Many years ago, a young bitch we were campaigning collided with a tree while playing with another Boxer in the backyard. (Unfortunately, Boxers sometimes fail to navigate at high speed!) We rushed her to the vet, who diagnosed a broken jaw. He assured us that it would not be a problem to pin it together, and we left her with him.
We spoke to the vet later that day and were told that all had gone well with the surgery. When we went to the clinic the following day to pick her up, imagine our horror upon looking at our beautiful girl and seeing a face resembling a Labrador's! The vet had not realized that the Boxer is naturally undershot and tried to provide us with a scissors bite.
As relative novices at the time, it had not occurred to us that veterinarians are not universally aware of breed-specific characteristics. Luckily, the bitch's jaw was successfully rewired at another facility. That unhappy episode dramatically highlighted for me the uniqueness of the Boxer's jaw and the pivotal role played in its structure by the formation and placement of the teeth.
The breed standard states the following regarding bite: "The Boxer bite is undershot; the lower jaw protrudes beyond the upper and curves slightly upward."
These deceptively simple words describe the result of a complicated set of factors. The undershot jaw was developed by early breeders to better enable the Boxer to do what it was bred to do: run down and hold large, fierce game, such as wild boar, bear and bison. To better hold a strong, struggling opponent, the dog's bite had to be of maximum width. Unlike a scissors bite, which is designed for effective slashing, an undershot bite allows a dog to hang on indefinitely.
Those who doubt this can try a simple experiment: Place your palms flat together to simulate a scissors bite. Have an assistant slip a piece of paper between your palms, press them back together, and have the assistant try to pull the paper out. You will find that this is easily done. Now, curve the fingers of the bottom "jaw" upward, in front of the fingers of the upper palm, and try the experiment again. This time, you will find that it is very difficult to pull the paper free. This is a good demonstration of how the slight upward curve of the Boxer's lower jaw allows for an effective gripping bite.
The standard goes on to describe how the canines and incisors also contribute to the squareness of the Boxer's muzzle: "The incisor teeth of the lower jaw are in a straight line. The canines must stand far apart and be of good length so that the front surface of the muzzle is broad and squarish."
The canine teeth should be very strong and very noticeable when the Boxer's bite is viewed, both from the front and the side. Believe it or not, teeth vary in size and strength from one dog to another. Some Boxers are seen lately with tiny, insubstantial teeth (both canines and incisors) and very narrow jaws. Without question, these dogs could not successfully perform the work for which they were bred.
The standard lists "too undershot" as a fault, but how much is too much? The standard offers no absolute measurement regarding this, though there is guidance in the description of proper bite, which has "the corner upper incisors fitting snugly back of the lower canine teeth on each side."
It is a definite sign of a problem if the dog's teeth or tongue are visible when its mouth is closed. This may mean that the lower jaw protrudes too far ahead of the upper jaw. Or it may mean that the dog's chin does not turn up as it should, but is rather too flat. Flattish chins often appear in conjunction with "overlips," where the Boxer's top lip comes down and covers the chin, destroying the nobility of its expression. The chin should always be visible from the front and the side.
Another common mouth fault is wryness, where the upper and lower jaws do not align properly but are slightly askew. Neither the canines nor the incisors line up squarely in a wry mouth. This condition is easily observed; judges can note wryness almost immediately, without making any fuss over it in the ring. Wry mouths and the tendency to them are extremely difficult to breed out once they appear in a bloodline, so the experienced breeder regards wryness as a more serious mouth fault.
In short, the Boxer's teeth have a considerable influence on the structure of its muzzle and jaw. Breeders must pay considerable attention to bites. Although the Boxer of today may not be a hunter, he should be as adaptable to the task as his ancestors before him. Otherwise, we stand to lose a significant aspect of the essential character and type that sets the Boxer apart from other breeds.
Stephanie Abraham
P. O. Box 346
Scotland, CT 06264
