How Can I Tell How Old a Black Lab Puppy Is?

If you have stumbled upon a black lab puppy, you should consider yourself lucky. Black labs are intelligent, playful and loyal, and typically make great pets. If you don't have information on the puppy, you may be wondering how old it is. This is useful information to know, especially for breeding and vaccine purposes. If you are uncertain of your black lab puppy's age, the easiest and most definitive way to determine its age is by looking at its teeth.

Things You'll Need

  • Elevated surface
  • Helper
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Instructions

    • 1

      Place your black lab puppy on an elevated surface, if the dog is small enough. Doing so will allow you to better examine your pooch without it trying to run away, as dogs typically feel less confident in escaping if they are off of the floor. Lab puppies are often rambunctious and are difficult to keep still, therefore, you may need the help of an assistant to hold the puppy.

    • 2

      Place one of your hands on the top jaw of the puppy's mouth and the other on the bottom. Push the top jaw up and bottom jaw down to open the dog's mouth.

    • 3

      Look at what teeth are in the black lab puppy's mouth. If you see teeth, the puppy is at least one-month old, as teeth start to break through the gums around that age. Lab puppies have fairly large teeth for their size and the teeth are typically easier to see than in dogs that are smaller, such as pugs or lhasa apsos.

    • 4

      Look for any front teeth, also called the incisors. According to PetPlace.com, the two very front teeth, called the central incisors, and the two teeth next to those, called the intermediate incisors, come in between 2 and 5 months of age. The most outer incisors, called the corner incisors, break through the gums between 4 and 5 months of age.

    • 5

      Observe any canine teeth. These teeth are next to the incisors and are often pointy. If you locate any canines, the lab puppy is at least 5 months old.

    • 6

      Note any premolars, located directly behind the canine tooth. Premolars start to come in between 4 and 6 months of age.

    • 7

      Locate any molars, which are behind the premolars.The molars are situated as far back in the mouth as teeth can go, while the premolars are usually located three-quarters of the way back. Most dogs will get their premolars before or at the same time as the molars. If you see molars, your lab puppy is at least 5 to 7 months of age.