Question.   Friends have told me that my 6 month old dog has got what they say is an "overshot jaw"? What exactly is an "overshot jaw"   If they  are correct is it something that will improve when the dog gets older, because he is still only six months old and I was hoping to show him when he is older?

 

This article is one of a great many articles written by Dennis Fisher about a very wide variety of subjects concerning different  dogs, such as obedience training, breeding, showing, health matters, training problems and other subjects.  All these articles appear on Dennis Fisher's websites.   Visit  http://www.allaboutgermanshepherddogs.com the site that has been set up specifically for German Shepherd Dog enthusiasts, or http://www.freedogadvice.com  if you interested in a breed   other than German Shepherd Dogs

 

Answer:   An overshot jaw is one in which the upper  jaw extends over the lower jaw  by a noticeable amount - more than approximately 1/4 of an inch or 2 mm. and the teeth do not meet in what is called the required  normal, "scissor bite" with the upper teeth extending just slightly over the bottom teeth.

An undershot jaw is just the opposite, it occurs when the lower jaw extends quite a considerable amount beyond the upper jaw.  Both conditions are serious faults in the Show ring for some breeds. However it is a common condition with bulldogs.

As your dog is still young,  there is a chance that the condition will improve.   I have known cases where this has happened when there was not a serious over-lapping of one jaw over the other,  but is that if there is such  marked  extension of the upper jaw over the lower jaw that your friends noticed it, I am afraid that it is unlikely to improve.