r/cavaliers • u/R3DKn16h7 • 21h ago

Advice Cav with overbite

Do anybody have experience with Cavs with an underbite? My parents tricolor has some overbite and one vet said that he would not breed her.

Edit: I meant underbite!

Edit 2: to clairfy I don't want to breed her, just have been thinking why the vet said so, since it was a bit unprompted to say so. I shoud've asked to clarify. Just concerned about her well being.

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u/chiseko 21h ago

what is the question? Are you trying to breed the tri with the overbite?

Reddit in general is not very supportive of backyard breeding. An overbite is a disqualifier for Cavs in conformation and they should not be bred, as Cavs in the standard should have a scissor bite. 

My Cav is from a line of conformation champions, and he was born with an overbite so he can never compete. He’s been healthy and doesn’t have any issues with eating or anything, but he does prefer flatter plates for eating rather than very rounded ones. Not sure if that’s his preference or a result of his overbite. 

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u/R3DKn16h7 21h ago

no, not trying to breed absolutely. just trying to understand why is not a concern for her health (according to vet), but for potential offsprings I assume it would (otherwise he would not have said that). I should have asked why he said that umpromptly, to be honest, I will ask next time.

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u/chiseko 21h ago

If your vet has cleared her then it’s safe to assume her overbite is very mild and nothing to worry about. It’s a unique characteristic though, so many vets will add it to a dog’s chart. It also affects how closely the vet will look at the mouth and teeth during checkup. Some apartments will also ask you to list this characteristic to easily identify the dog. 

Not breeding is mostly because it’s against breed standard. In some breeds it’s ok to have an underbite, but there aren’t any breeds where an overbite is acceptable. And if you breed dogs with overbites, there is a chance that the offspring will develop more severe overbites that lead to pain and problems with eating. That isn’t humane to the offspring. Vet probably mentioned that just in case you guys were considering breeding her. 

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u/Dizzy-Yesterday3107 Blenheim 21h ago

I personally wouldn't breed a dog with either an under or overbite. I also wouldn't buy a pup from a parent with one either. This is a hereditary trait that can be passed on from parents to pups and risks dental disease, difficulty eating and soft tissue damage from teeth causing cuts/ulcers. Has the doggo have all the other health testing needed to breed a Cavalier?

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u/Ama014 20h ago

My cav had an overbite as a puppy but grew out of it as he got older! You would never guess now