Verdict Is...

That his teeth have stabilized at this point and that localized areas aside, they are no worse for bite work then any other 2 year old dog. So we will continue on!!

He is such a fun little dog to train - with his over the top enthusiasm, willingness to work, ability to pick up on things quickly and athletic ability - I am VERY relieved and grateful for the current results.

Does this mean his mouth is completely normal - well not really, however with the amount of maturing his mouth has done and the new xrays to look at physical maturation of the tooth and jaw - Dr. Hale is comfortable that he is not in any pain (however continue to monitor because the molars still could be sensitive to hot/cold/pressure) and to continue with training.

If he were strictly a pet with no increased demands on his mouth, at this point, one might say that things are almost "normal". However due to my love for the sport of schutzhund and the inherent oral risks it carries with it, I will continue to carefully monitor his mouth.

Here are a couple of shots taken during his appointment. You can appreciate the dentin is thickening normally and his pulp chambers are closing in. There are no signs of tooth root infections/abscesses or fractures.

If you are not familiar with radiographic imaging the basic concepts are these:

1) Air appears black on xray

2) Tissue is shades of grey/white

3) The more denser the tissue/material, the more white it appears

The above diagram is labeled sketch of a cheek tooth (multiple roots) to help anyone interested identify exact tooth structures.

Dogs that are doing any sort of bite work training (including sport such as schutzhund, ring & PSA or police/military) should have their mouth carefully monitored/examined routinely by their handlers for any signs of subtle discomfort or problems.

Because the dogs are in such a high state of arousal during protection training - it is important to remember that their pain thresholds will be significantly higher and subsequently problems not as obvious to the apathetic handler.

Thus, all a handler or decoy might notice is a subtle re-position of the sleeve in the mouth, or perhaps a dog that was never "growly" on the sleeve begins to develop signs of stress including growling when engaged with the sleeve and will not pull back as readily. In dogs that historically have never had any problems with long bites, all of a sudden they may start missing or coming off of the bite. This is just a short list, in my mind these and other signs would warrant a good look at the mouth and perhaps even a trip to the veterinary dentist for a full examination with xrays.

I have also seen dogs that have fractured and then abscessed the internal tips of the canines in the jaw, that are unapparent to the eye. This is unknown to the handler and the dog continues with bite work (aside: Most good dogs with a solid foundation and a decent amount of drive will still bite because of the aroused state they are in). The dog develops odd signs during the work that are either attributed to weak nerve, lack of foundation, you name it... However when/if the dental problem is identified and fixed and the pain resolved, most attributes described above also are taken care of. I have seen it several times.

Anyways, just some food for thought if your working canine partner develops odd/unexplainable behaviours during bitework training.

Finally because on a daily basis at work, clients want to discuss what sort of diets/treats/water additives are best to maintain oral health and keep plaque and tarter to a minimum, I include this paragraph. I will only recommend using something if it has the VOHC stamp of approval. This means that in controlled studies, the product has actually worked to reduce either plaque, tarter or both AND is deemed safe for your pet. If you want the list - see link ... http://www.vohc.org/index.htm