There are so many suggestions out there to calculate your dog’s age. The most popular misunderstanding is that a dog ages seven years for every calendar yet. According to dogster.com “canine aging is much more rapid during the first 2 years of a dog's life. After the first 2 years the ratio settles down to 5 to 1 for small and medium breeds. For large breeds the rate is 6 to 1, and for giant breeds the rate is 7 to 1. Thus, at 10 years of age a Great Danewould be 80 years old while a pug would only be 64.”
There are a few ways a veterinarian can get a good idea of how old a dog really is including teeth, muscle tone, the eyes and the coat.
Most dogs will have a set of pearly white permanent teeth by seven months. Between one and two years old dogs can get some yellowing on the back teeth and between three and five years old dogs can have minimal tartar build up on their teeth. Older dogs may have rigorous wear or even missing teeth.
Excellent muscle tone usually indicates a younger dog as older dogs that have decreased activity can sometimes be a bit scrawny or somewhat plump.
Younger dogs commonly have brighter clear eyes while older dogs ten to have cloudy or opaque eyes.
As a dog ages their coat can become thicker, coarser and sometimes oilier and if they are like my twelve and a half year old border collie they can also get patches of white or gray. While the softer, fine coat is reserved for the younger dogs an older dog can still have a soft coat.
Hopefully that information is helpful but it's always best to check with a veterinarian for the most accurate assessment of a dog's age and health.
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