Weights, Measures and Jaws

 I think I can breathe a small sigh of relief as I measure Meerah now at 49.5cms and she weighed 17.8kg at the vets today. (She's 4 months on Thursday) So yes, one of the largest of the bitches at this age, but not as tall or as heavy as Sammi was. There has been a dramatic slowdown in growth over the last two weeks, let it continue now eh! I'll be good and won't measure her again for about 2 weeks. She's confident with the measuring stick now so I don't need to do any further training with that. Let's hope she maintains steadier growth as we go ahead now.

For any one interested, the sizes of the recent generation of ladies are here...

https://talistails.blogspot.com/2023/11/4-months-weights-and-measures.html

Over the weekend, I'd got a little bit paranoid about Meerah's jaw. (as I do!) I thought that the top and bottom were misaligned, giving her and overshot jaw. Maybe it is a little, but I think the fact her new top front teeth are through before the bottom gives it the impression that it's further out than it is. 

I have very little experience of overshot or undershot jaws in puppies, to be honest in my 30 + years in this breed I've only come across it twice here, at the beginning of my journey with Blade, and one I bred in the F litter in a pet home. At 6 months you could get your finger in the gap between Blade's top and bottom incisors, that had caused problems as he was teething with his bottom canines being misaligned and growing into his top jaw rather than into the correct gap.  Blade grew quickly and looked ungainly, Meerah has also had huge growth spurts, by the time Blade was 18 months his bottom jaw had caught up and his mouth was correctly aligned. Meerah looks nothing like Blade did, so here's hoping everything is set to go to plan with her mouth now ... 

 Just to show what I mean, I found this photo of a Chocolate Lab online. I think it's important to point out that Meerah isn't like that, to be honest, most people wouldn't even notice. I'm now just posting this as educational and a reminder for myself should I need the information at a later date. At that age Blade was not like that either, it became apparent as his adult teeth came in that his top jaw had grown quicker than his bottom jaw, I don't think he was that bad at 6 months either. As young puppies, they were both correct, which as we can see this Labrador is not, with Blade it was just a growing thing. I'm hopeful that Meerah bottom jaw will catch up and be normal by the time she's 6 months or sooner!