# Puppy underbite



## Janmae

Hi! I'm a new Maltese mom. I think my baby girl has an underbite but my vet said it's very minimal. I talked to the breeder about it and she said that her vet didn't mention anything either. What do you guys think? I'll try to post picture after I figure out how. Thanks!


----------



## jmm

Most underbites are harmless. Have your vet watch her teeth coming in at each puppy visit and every month after that. She may need to have some baby teeth pulled early to prevent major issues later. The biggest problem you run into with underbites is adult teeth cutting into the palate and having to pull those adult teeth.


----------



## Janmae

Thanks for the advice


----------



## bellaratamaltese

An underbite is really only a big deal if you are watching a puppy for show. How old is your pup? The bite can change so don't give up hope yet. Even if she is a bit undershot, it's not a problem and most of the time you can't even tell unless you look in the mouth.


----------



## Janmae

She's going to be 10 weeks this Tuesday. Her lower gum is more forward and you can see most lower baby teeth when I open her lips


----------



## bellaratamaltese

At 10 weeks, I wouldn't worry about it. Yes, she will probably have an underbite but it isn't that big of a deal, since you're not planning on showing or breeding her, right? The maltese standard calls for a scissor or a level/even bite but it won't get you disqualified. The adult teeth should come in by 6 mos or so and then you can see how her bite will wind up. 

It will just give her character


----------



## Janmae

No I'm not planning to breed or show her. I jus thought I could ask the breeder for a discount because of her off bite. Do you think that will be reasonable?


----------



## CloudClan

I honestly don't think a discount for a bad bite makes much sense. Really, it does not change the amount of money the breeder has invested in the litter. It should not cost you any money in the future. If your pups is in every way otherwise healthy, you are still getting exactly what you are asking for. 

No dog is perfect, not even the top show dogs. Breeders are not mixing up a formula for the perfect dog. Every dog they breed has faults and virtues. This is just one relatively minor fault, and even more minor since the puppy is going to a pet home.


----------



## bellaratamaltese

Janmae said:


> No I'm not planning to breed or show her. I jus thought I could ask the breeder for a discount because of her off bite. Do you think that will be reasonable?


I don't think a bad bite should be a reason to ask for a discount, personally. If you feel you paid too much for her to begin with, then that's a different story, but i don't personally feel a bad bite is a reason to ask for a refund. Does the breeder show her dogs? Show breeders are very bite oriented because often it can be the difference between a show prospect and one being placed as a pet. Typically it's not left to a vet to check. I'm always checking bites on my puppies and they can change so fast. 

Now if she came with a hernia or patella issues or an undisclosed open fontanelle or a similar situation, then I think it would be more than reasonable to ask for a discount. But an underbite isn't one of those situations, in my opinion. It's not going to cost you anything. If you wanted a dog with a perfect bite, it should have been clear up front, not something addressed after the fact. I'm sorry if I am coming across rude - I'm not trying to! I'm just answering your question 

can you post some pics of her? I bet she is a little cutie!!!


----------



## Janmae

bellaratamaltese said:


> I don't think a bad bite should be a reason to ask for a discount, personally. If you feel you paid too much for her to begin with, then that's a different story, but i don't personally feel a bad bite is a reason to ask for a refund. Does the breeder show her dogs? Show breeders are very bite oriented because often it can be the difference between a show prospect and one being placed as a pet. Typically it's not left to a vet to check. I'm always checking bites on my puppies and they can change so fast.
> 
> Now if she came with a hernia or patella issues or an undisclosed open fontanelle or a similar situation, then I think it would be more than reasonable to ask for a discount. But an underbite isn't one of those situations, in my opinion. It's not going to cost you anything. If you wanted a dog with a perfect bite, it should have been clear up front, not something addressed after the fact. I'm sorry if I am coming across rude - I'm not trying to! I'm just answering your question
> 
> can you post some pics of her? I bet she is a little cutie!!!


Oh we love her no matter what. I just thought that since the breeder was claiming show quality puppies...anyway, no offense taken. I really appreciate all the feedback.


----------



## Janmae

here she is in her pink coat!


----------



## bellaratamaltese

aww she looks like a little sweetheart!!!


----------



## CloudClan

Congrats on your puppy. I am sure you will love her. 



Janmae said:


> Oh we love her no matter what. I just thought that since the breeder was claiming show quality puppies...anyway, no offense taken. I really appreciate all the feedback.


Does the breeder show? Are the sire and dam Champions? 

Frankly, those two things would be something I would expect from any breeder claiming "show quality" puppies. It would be highly unusual to produce show quality from a sire and dam who have not been proven that themselves.


----------



## CloudClan

woodjutt said:


> Only the mom has the under-bite and only 1 puppy from her first litter had it. I believe it adds more character to the dog. All Shih Tzu's have a different personality but the under-bite just adds character.


I am confused by your posts. Actually, not just this one. When I first read this post I thought maybe you were the breeder of this particular puppy. But then I read all your other posts from this evening and they do not seem clearly connected to the thread. 

For example, why are we talking about Shih Tzu's here? The thread is about a Maltese puppy. 

Ok, and perhaps this is not the case at all, but then it made me wonder if your messages were not spam just trying to get people to click on the links in your siggie (which by the way are against the rules if you are not a registered vendor on SM).


----------

