Typically, a Pomeranian puppy's teeth will start to emerge around 20 days after birth. By 1 to 4 months, all their milk teeth (deciduous teeth) will be present, and they will start losing their first incisors. Around eight months, all milk teeth will be replaced by permanent teeth.
How to Determine a Pomeranian's Age
Determining a Pomeranian's age can be done by observing specific physical characteristics, with dental examination being a very effective way for younger dogs.
1. Teeth
Puppies typically start losing their milk teeth and develop their adult teeth between 5 and 7 months. If a puppy has lost some or all of their milk teeth but their adult teeth have not fully erupted, they are likely between 5 and 6 months old. A dog with a full set of adult teeth is likely between 8 and 12 months old. Before adulthood, the state of tooth growth is a good indicator of age; however, for adult dogs, tooth wear becomes the more important factor.
Assessing a dog's age through its teeth does require some practice and observation experience. Generally, in adult dogs over three years old, the upper and lower front incisors will show some wear on their contact points. By four years of age and older, the contact points of the front teeth are usually flattened due to wear. For older dogs, typically seven to eight years old or more, you can assess the length of their canine teeth to help determine age, as they tend to wear down with age as well.
2. Coat Color Changes
The appearance of gray or white hairs, known as 'senile whitening', is another indicator of age, but it's more noticeable in darker-coated dogs. Graying typically starts around the muzzle and chin. Around 4 to 5 years old, a dog may begin to develop a few white hairs, increasing significantly around 5 to 6 years old. This graying will continue, extending to the back, around the nose, eyelids, and eyebrows. Eventually, the graying can extend to the forehead and inside the ear canals, with the entire head potentially becoming gray or white in dogs over 10. Dogs over 13 years old may have almost entirely white heads, although some dogs may not show significant graying until 10 to 14 years. For white, yellow-white, or light brown dogs with white markings, coat color changes are not reliable indicators of age.