Teeth and breeds...

Xerxes

DumDog

dunno if it will mean much but i have a coyote skull.. (hit and run that was given to me, i didnt kill it i swear!!)

 

That's interesting to me.  The coyote that my coworker shot was probably an eastern coyote.  Is it possible that the skull you have is a western one?  Just curious.

wwwwweeeeelllll  some people say that coyotes dont belong in the east or north.. or even the south. that they're supposed to be strictly western and all migrated or were introduced on purpose.

There is also supposed to be a difference between the coyotes depending on their range.. mountain coyotes have thicker coats and white tips on their tails... but honestly by looking at them in pictures i couldnt tell you who is who lol i guess you have to live with them and see them day to day...
the one that was given to me had a fluffy thick coat like a healthy german shepherd... he was hit in the Apalachicola National Forest.. not sure about the history of the yotes out there. Madison County Florida, however, has a western population that was introduced back in the 70's or 80's by a hunter wanting something to chase with hounds... and the only reason i know that was because i was reading a book called Coyotes and Canines (may have been titled the other way around?) when i was in high school and one of the students in my agriculture class took interest and told me about the hunter and his little sporting experiment..

My Bubblegum is very very mad at me,,,,,but its okay,,,I blamed it on you.  Somehow she didn't like me to wake her up out of a dead sleep ( she is laying here right beside me ) by putting my finger in her mouth to rub her  SMOOTH teeth.  HHHmmm wonder why????

lol Mattie was the only one out of my bunch that didnt want me to check teeth

all the others thought i was giving treats.... of course.. when there was no treat they got a little miffed... 

My three all have very pronounced ridges and slight serrations.  I noticed the ridges a while ago, but I didn't think to feel along the edge of them.  My dogs are 1.5, 2.5, and 3.5 years old.

Just in case you were wondering or didn't know those serrations are what we call "blood grooves". All cats have them, and some dogs. They are so the animal can penetrate deeper into the flesh letting the blood pass out through those grooves. Without them the pressure of the blood doesn't let the teeth go very deep.

 BTW Lex doesn't have any
 

iggypop

Seems like sighthounds decended from a seperate ancestor than other breeds of dogs (not being elitist, each group of dogs decended from something!) and the more primitive the sighthound the more it has retained it's connection to that common ancestor. Now it could be that Pharoah hounds (being a primitive type hound) and coyotes have something more in common with each other genetically or it could simply be that Pharoah hounds have just retained some primitive aspects of wild dogs.

 That's what I'm considering,    Nature doesn't expend excess energy wantonly.  If a particular trait isn't used, it tends to become extinct or to at least become recessive.  We've heard that some of the mixed breeds have had serrations.  But a good amount of purebreds don't.  I'm not all that familiar with genetics, perhaps Brookcove will read this thread and contribute her immense knowledge. 

Did the sighthounds evolve separately from the non-sighthounds?  I know that there is a type of evolution that discusses this but I forget the name.  (convergent evolution maybe?)  But since the sighthounds are from the African/Mid-Eastern area perhaps rather than wolves they diverged from Wild African dogs?  If that's the case then why would they not differentiate in species than the common pariah dogs that begat the breeds we know today?  If there's any kind of answer, it might be in the teeth.  And this is what I find curious.

So apologize from me to your dogs for the indignity of sticking your fingers in their mouths.  Give them an extra hug and know that I'm still trying to sort this all out.
 

I wonder if any breed standard says anything about serrations in the canines? I know that in Chinese Cresteds, Powderpuffs' canines are shaped differently than Hairless dogs'. I can't remember how, but I know that they're different. I'll try to grope some Crestie teeth, soon, and let you know what I find out.

If you'd like, I'll feel all the dogs' teeth that I groom, tomorrow. 

 Rupe's canines are smooth.

My 9 yr. old cairn has serrations that can be felt, but not really seen. 

jennie_c_d

If you'd like, I'll feel all the dogs' teeth that I groom, tomorrow. 

Don't put yourself at risk Jennie...it's a silly observation here. 

Risk? Nah! I brush most of their teeth, anyways. I already handle the dogs' entire bodies. Feelin up a tooth or two isn't going to hurt them 

The Shih-Poo has ridged, not serrated teeth. The Maltese is the same. The toy Poodle puppy has double canines, and the Husky pup still has baby teeth.

My friend's year-old Boxer pup has serrated teeth. My mom's 14 yo mutt has a defined ridge, but no serration. My friend's 5 yo super Pit has serrated teeth.

I find this fascinating, being the dog nerd that I am. 

 Bugsy giant black mutt likely dane/hound/gsp has serrations

 I avoided this thread as it was already at page 3 when I noticed it.  I hate coming on threads with a full conversation going on and trying to get into it.  BUT... the title kept nagging at me.  Now my dogs are annoyed with me cause i had to go out and drag them in from their fun in the snow.  BUT MOM! We're not done playin!

Anyway, Crusher 2.5 yr old Sibe/alaskan husky has the ridge, but no serrations.

His sister Onyx has both.  Technically they only share a mother though...her dad is the mailman we thinks. 

So far I've only checked Marlowe, who does have the serrations.  But can we review real quick what we're looking for with the "ridges"?