litter. And, then there comes the fluke of genes, one poor head in the litter coming through from the back!

Better overshot at this age than undershot. Many breeders I know select for a slight overbite in a puppy. I wouldn't worry about it.

Very well explained Uvar. I learn something new everyday. That's why I'm on here all the time, what a shame on me!!

I just got a hold of the breeder, he said that a puppy's jaw doesn't fully develope until the puppy is 12 months old. I told him all of tug-o-war I had been doing with her, and he said that I was doing everything rigte, and not to worry. Thanks guys for all of the help!