Question on aging a dog

[mporter]

I bought a dog awhile back and was told he was three yrs old. I am starting to think he is older than that.....how can I tell?

[uglydog]

Take him to the vet to age him by his teeth

[Caney Creek Hog Doggers]

Look at his teeth and see how white they are, also look to see how worn down they are. If a dogs teeth are stained and have lots of yellow to them there prolly close to 6-8 years of age. If there worn down quite a bit then I would say 9-11. It might help to look at his coat to see how shiny it is, if its dull and kinda dry feeling he's prolly an older dog, don't know if this will help but I tried!!!

[mporter]

Thanks guys

[cantexduck]

Look at his teeth and see how white they are, also look to see how worn down they are. If a dogs teeth are stained and have lots of yellow to them there prolly close to 6-8 years of age. If there worn down quite a bit then I would say 9-11. It might help to look at his coat to see how shiny it is, if its dull and kinda dry feeling he's prolly an older dog, don't know if this will help but I tried!!!

 I would think a piss poor diet would make a young dog seem alot older then it really is buy looking at yellow teeth and a bad coat.
Just take it to your vet.

[Caney Creek Hog Doggers]

A poor diet would result in a bad coat but not yellow teeth. The coloring of teeth get more gray/yellow tint as the dog gets older. Teeth on the inside have pores, as the dog gets older some of the pores start to die out causing the gray/yellow tint.

[cantexduck]

 I have a 8 y/o lab that has the same color of teeth as a 2-3y/o cur. The lab has been on raw for years, the cur has been on it for a month. I am sure just as in people teeth condition and heath are impacted by diet and genes. Just as in ageing deer by tooth wear. A deer in south texas that has to browse for much of it diet is not going to have the worn down teeth that a mid-west deer that raids the corn feilds 3-4 months out of the year. I may be wrong and looking into it alittle too much but......it doesnt make sense to me. Same principal for the coat. Climate,parisites,diet etc.
 

[PrettyDog]

Coloration has little to do with it. I can show you several dogs on my yard that I know the exact age of, and many factors weigh on condition of the teeth. Coat has nothing to do with age either. Biting Wire, chewing on sticks, Medications, genetics and poor diets will also effect waer on teeth. I have 4 year old curs dogs with horrible teeth, and 11 year old catch dog with perfect teeth. There are articles with illustration on the internet that are helpful but the best way is get someone with experience in aging them to give you an estimate.

[Caney Creek Hog Doggers]

Ya'll are thinking the wrong way, my friend is a vet and described to me that you have to look at there teeth, if you look really hard and pay attention you can see the grey/yellow on an older dog no matter what you feed them, I'm not talking about tartar build up or anything like that. you can't just open there mouth and glance it takes a little observance to see it, it's on the inside of the tooth not the outside. He also told me that 9 out of 10 older dogs coats become a little more greasier than younger ones!!! Idk that's just what he told me.

[FcHogDog]

Environmental factors and nutrition can play a big role in the appearance of an animal.  There is no way to know for certain how old your dog is unless you raise it from a pup.  You can always go to a vet for an estimate of the age, but it will be just that, an estimate.  If the dog is in good shape and healthy, there should be no reason to have a big concern about its age.  A working dog will usually age faster due to the shear amount of stress put on its body throughout the years.  Let your dog work until he is too old and worn down.  If the dog really loves it's job, it'll let you know that its time to retire.  When the time comes, let him lay in the backyard or give him to a neighbor that can enjoy him as a pet for the rest of his life.