The Bite Dilemma
While in the process of completing her provisional judging
assignments for the Alaskan Malamute breed, an AKC
judge was expressing her concerns to another judge about the number of
Malamutes being exhibited that had bad bites.
She lamented that it made her job very hard trying to find dogs that
were correct in the various aspects of the breed standard, yet still had a
proper scissors bite. The other judge
quickly informed her to not even worry about bites – that
bites appear to be so bad in the Malamute breed that judges have to ignore them
for the most part. Is this truly how
Malamute breeders and exhibitors want judges to evaluate our breed?
For years Sweepstakes judges for Nationals and other large
specialties have likewise remarked that the majority of puppies exhibited had
incorrect bites. A puppy with a bad bite
will rarely, if ever, improve with age.
A level bite will often go undershot, a wry mouth will not suddenly come
into alignment, and an undershot bite will usually get worse with
maturity. Only the slightly overshot
bite may correct once the adult teeth have come in or the puppy has achieved
full growth in head, muzzle & jaw structure.
The original standard described the Malamute as having broad
upper & lower jaws and large teeth, with the front teeth meeting in a
scissors grip, but never overshot. In
1982, undershot was added to the description stating “never overshot or undershot”. The current standard is basically the same,
describing overshot or undershot as a fault.
One would think that requiring a scissors bite in the standard would
effectively exclude overshot, undershot, level and open bites, but that doesn’t
appear to be the case.
The early Malamute used his teeth for survival. Teeth needed to be large and correctly
positioned for him to crush bones and eat frozen fish and game. As a primitive breed that whelped naturally,
Malamute dams needed a correct bite to sever umbilical cords effectively. When teeth don’t meet properly, problems
ensue. A level bite will cause the front
teeth to wear down over time as they continue to rub against each other on a
daily basis. An open bite or wry mouth
is one in which the teeth and/or jaws are so misaligned
that the dog cannot close his mouth, which definitely impacts his gripping and
eating ability. Obviously our dogs
today don’t have to eat bones & frozen carcasses, as their diets consist of
commercially prepared dog foods.
Regardless, that should never exclude the necessity of a correct bite
and jaw alignment.
The subject of complete dentition has been discussed for
years. While breeders strive for full
dentition, it is not mentioned in the Malamute standard and therefore not
considered in judging. An interesting
note, however, is a research paper entitled “Dogs of the American Aborigines”
by Glover M. Allen that was published by the Museum
of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College in 1920. On page 439, it was stated, “It is true that
in a large percentage of American native dogs, the first pre-molar is absent
from the lower jaw”. This paper is said
to be the most thorough and exhaustive study ever undertaken and is often
quoted as a main reference source for other works.
It’s possible that some breeders and exhibitors do not
completely understand what a correct scissors bite should look like. If in doubt, ask your veterinarian or spend
some time with an experienced mentor who can give you some hands-on education with
a variety of dogs. Remember that bad
bites are hereditary and breeding Malamutes with incorrect bites will assure
the continuation of the problem for generations to come. As breeders, it’s our job to let judges know
that correct bites are important to us.
Similarly judges can let us know that they will accept no less.
Used by permission of the author: Vicky Jones; 295
Cannon Rd.; Sharpsburg, GA
30277
Originally published in the AKC GAZETTE – ALASKAN MALAMUTES – April 2003
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