Puppy question.

[Jumby]

Hi all & Thankyou to who reply. Just a quick question...

I have a 6mnth old Boxer x Mastiff female pup, she's healthy as can be, she just has an underbite & just wondering if its anything I need to worry about?

Thanks again ✌


Will you live or just simply exist?

 

[bigcatbeastess]

Hi there, both breeds your pups hails from are known to have an undershot jaw. All boxers have under bites due to being a brachisephalic breed (like pugs and bulldogs) that have a wide skull and short muzzle. Depinging on the mastiff in her breeding some have a more condensed muzzle than others and an underbite is not an usual. In conformational terms (show ring / breed standard) it is preferable that the teeth are not visible when the dogs mouth is closed.
I show boxers and they are my breed of choice, it is quite a common concern and I get asked a lot but unless she is having issues with eating her food I would not be worried. I have seen quite a few large underbites (bad enough for several centimeters of lower jaw to be visible when the jaw is closed) and even these had no issues with eating.
Couldn't resist adding a photo of my boy. Hope this helped.

 

[Kitah]

The main issues you run into having brachycephalics and either undershot or overshot jaws are they tend to have a long soft palate which can increase their respiratory effort and tends to make them snore quite prominently- Not such a big deal for most unless it is severe (requiring surgical correction) however just be aware brachycephalics tend to be somewhat less heat tolerant- boxers not as much as others such as pugs and bulldogs. The other issue is dental disease- because they have the same number of teeth, just packed into a smaller area, the teeth dont tend to line up quite as well which means as they chew, the food doesn't have quite as much of a 'cleaning' effect if that makes sense.

 

[Amelia]

Adding to what Kitah has already mentioned..

If you have a brachycephalic dog it's a good idea to keep them on the slimmer side, obesity worsens the symptoms of brachycephalic airway syndrome. Another result of breeding for such a profile is producing an animal with shallow eye sockets, brachycephalic breeds are at more risk of injury & irritation be it from play or windy weather.

Hopefully your dog has less of a chance at encountering these issues being a crossbred.

I'm looking forward to the day where this sort of standard has been abolished.

 

[Luvbuz]

Like Bigcat, Kitah and Amelia said before, your pooch has inherited the traits of her breeds, just accept it and love her for what she is. Boxers are a playful breed, I bred and showed them for years before I got into breeding and showing staffys, and got immense enjoyment from them. They respond well to training using positive reinforcement and one of mine went on to be an national champion in obedience and agility, so just have fun with her! Keep an eye on her eyes though as boxers can be prone to entropic eye disease where eyelids need surgery. I've never owned a mastiff breed but know they can suffer from heart disease and hip dysplasia due to their size but with exercise and a balanced, lower fat diet she'll be fine. Keep her on the slim side with plenty of free running exercise (just limit hard exercise while she is younger to avoid damaging developing bones and joints), keep her well socialised (they make excellent watch dogs) and you'll be fine!!!

 

[Jumby]

Thanks to all your replies. Was a great help.
I didn't think it was too much too worry about, thank goodness

@bigcat thanks for your pic, he is gorgeous!

This is Xena & also my Dane x Arab Trevor


Will you live or just simply exist?