In another thread it mentions that particular breeds don't generally have their mouths checked.

Why is this?

Surely if they have wry mouths, are very under or overshot it can't be good for them, nor should it be passed on to their offspring etc? Bad mouths can make it difficult to eat or to cut the cords when whelping, in some cases so why aren't the mouths of all breeds examined?

Curious enough to bring this up for discussion

Christine

Glad you bought that up as a seperate subject as I was curious too ..can't wait to read the replies :)

Melody

IMO all breeds shoul have their mouths checked. I understand that in some breed such as peeks it can make breathing difficult but then what do vets/breeders to do if they need to check the mouth? My breed do have poor dentition in the hairless because the gene for hairlessness is linked to the teeth and roughly speaking the less hair the less teeth. However it doesn't mean to say that the teeth that are present shouldn't be a scissor bite and relatively straight. How can other breeds say that no notice should be taken? Cresteds have come a long way in the improvement of teeth and this can only be to the good of the breed.

If the desired mouth is specified in the Breed Standard, and 'faults' listed, surely the mouth should be checked to see if it conforms?

In the case of the pug, the shape of the face is such that it is so easy to cause damage, even to the extent of breaking the jaw that it is convention in the breed to not examine the teeth. The one think that any Pug exhibitor knows if the judge tries to look at the teeth is that the judge does not know Pugs!

Breed specifics when judging is something all judges should know before attempting to judge a breed. The strange back end of the Affenpincer is another anomaly I can think of. Another is the 2 to 1 rule for a Staffie's head.

Thank goodness my breed is pretty much a leg at each corner, head at one end and tail at the other!

Regards, John

surely looking in a pugs mouth can't break the jaw, unless you have a particularly rough judge.I wouldn't say that looking gently in the mouth wouldnt be as rough as it eating its dinner.
Tracey

It could be partly to do with how tightly the pug clamps its jaws shut! I dont know the full background to it, being relatively new to pugs, but I have yet to meet the pug who will willingly have its teeth inspected. Have started all my babes off to accept it, and by the time they are 6 months old they just say no. Perhaps it is common sense on their part, as like the peke, it is all too easy to cover the nose and cut off the air supply. Will question some of the "old guard" on Thursday and report back to the group the whys and wherefores of Pug mouths. I think there are probably lots of things in the various breed standards which are not regarded by those "in the know". With the pug mouth it is easy to see"from the outside" if the jaw is level or scissor (neither desirable) or seriously overshot, and wry teeth tend to protrude (a fault too, obviously).

For Pug teeth cleaning I have had to resort to Detastix, and gently rubbing oral gel (with finger) when they are half asleep.
(and you should see how they react to nail trimming;))
bye
Gwen

John
Surely having the head and tail at the correct ends is important! :D
Steph