Will his bite change

MaggiesMom · #1 11-01-2006, 05:00 PM

I guess this question is geared toward the English breeders/members. My Baxter is 1/2 English. I was told that his bite perhaps could change up till the age of 2. He is 18 months as of right now, with a bite that went wry at about 9 months. I was showing him up until then. My question is, has anyone seen it change back, and if not would you recommend neutering him now or waiting till he is 2.
Thanks

**gmacleod** · #2 11-01-2006, 05:10 PM

The bite on any dog can change to some extent as they mature (though I'd be pretty surprised if it changed much after 18 months - skeletal growth should be all done by then).

If you really do mean wry though, you should neuter the dog. A wry jaw isn't a cosmetic fault, it is a serious structural fault - where one side of the jaw bone is longer than the other. Not just enough to disqualify a dog in the show ring, but one that can be passed to offspring (potentially to a larger degree than the parent suffers). And seriously wry jaws can prevent a dog from even eating

MaggiesMom · #3 11-01-2006, 05:50 PM

It is not seriously wry, only slight. He has enough going against him with the natural ear in the ring. This is why we have been waiting to neuter him. I was told that English boxers and American Boxers mature at different rates, including the bite, and when they finish growing.
Thanks

**gmacleod** · #4 11-01-2006, 06:16 PM

I think that's a very broad generalisation

- and I'd expect as much differential between different lines within the UK, as between those and US dogs. Most UK boxers, like most boxers in other coutries, finish skeletal growth in the 14-18 month range (which is already quite late, for a dog of this size). Full maturity may take rather a lot longer, but that's something of a different matter.

Well, you can leave him till 2 years, of course. It is only another six months. But it would surprise me if one side of his jaw only were to make a sudden growth spurt. And is still worth bearing in mind that a wry jaw is a structural deformity that may be passed to offspring in greater proportion than the parent is affected. Slight or not, it is not a minor cosmetic fault you're talking about.