I don't do schutzhund because there is no club here

But, I do play lots of tug. I have noticed Logan's teeth are getting very worn, the points are gone on all of them. When we play tug, he slips a lot, re-grips but eventually is like oh well and hangs on. He is not loosing his grip when its cooler out, so it could be just that he hates hot weather.

But still, I wonder what's wearing down his teeth? I never use tennis balls, I haven't seen any recent signs of him chewing on his kennel run, he doesn't chew his bowl or bucket. There are river rocks in the yard, I haven't seen him with one in ages. He has stuffed kongs and real bones for chewing.

Can fabric ruin teeth from tug games? He's only 6 yrs old.

Chewing real bones causes tooth wear, especially knuckle and other hard, rounded bones.
Grip is usually a factor of jaw force, rather than teeth themselves. Fatigue and exhaustion can play a part, also lack of enthusiasm or other psychological impact,

Edited by Duane Hull (06/05/2012 12:00 PM)
Edit reason: added text

He wasn't getting many real bones until lately, my previous dog ate them all the time, perfect teeth. But I only give raw real bones never those irradiated pet store ones. I hope playing tug isn't causing it somehow. I use a red tube tug and a 2 handle mini, sometimes a rope or towel.

I think the heat and also he was hurting and I didn't realize how bad until the chiropractor saw him. Maybe that was the deal with the grip. I hope he doesn't have crappy teeth.

 Quote: Tresa Hendrix

He has stuffed kongs and real bones for chewing.

What kind of real bones?


"Should I feed my dog recreational bones?
There are two types of recreational bones: weight bearing and non-weight bearing. Weight bearing bones (e.g., marrow bones) are extremely hard and very difficult or impossible for a dog to consume. Totally Raw Natural Dog Food does not advocate the use of this type of recreational bone. It can lead to premature wearing of the tooth enamel and even cause tooth breakage while providing very little nutritional benefit. You should never give your dog a bone that is harder than his teeth.
Totally Raw advocates non-weight bearing recreational bones, such as beef neck bones .... "

from http://www.totallyrawdogfood.com/Faq.aspx#faq_3



"The Vet told me that she doesn't recommend real animal bones for dogs because of pieces of bone getting stuck in the dogs digestive track ect. She also commented that my puppy's teeth are already worn."

from http://leerburg.com/webboard/printthread.php?topic_id=23576



" ... stay away from those big, dense, weight-bearing bones!"

from http://rawfed.com/myths



"Do not feed the big weight-bearing bones of large herbivores."

from http://rawfed.com/myths/bones.html

 Quote: Tresa Hendrix

I think the heat and also he was hurting and I didn't realize how bad until the chiropractor saw him. Maybe that was the deal with the grip.

I bet that has more to do with it than his teeth.

 Quote: Duane Hull

 Quote: Tresa Hendrix

I think the heat and also he was hurting and I didn't realize how bad until the chiropractor saw him. Maybe that was the deal with the grip.

I bet that has more to do with it than his teeth.

Probably so.

But still, it's probably a good thing to know about teeth wear and maybe make a switch away from weight-bearing bones.


eta
Pretty off-topic (but related): It has been a wonderful thing to lose my old fear of the general anesthesia needed for a proper dental cleaning and exam (and extractions where needed), with the huge strides in G/A over recent decades. This dog may be a good candidate.

Edited by Connie Sutherland (06/05/2012 07:11 PM)
Edit reason: eta

I had an adult GSD (that I didn't raise)(raw feed his whole life)with pretty worm teeth & it never affected his grip working on a tug,sleeve or suit no matter if the weather was hot, cold, raining or snowing.

As long as the dog has a good, strong, deep bite then the teeth being somewhat worm should not be an issue. I can see where it might be if they are all very very very worn down. But normal tug & bitework should not cause teeth to be overworn even on a raw fed dog. Obviously it might be more of a factor in a later life dog where there would be greater tooth wear that is more age appropriate.

There may be another contibutiing factor such as genetically soft teeth or a dog that chews regularly on things he shouldn't that can contribute to the wearing of his teeth.

A dog with proper drive & in physical condition for the work should not be overly affected by the heat in short sessions of tug or bitework.

What kind of material is the tug made out of. Something unusual? Dogs need to have a deep bite if they are creating alot of saliva, as some do more then others & sometimes even more so in the hotter weather.

BTW, I'm talking weight-bearing RECREATIONAL bones, like from cows.

Nowhere here am I talking about RMBs, weight-bearing or not.

I'm pretty sure we are all talking about the same things ....

All of those quotes I included in my post are about RECREATIONAL bones, like marrow bones from cows, not the RMBs that the meal is based on and that are consumed by the dog.

Thanks everyone.

Until recently all bones were just RMBs and beef rib-bones. None of those cleaned his teeth good enough so I RARELY will give him a REC bone; lamb femur or cow marrow bone now. He has had so few of these, I can't see it as causing the wear.

His fangs and the rest of his teeth have lost the points, like they have been filed flat, not rounded off.

He has a nice bite on the tugs, SUPER fast high drive...but when its hot, he looses a lot of it very fast...he is not tolerant to the heat at all. Maybe its me rubbing off on him, I am hot natured too. He is very high strung with drive, overheats very fast.

That likely explains the grip slipping issue right now. But his teeth? He was raised on a crappy diet (pro plan) and was very underweight growing up, could that be it? I know dumb question.

Grip is more about the dog's drive and attitude then just having the tips worn on the teeth.
Stop working the dog before he gets to the point that he's "loosing" grip. That's working the dog to a point of failure. He must always stop with success.