Jessica, several possibilities:
(1) Yes, depending upon the breed of dog/configuration of the skull, dogs' superior and inferior canines do sometimes rub upon each other and thereby undergo wear. Do your dogs have "sow mouth"/undershot jaws? How tight a fit is there between skulls and mandibles?
(2) Is there any indication that the dogs you are studying were caged? Dogs that are caged, or even just fenced with heavy wire, often chew at the wire and this produces odd and/or premature wear.
(3) Did the dogs belong to Native Americans? Certain tribesmen traditionally practice a system of rubbing down the canines of entire male dogs that they have raised.
Maybe one of these possibilities applies. A more detailed description of the wear, and/or some photos posted at a link we can access, would probably eliminate much guessing. Cheers -- Dr. Deb
-----Original Message-----
From: Analysis of animal remains from archaeological sites [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Jessica Peto
Sent: Thursday, February 28, 2019 10:42 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [ZOOARCH] Unusual Wear on Dog Canines
Dear Zooarch,
I’m currently looking at some dog remains and I have noticed an unusual wear pattern on the backs of the mandibular canines and the fronts of the maxillary canines, almost as if they had been rubbing against one another?
Has anyone else found wear patterns like this on dogs before? And if so, why has it occurred?
Grateful for any help!
Jessica
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