Question about future puppy / overbite

Hi everybody.
The search for a new puppy has intensified. We have contacted the Danish breeders listed on the approved breeders website and have received some promising answers about future litters.
I have just been called on the phone by a breeder who's got a puppy for sale. It is 8 weeks old (as is normal for puppies leaving in Denmark). It is a female, BUT: It has an overbite. The breeder said that it was at a point where it could go either way: correct itself or get worse.
Besides there is kennel cough at the breeder, so we can't get her for another 2 weeks (aged 10 weeks).
The price would be reduced with 200-300 pounds.
The breeder and I agreed that we will wait until tomorrow to decide, while we (husband and I) discuss it.
We are in two minds: We would love to get a puppy now - but...
- to us the price reduction is no reason to buy a puppy.
- we will rather wait weeks/months and get a healthy dog at full price.
Having said that I don't mind minor "faults", which we also stated in the contact to the breeders, we are more concerned about heart issues and SM.

What do you guys/girls think? Is kennel cough and overbite something that should scare us from taking a dog?

An overbite is generally a small cosmetic issue, not a health issue. If it is significant enough though, it can affect the dog's ability to eat etc. Lots of puppies are homed without a scissors bite though. And puppies with a perfect bite sometimes will mature with an over or underbite. I know this is a regular source of frustration to breeders, and one reason older puppies that are initially run on end up in pet homes!

I'd ask to talk to her vet about the status of the bite right now and what the likely problems would be, if any.

But a perfect bite in a puppy is no indication the puppy will keep that bite as it matures.

Also: on KC, other breeders here have pointed out that it isn't unusual as it is so contagious.If the breeder isn't homing with KC, then that is a good sign. Some would home the pup and say it would just clear on its own! Personally I'd prefer a pup that stays with parent/siblings til 10 weeks -- it will be a lot better on inhibiting bite and better socialised.

My Jato has an overbite, and it has not affected his eating at all. In fact, he gobbles down his food so fast, you'd think I was starving him. When he lays on his back, you can see his little top teeth protruding over the bottom teeth, and we call them his "bunny teeth".
I also would recommend not to bring the puppy home until 10-12 weeks. They do so much better with their mom and siblings for another week or so, plus they will be better potty trained by then for you too. :rah:

I think this breeder sounds honest...........

Thank you for your opinions. I decided to call the vet today and talk to him. He was very sceptical, told us about how kennel cough could be contagious to Molly, and we definitely don't want that.
Then he said he was surprised that the breeders didn't isolate their dogs with kennel cough for 2 weeks, and that the puppy might be "healthy" when it came to us, but still could carry the disease.
He also questioned the price reduction, saying that it was quite a huge reduction, if it was "only" overbite and kennel cough. We might end up spending a lot of money on dental work later. So actually, it was an easy decision. I called the breeder today. He was very fair about it, no hard feelings at all. Maybe we were over sensible and too careful, but we will rather wait a bit longer.
We have been written up to puppies several places now, so it is just to cross our fingers and wait a bit more.

I think you made the right decision there. I hope you will soon find a little one that it just right for you, and when you do, remember we want pics, lots and lots of them.

Our Beauregard has a horrible overbite, but he gets along just fine. He's almost three, and every single day I'm thankful that Jean finally convinced me we needed a Cavalier... and that it was him. He may have some issues down the road, but so might any dog.

We didn't know enough to be concerned about the overbite, and at this point, I'm glad we didn't... because I just can't imagine not having him in our lives. :lotsaluv:

kc

Harry has an overbite it has never bothered him at all

as for future health problems, you could get a (seemingly) very healthy puppy and it end up with god knows what.

sounds like a missed opportunity to me, as this breeder sounded very honest

Unless the dog has a parrot mouth or wry mouth (teeth and jaw can't fit) than an overbite is mostly a cosmetic thing. Many English toys had "off" mouths--

Besides there is kennel cough at the breeder, so we can't get her for another 2 weeks (aged 10 weeks).

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Then he said he was surprised that the breeders didn't isolate their dogs with kennel cough for 2 weeks, and that the puppy might be "healthy" when it came to us, but still could carry the disease.

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But this sounds like the breeder was isolating the dogs for two weeks?

Wouldn't he be doing exactly what the vet recommended? Kennel cough isn't generally that big a deal and is very common. All you'd need to do would be to give the KC vax to your own pair on the off chance the pup might have been carrying it.

I also would think that would be a very fair reduction for a known overbite and a puppy they were holding longer than you would normally expect -- my parents were given about a fourth to a third off their pyrenees puppy when she matured to 8 weeks with a slight overbite, a similar situation, and that was many decades ago. Overall he sounds like a very decent and considerate breeder who gave several fair options if you were interested in that pup. If not, that's a fair choice on your part as well, but I certainly would not fault the breeder as a reason not to opt for the puppy.

Hi everybody.
Thanks for your replys. I can see now that we seemed to do the exactly opposite of what you recommended, and how it may seem over-reacting. :-?
What I didn't write was that we actually got Molly with a slight underbite, and she hasn't had any problems since.
But when it came to it, I simply had a bad gut-feeling about this other dog, it didn't feel right. I know the breeder is responsible, and I am NOT questioning their motives. I can't explain it, but I didn't have this bad feeling, when we were told about Molly's "faults".
By the way, they didn't isolate their dogs, they just wanted to wait untill "our" dog got over it.
I am sorry if I have offended anyone, and if anyone thinks I only want a perfect dog. I simply listened to the advice from our vet, because I am not an experienced dog owner, and I want to do it as right as possible.