I totally disagree amigo. If what you say were true, namely that dogs progressively 'lose mouth' from one generation to the next, then all of the dogs today would be mush-mouth nothings compared to their freak-mouthed ancestors of yesteryear, which of course is preposterous.Originally Posted by R2L
It is absolutely possible for a dog to have a better mouth than its parents, through the simple "re-shuffling of the deck" genetically. Silverback's mama Missy, for example, had a devastating mouth and was much more destructive than either of her parents, Ch Hammer or Miss Trinx. While Silverback does not have as devastating a mouth as his mama Missy, he is by far a more dangerous finisher than she was, and goes right for that money spot when he sees an opening, and has all the mouth that is necessary to accomplish his goal. A couple of his sons have shown to have far more mouth than he does, one of which has been called "freak" mouth by his owner, while other sons of his have had average mouths.
I mean, just think about any trait you want to talk about and the simple fact is these traits will ALL vary from one dog to another. It is the same thing with humans too: is is possible for a man to be able to run faster than his parents? Sure is!; Is it possible for a man to have a higher-IQ than his parents? Sure is!; Was Beethoven a better musical composer than his parents? Sure was! Did Zebo has a harder mouth than his parents? Sure did! On and on and on it goes ...
There is simply the potential of any offspring to be better, or worse, than his parents in every conceivable trait you want to name. The entire key to breeding dogs lies in being able to harness and cultivate as many excellent traits as possible, while trying to discard as many unwanted traits as possible.
Jack