CKC Standard – Teeth
Teeth strongly developed. Lower incisors upright and touching inside of upper incisors—a true scissors bite. Forty-two teeth (22 in lower jaw and 20 in upper jaw) correctly placed. Distemper teeth not to be penalized.
Discussion
Incorrect bites include a level bite (the upper incisors meet the lower incisors at the biting edge), an undershot bite (the lower teeth extend beyond the upper teeth), and an overshot bite (the upper teeth extend beyond the lower teeth without contact).
There should be 42 correctly placed teeth. In examining a Doberman, the judge is expected to open the mouth fully to see the upper and lower rear dentition.
The standard calls for correctly placed teeth including occlusion (fit of the teeth). The upper premolars should fit neatly between the lower premolars. The teeth should be large and close. The upper and lower surfaces should meet properly for maximum strength.
The teeth, muzzle and underjaw are interrelated. Each element can affect the others. Missing teeth are considered to be structural faults because they can affect the other elements of the head and because they have a direct bearing on the dog’s ability to fulfill his working purpose.
Missing teeth can appear in a number of places. Sometimes there will be five incisors that are evenly spaced, and a missing tooth can be difficult to detect. Missing premolars are the most common. Occasionally the rear-most molar is missing, especially in the lower jaw. It is
imperative to open the mouth to view the back molars, as it is impossible to see or feel them with the mouth closed.
Dobermans can sometimes have extra teeth, usually in the premolar area. One or two extra teeth are fairly common. Although there is no disqualification for extra teeth, the standard does call for 42 correctly placed teeth. Extra teeth deviate from the standard in two ways: the extra number of teeth is a deviation from 42, and the extra teeth affect the correct placement of the other teeth.
