Is hard mouth hereditary?
I have more or less booked a puppy from a spaniel bitch of good working breeding that belongs to my friend. I now learn from a different source that the bitch damaged some birds on a shoot last season and brought them back with flesh tears. I understand that hard mouth is hereditary, and I am worried that the puppy might turn out likewise, but I can’t very well back out of the deal now.
Fran says: Though hard mouth is said to ‘run in the family’,
I take the view that far more cases are induced by faulty training and handling. If a dog is from proven working stock, genetic hard mouth is unlikely to be encountered.
A carefully structured training course, the avoidance of ‘hard’ treatment, especially associated with retrieving game, and plenty of patience will all play their part in avoiding the problem. Superficial skin damage is not evidence of hard mouth; the hard-mouthed dog tends to crush the rib cage.