There are several ways to tell the age of your puppy, but the most reliable one is by looking at the teeth. Although teeth can never be 100% accurate, this is still the most reliable way. Another good method is to pick a date, such as your puppy’s birthday, and celebrate it every year.
Deciduous premolars
The appearance of a puppy’s deciduous premolars can help you determine the age of your dog. The deciduous teeth start to emerge between the ages of three and twelve weeks and are replaced by the permanent teeth by about six months. A puppy’s canines erupt first, followed by the incisors and premolars. By about eight months of age, its permanent teeth will have fully erupted.
Deciduous premolars are the broader teeth that start to erupt at three to four weeks old. They contain 12 teeth and are arranged in pairs – three on each side. As the puppy grows older, the premolars begin to fall out. These teeth are replaced by permanent teeth, which are a bit harder to predict. Puppies are born with three pairs of baby premolars, or baby teeth.
While a puppy starts out with 28 deciduous teeth, it will have 42 permanent teeth once it reaches adulthood. These teeth are also called milk teeth and will fall out sometime between fourteen and thirty weeks of age. At this point, puppies may still have tooth buds from these baby teeth when eating or sleeping.
Once these teeth are fully developed, they will begin pressing against the deciduous teeth and stimulating them to fall out. After the deciduous teeth fall out, the adult teeth will eventually replace them. If a puppy still has a tooth in its mouth that is infected or injured, the veterinarian may recommend extraction.
Depending on the number and location of deciduous teeth, the gums can also indicate the age of your puppy. Ensure that you give your puppy consistent dental care. This is best for his health and happiness.
Permanent canines
At three to four months, the puppy starts to develop its permanent canines (teeth). These shiny white teeth are known as incisors. They have three cusps and are divided into two rows on either side. In general, puppies have twenty upper teeth and twenty lower teeth by their first birthday.
In addition, the teeth will tell you the puppy’s age. After three to five months, all the permanent canines will be in. Until one year of age, the teeth will remain white and clean. At three to five years, the teeth will begin to show tartar buildup.
Puppies begin to open their eyes when they are about two to three weeks old. They have a limited amount of vision. They also have baby teeth called deciduous teeth. These teeth are much sharper than their permanent counterparts. Those of you who have had pets know the pain associated with bites and scratches from the puppies’ baby teeth.
However, teeth can also provide a rough estimate of age. A veterinarian can tell the age of a puppy by the health and condition of the teeth. Teeth are only a rough indication, and teeth that fall out earlier in some breeds than others may have problems. If you’re unsure of the age of a puppy, it’s best to take it to a vet immediately.
Another way to tell the age of a puppy is by observing how it behaves. A puppy will be more playful and enthusiastic when it is young, which shows it has reached a developmental milestone.
Size
Knowing the size of a puppy can be an easy way to identify the age of a puppy. You can also take a look at the puppy’s paws to estimate its size. Some breeds have small paws, while others have large paws. However, the paw size may not be the most accurate way to gauge your puppy’s age.
Puppies’ sizes depend on the breed, and growth occurs at the fastest rate during the first 6 to 12 weeks of life. In fact, some puppies will reach 75% of their adult height at this age. Large breed dogs take up to 12 months to fully mature. For medium breeds, it’s easy to guess their size from their age.
The size of mixed-breed puppies can be more difficult to gauge. The size of a purebred puppy will usually be fairly consistent across the breeds, but in mixed breeds, it’s harder to predict. If you don’t know the breed of your dog, you can request a DNA test. However, this will take some weeks.
The first set of adult teeth will grow in a puppy’s mouth and face around six months of age. By seven months, tartar will begin to build around the back teeth, which is a natural part of the puppy’s aging process. As long as you pay close attention to the teeth, you’ll be able to tell your puppy’s age easily. In addition to the teeth, puppies’ eyes are another reliable indicator of age. A puppy younger than two weeks old will have blueish-gray eyes. In addition, puppies’ ears will not fully open until at least four weeks old, so you’ll need to keep a close eye on their development.
The second method to tell the age of a puppy is to take them to the veterinarian for an examination. A vet will be able to examine the puppy’s teeth and give a rough estimate of the age. However, the accuracy of this method is never 100%. For that reason, you should always remember that a puppy’s teeth and size are an indication of its age.
Color
One of the easiest ways to tell when a puppy is over two weeks old is by observing the color of the puppy’s eyes. Puppies have tightly closed eyes for the first two weeks of their life. During this time, the puppy depends on smell and reflexes to navigate its nest. Until then, it is impossible to tell a puppy’s age by looking at the color of his eyes.
You can also tell the age of a puppy by looking at the color of its feet. If he or she has brown & white hair on its feet, it is a roan. The pads of the back foot tend to darken sooner than those on the front foot. A full red headed tri will have black & red hair on its head.
The colors of Shih Tzu puppies can vary a lot. At birth, they have a soft blue or a liver coat. This coat will eventually change to a mixture of soft and hard hairs. Many of these puppies will eventually become a sandy color. The Kerry blue terrier, for example, is named for its bluish coat, but it does not develop this color until the dog is around six to eighteen months old.
Size and appearance are also good indicators of age. While the size of a puppy will provide a rough estimate, determining the exact size of a puppy is more difficult. Different breeds grow at different rates, so it is best to see how much the puppy has grown. Another easy way to tell the age of a puppy is to examine its teeth and behavior. A puppy with tooth problems will usually act restless and sleep a lot. Puppies will also lose their puppy coats and gain an adult coat. The difference between the two is that the puppy’s coat is soft, while the adult coat is more dense.
Ears
The most basic way to tell the age of a puppy is by looking at its ears. Puppies begin with closed floppy ears and gradually begin to stand them up, forming the pinna. Ears usually start standing up around 2-3 weeks of age, although this can vary from puppy to puppy. German Shepherd puppies are one of the breeds that have ears that stand upright by five months, as the cartilage in their ears is strong enough to support their weight.
Typically, ears of puppies that are four months and older are erect and leaning towards each other. Puppies with big ears can have difficulties standing up, and this is a sign that they may need a lot of help in developing their ears. If you think your puppy’s ears are too big, you should look for another breed that has smaller ears.
Puppies have closed eyes at one week of age and will begin opening around 10 or 16 days of age. Initially, they won’t be able to see very well, but over the following weeks, they will open more and develop into grayish blue eyes. The eyes will continue to develop throughout the following weeks, and puppies will have full vision by eight weeks of age. During the first three to four weeks of life, puppies tend to be more active and playful. They have a cute mischievous attitude.
If you think your puppy has an ear problem, you should get it checked by a veterinarian. Ear problems are usually the result of underlying problems, such as allergies or parasites. You should never attempt to treat a dog’s ear problems by yourself or with home medicines.