My shiba puppy has a slight overbite. The milk bite was perfect, the upper jaw became longer than the lower jaw at the age of 4 months. He is now 5 months old and all his teeth are permanent but still growing. The fangs are in the correct position. Is there a chance it will correct itself? my dog's great-great-grandfather developed the similiar way and now has a scissor bite! Im including photos, what do you think?
Ask your vet if it's a concern or not. You can email the photos and ask if it's something that they can answer without an appointment, should be seen right away, or can wait until his next checkup.
I wouldn't worry. The bottom jaw continues growing for longer than the top one so there is a good chance that the bite will improve.
Sorry to read about your Shiba's bite. As there has been late adjustment in the line, are you going to give him more time or look for a pet home?
I love this dog very much; it has a wonderful character. I think it will stay with me. I'm devastated about buying dogs... whenever I buy dogs older than 8 months, someone is always selling them because they have some issue - a bad character, aggression, fear, crooked legs, and getting a puppy is also a risk... this is already my 3rd Shiba Inu with a malocclusion. I can see that it's a problematic breed when it comes to teeth.
Temperament is so important. It can be hard to create a close bond when you buy an older dog/puppy too. Not much consolation but your experience may be useful to someone else reading this. If not perfect, I hope he manages to finish 'close enough'. If you have a problem, you can be sure there are others in the breed who have the same problem.
I just meant had you spoken to your vet about it after you first posted? And if so, what did the vet say? Nowadays, our first thought is to ask online, but in cases like this, it is always best to talk to your vet. They can provide specific information regarding YOUR dog and circumstances rather than just providing general opinions and information. Your vet may have been able to examine the puppy and tell you for certain if it was due to growing spurts or if it was going to be permanent.
Every dog, whether bought or adopted, puppy or adult, has a level of risk. A friend's friend has bought two shibas. The first, a female, became oversized as an adult. As she intended to show, this shut that down completely. Instead she started doing agility and rat catching competitions. This past year, she bought a male puppy from another breeder. Unfortunately, the parents were both oversized and her puppy became too tall even before adulthood. I've heard similar stories from others. I wonder if shiba breeders, at least here in the states, just aren't carefully selecting their breeding pairs to meet standards.
When it comes to the Shiba Inu breed, excessive size in dogs is a serious concern. Sometimes, parents are indeed tall and this can be concealed, and at other times, two small parents can produce a large puppy. However, a breeder who is familiar with their bloodlines can estimate the size a dog will reach when it matures.
I know my dog's dental health perfectly well, and the vet won't bring anything new to my life. The issue is minor; the canines don't pierce the palate, so there's no need for intervention. I can see with my own eyes that the lower incisors don't touch the upper ones, creating a gap. I just wanted to ask the group about others' experiences - is this common? Is there a chance it will fix itself? Every vet just says, 'There's a chance, wait,' but it hasn't worked out.
This makes me happy; maybe this information will be useful for future generations I had 3 underbites in dogs, and each of them started to show around 4 months of age along with the tooth replacement. None of the dogs' bites ever corrected themselves. I'll add that I noticed a correlation between the absence of baby teeth and the bite issue. Whenever a bite problem appears, there is a lack of not just one but several teeth in the milk dentition and next permanent dentition... that's my own observation.
