If you’re adopting a dog or have picked up a stray, then you may not know the age of the little guy.
Luckily, there is an easy way to guess the correct age of a dog!
All you have to do it look at the puppy’s teeth to determine its age.
Sounds crazy, but it is true.
Just one caveat – this is not an exact science, but it will give you an idea of the dog’s age.
Keep reading to learn about the teeth method for telling how old a puppy is when you don’t know when it was born.
How Puppy Teeth Show You The Dog’s Age
There are a few things you should know about using the teeth method to get a dog’s age.
All of a puppy’s baby teeth should come in and be there between the ages of 3 weeks old and 6 weeks old, though it make take longer for some dogs.
Your puppy gets all of his adult teeth between the ages of 12 weeks old and 24 weeks old.
For puppies, knowing if they have their baby teeth or adult teeth is often the easiest way to guess the age.
For adult dogs, the wear on the teeth is what clues you in to the age of the dog.
But, there is on thing that can trick you here – the dental care the dog has received.
Withe regular brushing and dental care, a dog has healthier teeth that may make it seem younger than it really is.
The Stages Of Puppy Teeth
Here’s a quick look at how the teeth of a dog change as it ages, which helps you to determine the age of the dog.
Birth to 6-8 weeks old
During this period is when you will see the full set of baby teeth come in.
At the start, they just have little gums before the baby teeth start poking through.
12 weeks to 16 weeks old
This is when you start to notice those baby teeth falling out.
And that means that your puppy is teething again before the first adult teeth start to come in.
Watch the front teeth for the first new adult teeth.
16 weeks to 24 weeks old
This is when the rest of the adult teeth start filling in your dogs mouth.
These are the back teeth, which are the last adult teeth to come in for dogs.
7 months to 2 years old
Sometime in this period is when noticeable tartar starts to build up on your puppy’s teeth.
Often this is most noticeable on the back teeth.
3 years to 5 years old
During this period, the teeth will get more tartar buildup.
You’ll also notice signs of wear on the dog’s teeth.
5 years to 10 years old
During this stage of your dog’s life, there will be more noticeable wearing down of the teeth.
Some dental issues will also likely be present in the dog’s mouth.
10 years to 15 years old
Here at the last stage of a dog’s life, the mouth will likely have some missing teeth.
Also expect to see heavy signs of wear and an excessive build up of tartar on the teeth.
Other Ways To Tell Your Puppy’s Age
If you’re still having trouble assessing the age of your puppy, then there are some other options for you to try.
1. Look for signs of aging
Often is is easy to tell an older dog from a younger one simply by looking at their coat.
Older dogs tend to have gray, or lighter, fur in their coats.
An older dog may also exhibit problems like joint pain or pain from canine arthritis while walking.
2. Check the eyes
If you’re getting a recently born puppy, then the eyes may give away the age.
Until they are two weeks old, puppies are mostly blind and they eyes have this grayish tint to them.
3. Check the hearing
Puppies aren’t born being able to hear all that well.
In fact, it is not until they are between the ages of 2 weeks old and 4 weeks old that their ear canals open up enough for them to be able to hear properly.
4. Is your puppy clingy?
Until puppies reach around 12 weeks old, they are incredibly clingy.
They don’t yet have the confidence to venture out on their own and just want to stay close to you and be comforted.
Final Word
As you can see, a dogs teeth are your key to finding out the age of your dog.
While canine teeth won’t give you an exact age, they do give you a pretty good idea of the puppy’s age.
But don’t worry if you cannot tell by the teeth alone, because there are a few other options for you.