Dog breeders, who for some reason do not know how old their animals are, often wonder how to determine the age of a dog. We may surprise you, but there are options to determine age pet not so little. In this article we will tell you how to do this.
Dog-human: age ratio
As we know, pets do not live long enough compared to human age. Animals have their own standards of calculation. So how can a breeder find out and calculate how old a dog is?
As a result of numerous studies, breeding specialists became aware of the age characteristics of pets, in particular dogs. Young individuals by 12 months, as the results show, develop to adolescence of people. That is, if you do not know how to determine the age of a puppy, then by 1 year it will be approximately 16 human years.
It should be noted right away that in this case a lot depends on the breed of the dog itself, as well as its dimensions. It has been scientifically proven that larger individuals live several years less; accordingly, the age ratio will be different, see the table for details.
Table of correspondence between human and dog ages
As practice shows, at this time pets need love from humans more than ever. They require more attention and care than adults. In addition, at this time puppies are better able to be raised and trained. This is why experienced dog breeders recommend starting training “from the cradle”. The puppy must master some commands already at 2-3 months, otherwise within a year he will be firmly sitting on his owner’s head.
But this does not mean that every year a puppy lives is considered 16 human years. For example, if the dog is already two years old, then age should be calculated according to a different principle. In this case, in human years, the dog will be about 23-25 years old. In practice, when a dog crosses this line, it will be extremely difficult to re-educate him.
One of the main features is that by the age of three, the process of growing up of individuals slows down significantly. Veterinarians, after the dog is two years old, consider one year lived by a person to be seven dog years. In general, it is impossible to know and count accurately, since all experts put forward different versions regarding this issue.
There is an opinion that representatives small breeds able to live longer long life, unlike large animals. In particular, if the conditions for their maintenance are identical.
Changes in dog teeth depending on age
Ways to determine a pet's age
We have roughly figured out how to determine the age of a puppy. Experienced specialists are reliably aware of all the features of this process. But in fact, usually none of the options can give exact result, what age is the pet. Therefore, all methods, as a rule, are used in combination, that is, in any case, a specialist will need to carefully examine the animal. And based on the results obtained, correspondences are established.
If you want to know more accurately how old your dog is, you first need to know about several important points. It is necessary to take into account what diseases the pet suffered from, what kind of care was provided to it, and what the general situation was like in the family where the dog lived. As practice shows, the most accurate results can be obtained by determining the age of an animal using its teeth. But in addition to this, methods for examining the coat and eyes are also used, and in some cases the muscles are examined.
Tough
As stated above, the method that gives the most accurate results is a dental examination (the author of the video is the Main Farming Portal FARMER).
Therefore, if you are wondering how to determine the age of a dog by its teeth, you should consider some features, in particular regarding teething:
- before the age of 20 days, the puppy has no teeth at all;
- at 25-35 days, first two fangs appear on top, then 2 fangs on the bottom;
- at about a month and a half, the animal develops six more incisors;
- at 50 days two molars should erupt;
- at 60 days the third molar appears;
- at 4.5 months, milk hooks should change to permanent ones;
- at 5 months another tooth appears lower jaw, as well as the fourth in total indigenous;
- at 6 months, the pet’s milk teeth should be replaced by permanent ones, at the same time the fifth molar erupts;
- at 7 months the sixth molar erupts;
- at the age of up to 14 months, puppies already have, as a rule, three incisors above and below, there are no abrasions;
- at 2-3 years old, pets already develop tartar, and the enamel begins to turn yellow;
- at 5 years the incisors should wear off;
- at 6 years old the entire jaw should completely turn yellow;
- at the age of 7 the fangs become worn out;
- At 10-12 years old, the crowns of the teeth wear off.
In total, four-legged friends should have 28 teeth, and when they change, then all 42. As you can guess, the younger the dog, the easier it is to find out exactly how old he is based on his features. In practice, experienced breeders, both in nurseries and veterinary doctor, can determine age with an accuracy of one month. Of course, if the dog is no more than three years old.
Teeth can remain white for quite a long time, so be guided by yellow plaque not worth it.
Learn more about how dogs cut and change teeth in the video below (video author: The Yorkmir).
But one of the key difficulties in this case is malocclusion. It can be either acquired or congenital. If this is the case, then you will have to follow other techniques.
By coat
Another option is by coat, which is optimal for pets with malocclusion. Wool is used for these purposes. Although it should be borne in mind that the characteristics of vegetation on an animal’s body primarily depend on how the animal eats and how it is cared for. This method can give the most accurate result with a comprehensive diagnosis.
As a rule, younger individuals have a soft and silky coat, which begins to fade over time. It may also cease to be homogeneous. Typically, the older the dog, the more likely it is that its fur will stick out in different directions.
Of course, gray hair that appears on a dog’s coat can indicate a lot. If we take into account the pigmentation characteristics of some organisms, sometimes animals can have grayish hair as early as three years old. If the dog grows and is kept in normal conditions, then gray hair can appear at the age of 6-7 years, usually it is first visible on the beard and around the lips.
By the eyes
Everyone knows that a person’s eyes can say a lot, and in the case of a dog they are no exception. If the dog is young, then clarity and sparkle will always be visible in his eyes. Looking into the eyes of a puppy, you will see that the dog will always be ready to communicate and play, this can simply be read in the pet’s gaze.
Over the years, the animal's gaze begins to dim. It may become duller and not as transparent as in juveniles. Sometimes older pets may experience tearing, but don't forget that older pets can also get sick.
Accordingly, as with the eyes, you can determine the approximate age of the animal’s temperament. For example, everyone knows that young individuals are more prone to an active lifestyle. Puppies always love to play and have fun with their humans. Older individuals can also be active, but the difference compared to puppies is significant.
Why do we need to know a dog's age?
In general, we have figured out how to determine the age of an animal. But why does a person need this information? At first glance, it may seem that such a question comes to a person’s mind only out of interest.
But there are several reasons when it is very important to know about it:
- if you purchased or found an animal and its age is unknown to you;
- if documents for a pet, in particular a passport, were lost, then this data may be required to restore them;
- to know exactly what schedule to take vaccines and preventive vaccinations;
- if you decide to castrate your dog or undergo a sterilization procedure, it is also important to know how old the animal is;
- often this information is required so that the owner can know how to properly care for the pet;
- if the dog is too old, he cannot be exposed to the same active physical activity, as young individuals - they will need to be significantly reduced;
- Sometimes experts recommend reviewing a dog's feeding diet when it turns eight years old.
How to convert dog age to human age.
- When communicating with his intelligent pet, the dog owner may have a completely natural question regarding the level of development four-legged friend. How old is your pet, measured in human years? How to convert dog age to human age and how many years are left to enjoy communication with an older pet?
- It will not be possible to adjust the age of a dog to the corresponding age of a person, because the aging process of a dog is different from that of a human. But there are several systems for converting dog age to human age. From the article, you will learn how to determine the age of a dog using special methods: using a simplified method, using a table of the correspondence between a dog’s age and a person’s age (calculation is made using certain coefficients).
How to convert a dog's age to a human one, how many years do dogs have in a year of life by human standards: calculation
1st option for calculating a dog's age by by human standards(simplified):
According to this technique, 1 year of a dog’s life is equivalent to 7 human years.
Historical reference:
- In the mid-twentieth century, veterinarians equated a dog's age to a human's, based on the following simple ratio: a person lives on average 70 years, and the life expectancy of a dog is 10 years, which means that one dog year is equal to 7 human years.
This widespread ratio leaves some social features unaccounted for:
- The first 20 years of a person’s life are spent in full or partial dependence on their parents. During this period, a person learns the norms of morality and behavior in society, undergoes training in educational institutions, a new family is not created, and there is no need to talk about the birth of offspring at all - the breeding function becomes available much later.
- In the living world, everything works differently. For a one-year-old pet, whose age in human terms corresponds to 15 years, similar image life is a real luxury, so performing all work functions is quite accessible to him. The animal learns to get food, take care of itself, and navigate the world around it. A two-year-old pet has already formed its character; physically by this time it is considered fully mature.
Calculating a dog's age by human standards using LeBeau's theory:
- It just so happens that the authors of various theories for calculating the age of pets in accordance with human standards are not scientists, not zoologists, but veterinarians. The last ones are all yours work time are carried out next to four-legged pets, without delving into data analysis, numbers and the results of long-term studies.
- French veterinarian A. LeBeau is the author of the theory named after him, which takes into account the rapid rate of development of the level of social intelligence of a young dog in the first year of life. LeBeau made his conclusions based on the growth and development characteristics of people and dogs. The period of puberty of humans and pets, the period of maturity, as well as life expectancy were compared.
- According to LeBeau's theory, the development level of a one-year-old pet can be equated to human age, corresponding to 15 years, and at two years, the development of a pet can be correlated with 24 years of human age. One year of a dog’s life during this period is 9 human years; after the first two years of life, 4 human years are “added” to the pet’s age.
French veterinarian A. LeBeau is the author of a theory that takes into account the rapid pace of development of a puppy in the first year of life What did LeBeau leave out in his theory?
The French veterinarian, taking into account the calculation of age, did not take into account the influence of the size of his four-legged charges on the characteristics of their level of development.
Clayburgh's Law
- In accordance with the second theory, the age of a four-legged pet is calculated in accordance with Clayberg's "three-quarters" metabolic law. The law also turned out to be untenable.
- The reason is this: the basal metabolic rate depends on the weight of the body.
- There is a pattern here: the larger the animal, the longer duration his life. But with dogs, Clayberg’s law does not “work”, and the dependence of weight on the number of years lived is the opposite: dogs of small breeds live longer under normal conditions.
- However, there are some truthful points in Clayberg's law: with warm-blooded animals, the pattern of growth and metabolic rate is not in doubt.
- For example, if you compare the life expectancy of a mouse and an elephant. According to this scale, the dog occupies the middle place allocated by law. The age of a four-legged pet will not always correlate equally with a human, because not only weight, but also the breed of the pet has an influence.
According to Clayberg's law, the larger the animal, the longer its life expectancy. The age of a 78-year-old person corresponds to:
- 10 years old dog, if it is a giant breed
- 12 years of age if the pet is a large breed
- 14 years of age if a pet medium breed
- 15-16 years of age if the pet is a small breed
Based on the above, we can draw a conclusion regarding the inverse general dependence of the phenomenon within species (for example, mice, horses, people). If we talk about dogs, then dependence is expressed most clearly.
What Clayberg didn't take into account:
- The lifespan of an animal is also related to its heart rate. This is a rule common to members of the Animal Kingdom. 1 billion cuts is the lifespan of an animal. Small dog breeds live longer and have a higher heart rate.
- According to Clayberg's law, the life expectancy of an 80-kilogram mastiff should exceed the life expectancy of a 2-kilogram Chihuahua by 2.5 times. However, in fact, everything is different: a dog of such a large breed lives 1.5 times less.
- This can be explained this way: the insulin-like growth factor IGF-1 is released into the body throughout life, which cannot be said about growth hormone. Small breed dogs have higher concentrations of IGF-1. As a result, programmed cell death slows down and the dog’s body is not exposed to age-related diseases, which means aging slows down.
The lifespan of an animal is also related to its heart rate. This is a common rule among members of the Animal Kingdom. Modern system for converting human life into dog life:
Modern gerontological scientists base their conclusions on the fact that age-related changes dogs are related to its size. Therefore, you should not equate the eight-year age of a dachshund with the same age of a mastino. Yes, it’s not a completely logical approach, because age-related changes in people are the same, regardless of height and constitution. But an objective assessment of a dog’s age is possible if the breeds are divided into several weight categories.
An objective assessment of a dog's age is possible if breeds are divided into several weight categories
- The first group includes dogs of small breeds whose weight does not exceed 10 kg (Chihuahua, toy terrier, miniature poodle, Shih Tzu, Japanese Chin)
- The second group includes dogs of medium breeds whose weight reaches 10-25 kg (setters, bulldogs)
- The third group includes dogs large breeds, weighing from 25 to 45 kg (Afghan hound, Labrador)
- IN last group includes giant dogs weighing more than 45 kg (mastiff, great dane)
The first few years of life (3-4 years) the development of dogs, regardless of breed and size, is the same. During this period three years a dog's life corresponds to human 28 years
After this, for the giant dog comes next stage– aging. The body ages without slowing down. If a dog is medium-sized, then its body ages more slowly, and in very small dogs the rate of aging is as slow as possible.
After the pet turns 3 years old, you can add 4 years to its age with each subsequent year by human standards. What is the rate of aging in small breeds? After the pet turns 3 years old, you can add 4 years by human standards to its age with each subsequent year.
For a medium breed dog, 4.5 years are added when recalculating, for a large breed dog - an increase in age of 5 years.
How to determine the age of a dog by human standards: table of the age of a dog and a person
Using the table, you can independently determine the dog’s age in human terms, using the coefficient:
Video: How to find out the age of a dog. Actual age according to dog physiology
How many years do dogs live and should they live?
The lifespan of a dog, as mentioned above, is influenced by many factors. These include the pet’s height, weight, and health status. However, the existing injustice is this: the lifespan of our lovely four-legged pets, the most devoted and beloved, is short-lived compared to the life expectancy of other pets. If we talk about parrots, then some species in good conditions live up to 70 years, turtles, provided they are properly maintained, live 50 and 200 years.
How to determine biological age dogs?
The main stages of dog development occur in the first two years of life. At six months, a puppy's development can be compared to the age of a five-year-old child. In human terms, the most difficult period adolescence is the first year of a dog’s life.
At the age of two, the development of a dog by human standards corresponds to the age of 24, and at the age of 3 or 5 years the pet is already considered fully formed. This age is considered the period of canine maturity, and at the age of 9 the pet is already considered old. A 15-year-old dog is a real long-liver.
Video: Age of the dog
Long-lived dogs: records, breeds
Long-lived dog breeds:
- Yorkshire Terriers live up to 14-16 years.
- Poodles live up to 12-15 years.
- The Maltese Bichon can live up to 12-14 years.
- The Miniature Schnauzer lives up to 14 years. Long-lived dogs: Boston Terrier
One of the longest-living record holders is the dog Blue (owner - Lev Ball). The dog spent his entire life in the Australian city of Rochester and helped shepherds. The dog lived to be 28 years and 11 months.
Video: The oldest dog in the world. The long-lived dog lived 29 years 5 months
You need to know everything about your pet. After all, your friend’s health depends on you. But what if you adopted a dog from the street or just adopted it from a shelter? Since most people can have dogs only with documents, this important information may forever remain shrouded in secrecy. Contrary to popular belief, there are many ways to help you find out how old your pet is. In this article we will tell you about how dogs can be raised without any documents.
Common methods for determining the age of dogs
In cases where an animal comes to a shelter and there is no information about its origin, specialists determine the dog’s age by looking at its teeth. To get an idea of how much your little one tramples the ground shaggy friend, it is enough to know only certain patterns of the appearance and change of baby teeth.
Dog age table
Most dogs live twelve to fifteen years, but there are also individuals aged twenty years. The real record holder was Puske - she lived for twenty-six years and eight months. According to Russian system calculus (one dog year is equivalent to seven human years), her age was estimated at 182 years. But Japanese specialists work according to a slightly different scheme - officially the dog is “drawn” to be one hundred and twenty-five years old. Interesting fact: to your very own last days Puske felt just fine; the dog’s only health problems occurred when she was hit by a car several years before her death.
Experts identify several age groups in dogs:
- puppies (less than eight weeks old);
- young dogs (younger than eighteen months);
- adult dogs (over one and a half years old).
Features of the dentition of dogs
To know how to determine a dog's age based on its teeth, you need to have a basic understanding of the location of teeth. Dogs have forty-two teeth: twelve incisors, four canines, a pair on the lower jaw and twenty-four molars on both jaws. However, these days, anomalies are becoming more and more common, when the number of teeth can vary upward or, conversely, downward. dogs is expressed in the following numbers:
Note: the first number indicates the number of incisors, the second - canines, the third - molars, the so-called premolars (deciduous predecessors), and the fourth number - the number of molars - permanent teeth.
Basic principles
The principle of determining the age of a puppy or dog is based on the basic patterns of the eruption of baby teeth, their erasure, and then the appearance of permanent teeth and their erasure. Newborn puppies, of course, do not have any teeth. In older individuals, teeth wear down differently, it all depends on the diet and health of the animal. In determining the age of a dog, the incisors play the most noticeable role - each such tooth (more precisely, its crown) acts as three points (fields, teeth, points). It is important to remember that in most cases, both lateral incisors wear down over time to the point that they simply disappear.
Determining the age of a puppy by its teeth
As mentioned earlier, puppies are born toothless. Their first milk teeth and fangs appear on the twentieth or even twenty-fifth day of life. erupt in a small animal between the first and second months of life.
A young dog, like a person, acquires permanent teeth gradually. First, the incisors are replaced, and then the so-called false-rooted teeth. When the dog is eleven months old, he is guaranteed to have none left. baby tooth. When the dog turns one year old, she sparkles with a Hollywood smile for all of forty-two. It is this period that we will consider as a turning point - from this moment on, it is possible only by the intensity of the abrasion of the tubercles on the incisors, as well as by the grinding of the fangs.
Is it possible to determine the age of a dog using other principles?
Of course yes! But the trouble with all these methods is that they are all too approximate.
So, for a dog of twelve years old it is typical:
- Gray hair on the face. The older the dog, the more gray hair there is. Moreover, this gray hair can appear as early as six or seven years old. From six to twelve - wow the range of indicators, isn’t it?
- Deep-set, dull eyes.
- Cloudy pupils. Vision problems may occur.
- Soft back, lowered belly.
- Calluses on elbows and hocks.
- Dull, disheveled fur.
Now you know how to determine the age of a dog. As you can see, there are no difficulties in this process; even a person without special training. The only thing you should always take into account is the fact that many indicators can vary greatly up to a year.
There are cases when a dog does not have documents confirming its age. Perhaps you found it on the street, lost your documents, or simply no one initially cared about the need for them. In this case, you will definitely be faced with the need to determine the number of years of the pet. We will consider the methods that are used for this in the article below.
What is it for?
There are many reasons why you might need to determine the approximate age of your pet. Here are the most common ones. The age of the dog is very important for timely vaccination, since more vaccines are given at certain times. Thus, at a young age, vaccination is carried out every 12 months. And already in adulthood, your pet needs to be vaccinated much less frequently so as not to harm its health, since as it ages, the immune system becomes more vulnerable. Having information about the age of your pet, you can calculate the mating period. 
When deciding to undergo spaying and castration surgery for your pet, it is important to choose the appropriate period and not harm him. The most suitable period, according to veterinarians, is 6-7 years. Features of caring for a dog depend on its age. Therefore, having this information, you can provide it with the most suitable conditions to maintain her health. In case of loss of your pet’s personal documents, the procedure for establishing the age of the four-legged animal is inevitable to confirm the information you provided.
How to determine age
There are a lot effective ways, allowing you to determine the approximate age of the dog. We will consider the most popular of them below.
Did you know? Intelligence adult dog corresponds to the intelligence of a two-year-old child.
Tough
The most reliable method is considered to be one based on dental examination. In general, a dog has 28 primary teeth, and then 42 molars. But the younger the pet, the easier it is to determine its age. Experienced veterinarians can do this with an accuracy of up to a month, provided that the four-legged animal is no older than 3 years. This takes into account the peculiarities of their eruption in puppies and the nuances of the erasure of fangs in mature individuals. We propose to consider in detail the main transition stages. 
Newborn puppies have no teeth at all. The first milk teeth begin to erupt 20-25 days after birth. Incisors appear on the 30-35th day. Well, by 1.5-2 months the puppy’s dentition is completely complete. Starting from 2 one month old, milk teeth are gradually replaced by molars in the following order:
- 2-4 months - front incisors or hooks appear;
- 3-5 months - middle incisors or premolars are replaced;
- 4-6 months - edges;
- 5-6 months - fangs change.
- 7-14 months - the incisors form a three-pointed acute form without traces of abrasion and yellowing;
- 2 years - significant or complete wear of the tubercles on the mandibular hooks, the color of the tooth enamel is white;
- 4 years - the tubercles on the incisors wear off upper jaw, tooth enamel takes on a matte tint;
- 5 years - all the tubercles on the incisive teeth are completely erased, the enamel becomes pronounced yellow tint. The fangs become slightly dull;
- 6-7 years - the shape of the incisors becomes concave, and the bite has a pronounced deformation;
- 8-9 years - dental crowns are characterized by wear, fangs are short and blunt, tooth enamel turns yellow;
- 10 years and older - caries and tartar may appear on the teeth. Teeth may become loose and fall out. It is these signs that indicate that the dog is already at an advanced stage of development.
Important! After the dog reaches 10 years of age, it requires increased attention to the state of your health.
Coat
The method of determining age by coat should be used only in comprehensive analysis. Since this criterion alone does not always give reliable results, since the condition of a dog’s coat is influenced not only by age, but also by the characteristics of care and nutrition. And some breeds do not have fur at all. In general, a young animal’s coat is soft and silky with a beautiful healthy shine. 
As it gets older, it becomes tougher, duller, more heterogeneous, and more often dirty. Also, with maturity, the dog’s hairstyle takes on a bristling appearance. Gray hair is considered an important criterion for making a verdict regarding the age of a dog. Given that proper care For a pet, gray hair appears in the beard area and around the lips at the age of 6-7. However, in some individuals it may appear as early as 3 years of age, which is due to individual pigmentation characteristics.
By the eyes
An animal's eyes are a reflection of its physical and psychological state. In young individuals they are distinguished by clarity, brilliance and even an emission of joy and playfulness. In older individuals, the eyes become cloudy, especially the pupils, dull and opaque. Often, a dog's eyes become deep-set in old age. She may experience decreased vision and tearing.
Important! You need to be careful because the turbidity in eyeball and tearing may indicate that your pet has an eye disease. Therefore, if these symptoms appear in your pet and they are not typical for his age, you should immediately contact a veterinarian.
By activity and muscle tone
A young dog is noticeably different in behavioral characteristics and muscle tone. She is very active, sleeps little, and most busy with running and other active games. She has a very good and fast response. While an elderly dog likes to sleep and walk less. He basically replaces even running with walking. 
The young pet has developed muscles and good muscle tone. This is easily felt when stroking the four-legged one. U old dog decreased tone is observed, and the muscle corset is characterized by sagging. There are frequent cases of obesity, which is associated with a passive lifestyle. You may notice calluses on your joints and elbows.
Did you know? The Lundehund dog breed has 6 toes on each paw.
How old is a dog by human standards?
Unfortunately, dogs are given a fairly short life path compared to a person. They mature and grow very quickly. So, between the puppy and adult The difference is only a couple of years. Full development of a dog’s body occurs between 2 and 5 years. At this age, her maximum energy is achieved.
And from the age of 7-8 years, the aging process begins. Their average lifespan is only 10-13 years. Few people make it past the age of 15. Of course, a lot here depends on the owners and on the conditions that they create for their pets, as well as on the breed, health, diet and mobility of the individual individual. So, for example, fox terriers are considered long-livers, since their life expectancy often reaches 18-20 years, and german shepherds and boxers live 12-13 years. In order to determine the age of a dog by human standards, many believe that it should simply be multiplied by a factor of 7. However, this is a false opinion. Because each year has a different coefficient. The exact calculation of the correspondence of dog years to human standards is presented in the table below.| Dog age | Coefficient | Person's age (number of years) |
| 2 months | 7 | 14 months |
| 6 months | 10 | 5 |
| 8 months | 12,5 | 9 |
| 1 year | 14 | 14 |
| 1,5 | 13,3 | 20 |
| 2 | 12 | 24 |
| 3 | 10 | 30 |
| 4 | 9 | 36 |
| 5 | 8 | 40 |
| 6 | 7 | 42 |
| 7 | 7 | 49 |
| 8 | 7 | 56 |
| 9 | 7 | 63 |
| 10 | 6,5 | 65 |
| 11 | 6,5 | 71 |
| 12 | 6,3 | 75 |
| 13 | 6,2 | 80 |
| 14 | 6 | 84 |
| 15 | 5,8 | 87 |
| 16 | 5,6 | 89 |
The dog's health and life expectancy, as well as its suitability physical condition real age directly depend on the living conditions created for it by man. Therefore, if you decide one day to get a pet in the form of a dog, you must understand all the responsibility that is entrusted to you.
If you find a puppy on the street and want to find out its age, then this is not difficult to do. Any dog develops over time character traits growing up or aging, just like in humans. They are most easily identified by large breeds dogs, with small ones everything is much more complicated, since deviations from the norm are too common. Among veterinarians, the most truthful way is to determine the age of a dog by its teeth. It will be a little more difficult for an inexperienced person to do this, but it is quite possible. In this article you will learn not only to find out the age of your pet by its teeth, but also to determine it by other signs.
How to find out a dog's age by its teeth
As you know, dogs live from eleven to seventeen years, sometimes this period reaches twenty years. Any dog is formally considered a puppy until it is eighteen months old, after which it becomes an adult. Try to determine age using this pattern:
- Look for the dog's incisors - these are the very front teeth and, as a rule, there are six of them on the upper and lower sides. Only twelve pieces. It is the incisors that indicate the age of the dog after a year of life: they begin to actively turn yellow and wear out. If your dog has straight white teeth and his incisors meet each other, then he is still a one-year-old puppy.
- When the incisors turn yellow and do not close together, as if they are a little worn out, then the dog’s age can be established as two years old.
- Between the ages of three and five, the incisors wear out noticeably and all turn yellow.
- After six to seven years, the dog has only “stumps” from its incisors. They become very short, with a large space visible between them.
The age of puppies up to one year can also be determined by their teeth:
- A dog's molars grow by seven months, and until five months they are all baby teeth.
- As a rule, baby teeth can be identified: they are very light, small and loose.
You can also pay attention to the fangs. They reach their maximum size by two years, after which they become dull and shorter.
External signs of age in dogs
Of course, the dog’s appearance also changes over time:
- Gray hair appears by the age of six. In this case, the first hairs are located at the withers. Stroke your dog against the grain, you may notice gray undercoat;
- Gray hair on the face appears only at the age of eight;
- A dog's eyes turn pale in old age. She may have cataracts, or simply age-related changes;
- Find the hock joints on the paws. If the dog is more than three years old, then rough calluses will form on them. The older the dog, the larger and rougher the wear becomes.
- Muscle tone is lost by the age of seven: the back becomes softer and the stomach sag.
In general, you can tell by appearance: A puppy or an adult is standing in front of you.
How to accurately determine a dog's age
Unfortunately, only a veterinarian can tell the exact age of a dog. If you are very concerned about this issue, then it is better to consult a doctor. Very often, veterinarians have special cards that show the dog’s age accurate to within a week.
The sooner you begin to determine the dog's age, the more accurately you will know it. The thing is that it is much easier to track active changes in a dog’s body when he is small. With age, all processes become slower. Take care of your pet and find out its age right away.
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