# Estimating the age of a shelter dog



## RebelGSD (Mar 20, 2008)

We are frequently having problems with the age estimates. The most recent case was a vet estimating a probably 18mo puppy (pearly white teeth, bouncing around like a clown, mouthing etc.) to be 6-8yo.
It was not the first time. I recently took my own dog (that I had since 8 weeks old) to our rescue vet and the vet totally put him down in every respect. My dog loves to chew, high strung German lines, the police really wanted him as service dog. The vet wanted to pull most of his teeth, for example. I am very frustrated.

I am interested in input as to how you estimate the dog's age and your general experiences, positive or negative.


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

Eeek, I'm really sorry about the rescue vet and your dog. Maybe it's time to look into a new rescue vet.

When I adopted Morgan, the vet who visited the shelter said she was a year old. He treated her for worms but left a raging ear infection completely untreated. Her earset is still crooked from that (but I'm the only one who notices, have to look at her for a while.)

The aco and one of the volunteers happened to know quite a bit about shepherds and so they marked her age as between 6 mo and a year. She had knobby puppy knees, teeth that hadn't come in yet, puppy fur and no guard hairs. At the time I was using 2 different vets, they both agreed with the aco that she was 6 months old.


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## pupresq (Dec 2, 2005)

I like our rescue vet a lot but I haven't found him (or many other vets) to be very good at estimating age. Had him ID one dog as 3yrs but we later found her AKC paperwork and she was 10! More commonly they assumed young dogs are older. When I picked up Leo at the shelter in GA I took him to their vet and he said he estimated his age at 2-3 years. His teeth were gross but his body really said "puppy" to me. When I got him home and had him x-rayed, the x-rayed confirmed he was about 8 months old. 

I don't like having to explain wildly divergent age estimates to adopters, so we usually go in to the clinic with our age estimate marked on the paperwork and then they put that age on the dog's record. 

Some of the stuff I look at is subtle and has to do with body proportion, so I'm not sure I can put it into words, but in general: 

Under a year:
Roly poly, eyes still blue - 6 weeks
eyes starting to change - 7-9 weeks
Losing baby teeth - 3-4 months
Some baby teeth and some permanant teeth (usually adult incisors but puppy canines and molars - 4-5 months
Mostly permanant teeth (perhaps a retained canine), but new and still coming in - 5-6 months
All permanant teeth, fully erupted but totally clean - 7-9 months
All permanant teeth, maybe tiny amount of tarter but incisors still jagged - 9-12 months
Basically clean teeth, adult height, but puppy lankyness, slightly smoother incisors - 12-18 months
More filled out but still "new" looking - 2 years
Clean teeth, young looking but slight milk beard - 3 years
If I think they're right around a year or two, I try to use cues like nipple size to see if they've ever been through heat/whelped a litter. I also look at "package" size and danglage







as well as peeing habits in boys. If a female has never been in heat or a male is carrying pretty high and tight and doesn't fully raise his leg, I'm going to conclude they're under a year, probably 7-9 months. That can be useful if their teeth are ambiguous, as was the case with Leo above. Conversely, if the teeth are immaculate but the female HAS had a litter or a male is swingin', and fully lifts his leg to pee, I'm going to conclude they're more like 1-2 years, even if the teeth look younger. 

As they get on up there I think it gets really tricky because so much has to do with the care they've received and their personal habits (chewer, not a chewer etc). But basically I look for tartar build up and wear on the incisors. Then I look at amount of grey on the muzzle, but that's so variable, it's not super useful. Finally I look at eye changes. The retinas of their eyes seem to get slightly bluer with age. And then I add in things like athritis and other body changes to come up with an estimate. 

Not an exact science but I try to hone it all by guessing the age of dogs whose age is known and checking to see how far off I am and in what direction. 

I gotta get out more.


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## Ewilliams (Oct 17, 2007)

Pupresq- I just want to thank you so much for your very valuable explanation. This needs to be a sticky in a rescue forum!

I am having difficulty estimating the age of two GSDs right now. One is my foster, Riley, WGSD. SHe is listed in Non- Urgent and I finally got a picture of her posted. Teeth are ambiguos... clean, adult fully erupted NO TARTER. But, nipples and tissue are mature and she is not showing signs in her behind of giving birth. She can't be more than 18 mos- 2 yrs. in my opinion. We have NO shelter vet.

Next dog is F GSD at shelter now, PTS date tomorrow! She is tiny, no maturity in nipples, hasn't given birth. But her teeth have some tarter around the canines. That was all I pushed her to see. Her feet are tiny and she is emaciated. Her head and body tell me she is a pup, but her teeth are throwing me off. Any idea? Her pic is listed in the Urgent thread. Brevard, NC near Asheville, M GSD (I am the one who found that she is a she and not a male as they have her listed at the shelter). I knew when I looked at her that she was a girl. Then the absence of "danglage" confirmed that she is indeed a girl!

Sorry to hi-jack. Need help. Thanks for posting!


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## dd (Jun 10, 2003)

I think one of the problems is that many vets don't see really poorly cared for dogs and so don't quite know how to assess them. The biggest problem the average vet sees in terms of superficial stuff is overweight dogs.

I believe my vet got our dog's age just right - primarily by looking at teeth and bone growth, but pointed out to us that he was poorly proportioned with a head that was too big for his body. He forgot to take into account that the poor pup was 20 pounds underweight - almost 40% of his normal body weight. His head isn't too big now!


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## CookieTN (Sep 14, 2008)

I think that they largly go by the condition of the dog's teeth.
My shelter dog was listed as being 3 years old at the shelter. but he was a stray, so obviously it was just a guess. I've had several different opinions offered since his adoption.
Vet: 1 year
Others: Anywhere from 2 to 5 years

I think that he was 2 when I got him and he's 3 now.


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## pupresq (Dec 2, 2005)

I looked at the dogs and it's hard to say for sure from a couple of pictures, but my best guess based on what I can see is that the shelter girl is a couple years old, but perhaps spayed if she has underdeveloped nipples. She appears proportioned like an adult and appears to have some grey on her chin, which doesn't mean an _old_ dog, but you rarely see before 2 years. I'd guess her 3ish.

Your foster girl is harder because I can see less of her. Her eyes look really young, so if her teeth are perfectly clean but she's been through a heat or two (the more developed nipples) then you're probably on the money with the 18 month ish guess.


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