Often a dog ends up in a family without documents. The pet is found on the street or received from previous owners who did not care to provide the necessary information about the animal. In such cases, the new owner has to make every effort to find out how to determine the dog’s age. Knowing how old the pet is, the dog owner will be able to promptly take the necessary measures that will prolong the life of the pet and preserve its health. There are several ways to determine age by external signs.
How to determine a dog's age
Life expectancy and age groups
Dogs live on average from 9 to 20 years. This factor largely depends on the size of the animal. Small breed dogs usually live to older ages than their larger counterparts. Giant dogs such as mastiffs, Great Danes and St. Bernards have the shortest life cycle. There are three main groups into which all dogs can be roughly divided:
- puppy;
- young animals;
- adult representative of the species.
Technically, a dog can be considered a puppy for the first two months of its life
From the moment of birth until 8 weeks, the animal is considered to be a puppy. From this age until reaching 18 months - young animals. Dogs over this age are considered adults.
Lifestyle
Regardless of where the German Shepherd lives - in an apartment or in the courtyard of a country house, it needs daily long walks in the fresh air. By nature, it has a need for physical activity and an active lifestyle. Without the opportunity to spend energy, the dog’s character begins to deteriorate, excessive excitability and nervousness appear. Therefore, outdoor activities are simply necessary for her.
Most dogs, due to their intelligence, are happy to learn various commands, but German shepherds are especially successful in this. For as long as they have lived next to a person, they have always been distinguished by their ability to remember words and entire phrases spoken by their owner. These dogs can be very happy to work out on the training ground or just chase a ball.
It has been established that shepherd dogs living in rural areas, where there are all opportunities for active pastime, live much longer than their counterparts who are forced to live in comfortable apartments. Therefore, in order for a city pet to live as long as possible, it needs to be provided with physical activity. Long walks, training on the training ground, running behind a bicycle - these are the activities that German shepherds prefer. How long these dogs live in the house is how long they will have to do this. The loads decrease only in the pet’s adulthood, when it becomes difficult for him to move a lot.
How to understand how many months a puppy is
The easiest way to find out a puppy's age is to examine its teeth. This technique allows you to most accurately determine how old your pet is. Any dog’s teeth change only once in its life, just like a person’s. By the timing of the appearance of certain milk teeth, you can determine how many months the puppy is, and by the change of teeth, you can determine the age of a young dog.
The number of teeth of a puppy and an adult dog is different
At birth, puppies are toothless. The first teeth appear by 20-25 days of life. At the age of one month, the front row of incisors and canines are already fully formed. Before the puppy is two months old, all the remaining baby teeth grow in.
Molars are visually very easy to distinguish from milk teeth, which are much smaller and have sharper edges.
When the puppy is 3 months old, the process of replacing teeth begins. In this case, the milk ones fall out in a certain order and new ones grow in their place. By six months, all the teeth had already changed. At seven months, molars are formed in places where there were no dairy plants. This completes the process of tooth formation in a dog.
Teething in puppies
A healthy adult dog normally has 42 teeth, while puppies have only 28.
Table 1. Frequency of growth and replacement of teeth in a puppy
| Appearance of teeth | Age |
| Front row of baby teeth | 1 month |
| Lateral milk teeth | 2 month |
| Replacement of front incisors, hooks | 2-4 months |
| Replacement of lateral incisors, premolars | 3-5 months |
| Outskirts | 4-6 months |
| Fangs | 5-6 months |
| Growth of missing molars | 6-7 months |
Large breed puppies tend to have teeth that grow a little faster than small breed puppies.
The tooth replacement scheme is relevant provided that the bite is correct and the dog is in normal health. If the animal has any diseases or was kept in improper conditions, the rate of growth and replacement of teeth may differ from the norm.
Teeth arrangement
Main features: head
The head of a true German is moderately developed and proportional from an early age. The forehead is slightly convex and not wide. The transition from the forehead to the muzzle in the early stages of development is not too sharp, the muzzle is not as pointed as in adults. The nose is relatively large and black. In mongrels, unlike purebred shepherd dogs, the frontal sulcus is clearly developed. Five clearly visible moles are found near the corners of the animal's mouth - a distinctive feature of the breed.
The eyes of a natural German are often dark brown, without spots, and almond-shaped. In small puppies the color may be smoky blue. The eyes of mongrel dogs look bulging and round. Shepherds have a focused and inquisitive look.
A natural German has a scissor bite, the gaps between the teeth do not exceed 1-2 millimeters. There are no fused or double teeth in the mouth.
A small puppy's ears appear either floppy or erect. By the age of 2 months, the dog’s ears rise and become erect. Mongrel dogs' ears do not rise and remain lop-eared forever.
Method for determining the number of years lived by an adult dog
In an adult dog, the accuracy of determining the number of years lived is lower than in puppies. To ensure that the information received is as close as possible to the real state of affairs, several technologies are used simultaneously.
Determining age by dental condition
Determination by teeth is the most common way to determine age. Over time, the condition and appearance of the teeth changes and this makes it possible to determine how old the animal is without any problems.
Dogs' teeth change over time
The accuracy in this case directly depends on the conditions in which the dog was previously kept and the diseases it had. Sometimes the error can reach up to two years.
After all the teeth are formed, they gradually begin to wear off and change color:
- In animals from one to two years old, the edges of the teeth are sharp and have characteristic protrusions, shaped like a trefoil;
- At 2 years old, these tubercles begin to wear off, but the teeth remain white. By the age of four, the tubercles are no longer noticeable. The teeth begin to fade and acquire a dull grayish tint;
- At the age of 5, the color of the teeth begins to change to yellow, and the fangs gradually become dull. From 6 to 8 years, the incisors acquire a concave shape, and a clearly visible yellow coating appears. The fangs are completely dull by this time. In some cases, stone appears on the teeth;
By age five, wear on a dog's teeth can be visible to the naked eye.
- At 8-10 years of age, the dog’s teeth acquire a distinct yellow or light brown color, and the fangs shorten and become less sharp. The hooks take on an oval shape;
- After 12 years the dog is at an advanced age. During this period, teeth may become loose and an incorrect bite may appear due to a violation of the position of the teeth. Some individuals lose some of their teeth.
In an old animal, the enamel becomes brown.
What determines the deviation from the age-appropriate norm?
Often, tooth wear can be slowed down or accelerated under the influence of certain factors. Improper fixation of the jaws is one of the main reasons for rapid abrasion. If the dog initially has a scissor bite, the process occurs much faster. When determining age, it should be taken into account that with such a bite, teeth wear down twice as fast. With an underbite, on the contrary, the hooks on the lower jaw can remain in almost perfect condition.
Bite influences the rate of tooth wear
Dogs of toy breeds often develop calcareous deposits on their teeth. This causes them to prematurely loosen and crumble, inappropriate for their age.
A dog's diet throughout its life also has a big impact on the rate at which teeth wear down. Too hard food leads to rapid abrasion. Soft, porridge-like food provokes the formation of tartar, inflammatory processes in the oral cavity and crumbling of teeth. Sometimes dogs tend to chew on unsuitable things, which also leads to faster abrasion. In most cases, this happens in nurseries, where animals develop the habit of gnawing on the iron bars of the cage.
Dogs' dental health worsens when they chew on inappropriate objects.
If a dog is forced to carry heavy objects in its mouth throughout its life, its teeth will wear down faster.
In the modern world, many veterinary clinics offer services for cementing and strengthening dog teeth. If the animal has undergone a similar procedure in the past, the rate of abrasion will be significantly lower than under normal circumstances. Cleaning your pet's teeth, which can be done at home, will also help keep your teeth looking their best. We will talk about how such cleaning occurs and how to set the dog in the right mood below.
Cleaning the dog's teeth
Another pathology that does not occur too often, but may be the reason for incorrect determination of age based on the condition of the teeth, is missing milk teeth. In this case, a double row of teeth is formed and this affects the rate of abrasion.
Double row of teeth in a dog
Main features: general appearance
- The German has a wide, powerful and developed chest. Mutts often have narrow or barrel-shaped chests. The body of a purebred dog is elongated, the back is straight, the neck is long and strong. The purebred young German has a short back and lower back; on the contrary, the shoulder girdle and hips look massive.
- The paws of a purebred German Shepherd puppy are long, with well-developed muscles and certainly straight. There are no dewclaws. When moving, the front and rear paws should be flat on the surface.
- It is problematic to determine the pedigree of a small dog by appearance and color. However, let us highlight a number of special features. Puppies have a black or black and tan coat color; clear light or white spots are not allowed. It is not uncommon for babies to have a light undercoat that goes away after the first molt.
- Natural German Shepherd puppies have coats that are slightly rough to the touch. The coat of mongrel dogs is in most cases much softer.
- German leather does not form folds or sag and is elastic.
According to most dog handlers, a simple way to determine the purebred of a shepherd is through training. A purebred dog, already from the age of two months, is perfectly trainable and easily remembers commands and readily carries them out. Mongrels are less easy to train.
Understand the purpose of purchasing a pet. If you want to participate in various exhibitions and competitions, you need a purebred puppy with a good pedigree. The seller always has documents available for noble young animals. If you got a dog for your soul, by and large, thoroughbred is not important. Even if it turns out that your pet does not have a breed, you should not throw the puppy out into the street. Surround your dog with love, care and attention - and the dog will repay you handsomely.
Additional methods for determining a dog's age
If it was not possible to obtain complete information on the condition of the teeth, you need to take a closer look at other factors. They do not provide such an accurate picture, but can serve as additional parameters for clarification.
Wool
Assessing the condition of the coat is used only in combination with other methods. As an independent method, it is often ineffective. The condition of the coat can be influenced by many factors, the main ones being the dog’s nutrition and care.
Young animals have smooth and shiny fur
A young healthy animal has a soft, silky coat, which becomes stiffer and becomes duller and brittle with age. In older dogs, the coat has a patchy, heterogeneous structure, and dirt accumulates on it more quickly.
Gray hairs around the mouth and nose begin to appear in individuals over 6 years of age. Some dogs begin to go gray as early as 3 years old. Most often this is due to the peculiarities of metabolic processes in the body and pigmentation.
Gray hair on the face is a sure sign of an older dog.
Eye condition
Puppies and young dogs have clear and shiny eyes, but with age they become increasingly cloudy and dull. In some breeds, the set of the eyes deepens as they age. As dogs age, their eyesight decreases and their tearing may increase.
Muscle tone and activity
Young dogs are more active. They are active, always ready to play and run. Old animals prefer walking at a walk and try to sleep a lot.
An older dog spends most of the day sleeping
When stroking, one can notice a stronger and more developed muscle frame of young animals. With age, muscles become more flabby. With a passive lifestyle, old animals are prone to obesity.
Video - How to determine the age of a dog by external signs
Common features
The message refers to the pet's tail. The tail of a purebred dog looks straight, saber-shaped and droops downwards. But judging by a single sign is wrong. The tail can change as it grows, you need to look at the totality of signs.
Purebred puppies often look awkward at first. By about two months, they begin to grow very quickly and gain weight, literally before our eyes. The body stretches out and gains the proportions necessary for a shepherd dog. Mutts don't grow that fast.
Relationship between a dog's age and human years
Previously, there was an opinion that one dog year is equal to seven human years. This calculation may not be completely correct. A dog develops at different rates at different periods of its life.
One human year is not always equal to seven dog years
From birth to one and a half years, the animal goes through childhood and adolescence. That is, one and a half dog years correspond to 16-17 human years. By two years of age, it is a fully developed adult animal, which is close to a person reaching their 25th birthday.
From the third year of life, the dog's development becomes much slower. From now on, the 1:7 count is already more acceptable for the ratio. In any case, it is necessary to take into account the characteristics of the breed and the size of the animal. Small dogs age much more slowly than their large relatives. Also, the life expectancy of small dogs is longer than that of representatives of giant breeds.
When calculating the age of an animal, its size should be taken into account
For small dogs, an acceptable calculation is that the year of a dog is equal to 5 years of a person. For medium-sized breeds, the most suitable ratio is 1:6.
Good living conditions, proper nutrition and quality care can somewhat slow down the aging of a dog. Pets that live warm and comfortable have a longer life cycle than their stray counterparts.
Table 2. Correlation between dog and human age
| Pet age | Equality of the ratio of 1 dog year to human years in a given period | Age by human standards |
| 2 months | 1:7 | 14 months |
| 6 months | 1:10 | 5 years |
| 1 year | 1:14 | 14 |
| 2 | 1:12 | 24 |
| 3 | 1:10 | 30 |
| 4 | 1:9 | 36 |
| 5 | 1:8 | 40 |
| 6 | 1:7 | 42 |
| 7 | 1:7 | 49 |
| 8 | 1:7 | 56 |
| 9 | 1:7 | 63 |
| 10 | 1:6,5 | 65 |
| 11 | 1:6,5 | 71 |
| 12 | 1:6,2 | 75 |
| 13 | 1:6,2 | 80 |
| 14 | 1:6 | 84 |
| 15 | 1:5,8 | 87 |
| 16 | 1:5,6 | 89 |
Taking care of your health
German Shepherds are one of the breeds whose health is rarely a concern for owners. However, there are some diseases inherent to them. These are primarily various skin problems - allergies and dermatitis. Diet control and timely vaccination help to cope with them. Adult dogs eating natural food sometimes suffer. In these cases, surgical intervention is urgently required.
In the home of an attentive and caring owner, the life expectancy of a German Shepherd will be much longer than accepted norms.
The process of training a shepherd is raising the dog to a certain intellectual level, beyond which psychophysiological limitations will not allow it to rise. But even within accessible limits, the German Shepherd demonstrates excellent results in education and training.
A dog's training strategy should be based on knowledge of the key periods of its life. This provision is formed on the basis of experience in raising and training German shepherds. If a puppy is taken away from its mother too early, it will stop perceiving other dogs as its relatives and will conflict with them, since it will become too accustomed to people and will no longer feel like a dog. And vice versa - puppies that have been in the kennel for too long have difficulty getting used to people and cannot adapt to life next to them.
At each period of its life, a German Shepherd puppy requires a certain approach to education and training.
Socialization of a shepherd is its psychological adaptation, getting used to the environment where it will have to exist. The owner must help the dog in this process.
The German Shepherd breed was bred specifically to live next to humans, so the socialization period between 6 and 10 weeks of age is critical for it. During this not too long period of time, the puppy develops behavioral skills in the society of relatives and people. You should give your pet maximum attention by making the socialization program varied.
Between 2 and 5 months of age, puppies require maximum attention.
In such a short period of time, the puppy must learn as much as possible about the world around him, so his perception cannot be limited only to the walls of the apartment. Otherwise, your pet may develop distrust, anger, lack of communication and aggressiveness or cowardice.
To raise an intelligent and confident shepherd, you need to develop your puppy's natural desire to make independent decisions by giving him interesting tasks and gradually making them more difficult.
Rewarding him for even trying to do what you want him to do will bring joy to your pet. German Shepherds sense their owner's mood very subtly.
Let's take a closer look at what happens to the puppy at each stage of its growth.
The first 2 weeks of a puppy’s life are physiological: he needs warmth, food and sleep.
The baby can only shake his head and crawl in a circle, reaching the mother’s body, which is a source of warmth and food. The puppy has a sucking instinct, and when he eats, he makes rhythmic movements with his front paws near the bitch's nipple, while pushing off with his hind paws. Thus, the baby massages the nipple, which promotes milk production. These reflex movements are called the milk step, and subsequently, on the basis of this reflex, the puppy gives its paw to the owner, demonstrating its obedience and friendliness. The puppy's biotonus, i.e. its vitality, is determined by how quickly it finds its mother's nipple, with what strength it holds on to it and how quickly it sucks. The baby's sense of smell also depends on his biotone. Only puppies with good life potential are allowed for breeding.
A grown-up puppy gives a paw in memory of the milk step reflex
Puppies begin to see on the 10th–12th day after birth, and their need for physical contact with their mother gradually weakens.
During the first 2 weeks, it is also necessary to monitor how the puppy gains weight. Very often babies, larger at birth, later begin to lag behind their brothers.
The third week of life for German Shepherd puppies is characterized by the awakening of hearing and improved vision. At first, the baby reacts to noise only by twitching, since this body function is not yet fully manifested. At this age, the puppy has contact only with its mother and not with its brothers and sisters. By the end of the week, the baby can already stand and walk and can begin to be given mushy food.
This period begins when the puppy reaches 4 weeks of age and continues until 7 weeks. At this time, the baby realizes that he is a dog and learns to be one; moreover, he begins to comprehend the surrounding reality. The puppy’s information flow at this time is so powerful that dog experts call this period the explosion stage.
At this age, puppies begin to play with their mother and with each other, learn to bite, maintain discipline, and male dogs become aware of their gender. A leader is identified in the litter and a hierarchy is established.
The established relationships with other puppies will later become the basis for relationships with adult dogs, and then the basis of relationships in the person-dog-group of dogs system.
During this period, you can begin training your baby, as his reflexes are forming, and his sensitivity is already quite high.
Adaptation to the environment is a short period of learning during the critical or sensitive phase of the puppy.
The period of imprinting is when the puppy adapts. He learns to follow his mother, adapts to her, developing a conditioned reflex, which is subsequently transferred to the person. If you do not pay enough attention to the baby at this time, he will not be able to adapt properly and this will negatively affect his future relationships with the surrounding reality.
Since adaptation of a puppy occurs through the senses, it is very important that the baby is in close contact with people and that the person becomes a fellow species for him. Your pet needs to see, smell and feel people, and be in contact with them for as long as his sociability allows.
The number of people your puppy will come into contact with should not be limited to just you, his owner, and your family members.
The German Shepherd will be constantly exposed to human society throughout its life, so during the imprinting period it must interact with a large number of people in order to properly adapt.
The puppy is not afraid of humans until the 8th week of life; for him, every contact brings joy. If you limit such contacts at this time, then later strangers may begin to cause fear in your pet and a desire to hide.
During this period, the puppy lays the foundation for successful training - the pleasure of contact with a person. It is necessary to accustom your baby to a nickname at this age.
At the age of 8 weeks, it is best to take the puppy away from its mother, since from this moment the socialization period begins, lasting from 4 to 8 weeks. At this time, the baby is curious and friendly, so forming contact with the new owner is quite easy. Your pet will explore its new environment with endless energy. This applies not only to your apartment, but also to the territory in which you will walk him.
During the socialization period, a puppy has a very high degree of learning, so it is important to begin training him as soon as you bring him into your home. Since the baby already knows his nickname, start teaching him the commands “Place!”, “Walk!”, “Come to me!”. Your pet may not succeed at first, but be patient and the results will be noticeable fairly quickly.
Before the puppy reaches the age of 8 weeks, you cannot begin training the commands “Sit!”, “Lie down!”, “Ugh!” and “You can’t!”, since such a rush can lead to nervous overload of your pet, which can cause illness.
German Shepherd puppies are especially vulnerable from the 8th to the 11th week of life, so treat them very kindly and patiently, and protect them from stress. If your pet needs to have a hernia removed, then postpone this painful process to a later date.
Try to make your puppy's vaccinations easier and make the trip to the vet less stressful.
During the period of socialization of the puppy, the testes descend into the scrotum from the abdominal cavity. Sometimes only one testicle may descend, which is not a sign of infertility, however, such males are not allowed to breed, since this defect is often inherited. Also quite often, tumors begin to develop in undescended testes.
It should be noted that you must raise your pet not only with affection, you need to become the leader of the pack in the eyes of the puppy. The child must understand and accept the primacy of a person over himself, which will help him learn to behave correctly and harmoniously integrate into the human environment.
If the puppy behaves incorrectly, you will have to punish him. As such a measure, the following technique is very effective: you should take your pet by the skin on the back of the neck and press the baby to the floor. An imitation bite to the face is also a good punishment. You need to take the puppy by the neck with one hand, and with the other grab his muzzle from above and squeeze him tightly for 1-2 seconds, accompanied by the command “Fu!” These punishments imitate the behavior of the leader of a dog pack, and therefore are more effective than beating, which instills cowardice rather than obedience in the shepherd.
At this age, the puppy must communicate with peers and learn even and calm behavior with them. Without such communication, your pet may grow up to be aggressive and cowardly and even cause you a lot of problems in the future.
At the age of 13 to 16 weeks, a mature puppy checks who is in charge in his new family.
At an earlier age, a hierarchy had already been established among littermates; now your pet will determine its rank in your family. He will begin to snarl, growl and bite you during playtime, so be prepared to get some scratches on your hands.
This period is very important, as the formation of the German Shepherd as a family dog occurs. She must understand that you are her master - the leader in the family, the alpha in dog handler terminology. And whatever the hierarchy in your family, the shepherd in any case should become an omega, that is, all family members should be higher in rank than it.
Leadership is determined only among shepherd dogs of the same age. Older dogs and people automatically rank higher.
German Shepherds are intelligent dogs with a sense of self-respect, so your pet may try to gain leadership or equality in its relationship with you. This cannot be allowed. You need to be firm in your training so that there are no problems in the future when the puppy grows into a large, strong dog.
If your pet tries to run up to something that interests him during a walk, you should not allow him to do so. If the baby snaps, slap him on the back and say “Ugh!” Teach him to give away toys and bones unquestioningly, without grinning or growling.
At this age, the puppy is not yet developed, primitive, he will greet you at the door, but he can easily get carried away with something during a walk. Psychological contact with your pet will develop later.
By the age of 5 months, your German Shepherd puppy should clearly understand that you have absolute dominance over him. After this, he will look devotedly into your eyes.
Over the next month, your pet should finally master the commands “Sit!”, “Lie down!”, “Stand!”, “Come to me!”, since it’s time to complicate the training and start conducting regular training.
During this period, sexual activity in males increases, which manifests itself in jumping on the owner’s leg, on other puppies during walks, etc. Do not punish your pet for this, try to distract him with play, otherwise you can extinguish the sexual instinct. It is especially important to treat the puppy delicately during this period if you are going to use it for breeding.
Once your German Shepherd puppy is 6 months old, you should choose a training system for him.
From 6 months until puberty, a German Shepherd puppy tries to assert itself and shows increased independence. Your pet will begin to show disobedience in cases where it previously happily obeyed. Don't let him behave this way, so that it doesn't turn into a habit of self-will.
Try not to create a situation where there is a need to punish the puppy: if you are not sure of its reaction to your commands, then do not let your pet off the leash while walking. In the future, your puppy will become a large and strong dog that must obey you unconditionally and be completely controllable. Self-esteem develops in a German Shepherd only when the owner shows it by raising his dog.
With the onset of puberty, this difficult period ends. In bitches, stabilization occurs at approximately 7–8 months, at the time of the first heat. The male dog will begin to mark his territory at this time. His behavior will be uneven: your dog will show puppy habits for some time, forgetting that he is already an adult.
The instinct of protection and protection manifests itself precisely at this time, and the male dog undergoes the final formation of character: if he proves himself to be a leader, he will remain so until the end.
During adolescence, a German Shepherd puppy's character and type of behavior are finally formed.
During this period, you will have to show maximum severity to your pet in order to finally cement in his mind that you are a leader. Never let your German Shepherd win when trying to assert its rights. Also, do not allow your dog to establish dominance over any member of your family.
Please tell me if you got a puppy, there are still doubts about the breed. The tail is wrapped in a donut. Is this normal for a one-month-old puppy, or will it gradually go away? What if they just deceived you and it’s not a shepherd?
