I have a six month old bitch with a small head will her head get bigger in time?

probably not

I've had young boys with very narrow heads as youngsters. They were so bad we actually had silly names for them. As adults, they are just fine. Not sure if it would be the same for b*tches, but the boys heads are now beautiful. Bloodline mature differently.

I don't think small heads and narrow heads are the same thing. A small head at 6 months probably will be a small head at 2 years but a narrow head can become a nice head at 2, specialy in males. Just what I've seen.

It all depends on the way your line matures. Ask the breeder of the bitch how her lines mature and then you will know whether it is worth investing in this bitch or not.

I have a girl who we called the winged monkey for many, many, many months. It wasn't that she had a small head or a narrow head, she had no head, no body, no nothing, except a tail, which she had plenty of!

At 2 years of age she came into her own and by 2 1/2 she was really nice. While we waited for her, she got her JH and needs just one more leg for her rally title. Then we got several RWB at specialties and finished with her majors under respected breeder judges.

That is her line. You need to know the line!

Bonnie

We had a bitch that we had bred that was nice at 7 weeks, but after that - the balance between her head (being smaller) and body (more bulky) was off. Her head never filled in and always looked out of balance to her body.

Yes a small head can and does get bigger on some dogs, you will just have to wait and see what happens with her.
Aloha,
jackie

I had a girl with a small head at 6 months. The rest of her body stopped growing at 8 months but then her head grew and stopped at about 14 months. I agree that I think it depends on the lines.

I have the dam it's not from her it's I assume from the sire line.

Those genes could have come from your bitch way back somewhere. I Hate it when the stud dog gets blamed for all things bad.

I've had girls who have had BEAUTIFUL heads at 8 weeks and then go on to lose them ...some go into a 'pinhead' stage at about 6 months when their bodies have grown but their heads haven't caught up...happy to report that everyone's regained their original 'heads' by the time they mature--some may take a year; others two or more...

I'd ask the sire's owner about experience with the stud's get?

don't give up!

gcb

My bitch had a more narrow head until she was about 2 years old. All of a sudden it really started to broaden and now I absolutely love it. I now have a female puppy out of her and, at 14 weeks, I can see that her head seems more narrow, but I will hold out hope because of the way her mother matured.

Breeder - how did your girl look when she was 6 weeks old? If she had a good in proportion head then it should come back (eventually)

Now, looking at heads, there is nothing more ugly than a heavy labrador head.
It should be classic, well chissled and clean cut, with no extra skin.
I never look at heads at my puppies, I go for the best constucted and most typy one. Then at least a judge will come up to look at the head. That will not happend if the lab do not have a nice outlined body...
And first and formost, look at the balance the total picture...
Pia

I agree! Bigger is not necessarily better. Bigger is just bigger.

I'm not addressing the original poster in any way here, but I think it's sad when the only improvements a breeder can see to make all start with the words "BIGGER" or "MORE" - bigger heads, more bone. JMHO of course, and I think that most of the time I am in the minority.

I find that my bitches' heads improve after their first heat. It depends on how the lines mature, but I wouldn't give up until 1 year + if the head is the only problem.

a small slight head is as bad as an overdone head. There must also be good stop to be attractive, and "some" length of muzzle.

Classic pleasant and expressive with the look of intelligence is best.

I agree to wait until the first heat cycle and give her some time. Good things may come to those who wait.

I have a bitch out of two well known kennels. She had a small head, wasn't in proportion to her body. The breeders said, thats the line don't worry. Well, shes thirteen months and in the ribbons. Head caught up with the body.

P.S., We called her pin head.

I have had different things happen with the heads. This last time we had a beautiful head at 8 weeks, it was awful, not good, bad, until it came back at 11 months. Now at almost 2, she has a very pretty head. I find a heat or two help all of the females body. Head too. The boys seem to be slow getting to their beautiful stage. The girls sometime are just over night. Some lines stay more the same as they mature, others go through all sorts of stages. Hang in there.

Respectfully, as ugly as you find a very heavy head Pia I also find what was earlier called a pin-head on a mature bitch or dog dis-tasteful. If the head isn't right at maturiry then it's not a typey bitch or dog is it as that is also part of conformation.

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Now, looking at heads, there is nothing more ugly than a heavy labrador head.
It should be classic, well chissled and clean cut, with no extra skin.
I never look at heads at my puppies, I go for the best constucted and most typy one. Then at least a judge will come up to look at the head. That will not happend if the lab do not have a nice outlined body...
And first and formost, look at the balance the total picture...
Pia

How Gordy pups mature???

My Gordy pups stayed consistently nice, staying balanced - they are 1 year now.

Hi LIL,CAN I SEE HIS PICS,JUST CURIOUS

Speaking of Gordy--he is not in the States anymore. He was sold and lives overseas in Japan.

replying to:

"Speaking of Gordy--he is not in the States anymore. He was sold and lives overseas in Japan."


That is not correct. Gordy lives just up the road from me and I can assure you he still lives in Maryland, not in Japan.

Bonnie

you might be thinking of Winterwind's Glenn Plaid...I think he has moved overseas

If you get an esablished line with a strong bitch line and you line breed then you will know what kind of heads you will get and how your puppies will mature.

Of course anything could come from either or BOTH the bitch or stud dog. Sometimes a breeding just doesn't go the way you would like and the combination just didn't work. Not all studs will produce themselves or better and the same goes for a bitch line.

Hang on, let her go through a heat cycle or two and hit 2 years old. If her head doesn't come in by then I doubt it will. Then again, she could wind up being the best brood bitch you ever had.

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Those genes could have come from your bitch way back somewhere. I Hate it when the stud dog gets blamed for all things bad.