Age of Dogs In Human Years

If you are a parent to a beautiful little pet dog, you’ve probably also wondered how old your furry buddy must be in human years, right?

Most dog owners tend to wonder about the same thing and interestingly, there is a way to calculate the age of dogs in human years.

You must have heard of, or come across this theory about calculate your dog’s age according to which “1 dog year = 7 human years”. While this was once quite a popular idea of finding out the age of dogs in human years, it’s actually completely wrong. It has been long debunked by science because as it turns out, the math or the calculations here aren’t exactly simple or clear-cut.

Simply put, different breeds of dogs age differently, and more specifically, small dogs tend to live longer as compared to large dogs.

Also, not to mention, dogs mature much more quickly than humans do.

So, how do we go about calculating the age of dogs in human years?

The Easy Calculation

As mentioned above, the initial idea was to take 1 dog year and then multiply it by 7, as per the calculation theory. This basically stemmed from the assumption that on average, humans live to about 70 years while dogs live for 10.

So, if a dog is 5 years old, it must be 35 years of age in human years.

This makes a lot of sense if you look at it from a health perspective because dogs mature much quicker than humans do and need extra attention and care as they age.

The New Calculation

After scientists discredited the earlier method for calculating the age of dogs in human years, they came up with an alternative method to help people calculate their pet’s age in more accurate terms.

The new or recent calculation method has been derived from statistics gathered from veterinary hospitals, breed club surveys as well as pet insurance companies.

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, this is the ultimate way to calculate your dog’s age of human years:

• The first year of a medium-sized dog’s life equals 15 years of a human’s life.
• The second year of a dog’s life equals is as much as nine years for a human.
• After that, every human year equals approximately four or five years for a dog.

In case you are wondering how exactly researchers came up with these numbers, it’s safe to say that it’s based on a number of different factors so it’s almost impossible to narrow it down to just one thing.

However, to help you understand it better, take a look at what the American Veterinary Medical Association said about it.

Basically small dogs and cats are generally considered to be ‘senior’ when they are seven years old, but even so, we can’t neglect the fact that they still do have a lot of life left in them at that very age.

When you compare larger-breed dogs with the smaller breeds, you will see that the former tend to have shorter lifespans and they are also given the title of senior when they are 5 to 6 years of age.

These dogs are assigned the ‘senior’ classification mainly due to the fact that pets have a tendency to age faster than human beings. Furthermore, many veterinarians reported that say noticed more age-related problems in these pets. So, contrary to the popularly held belief, 1 dog year is not equal to 7 human years.

How to Guess Your Pet’s Age Without Knowing Its Birth Date

If you’ve adopted a new pet dog or pup, but you don’t happen to know about its history including the birth date, there’s still a way for you to guess its age.

Your pet’s teeth are the first place you should look because it can help give a rough idea about your dog’s age in human years. While it still varies from one dog to the other, especially considering if they’ve gotten any dental care or treatment done, it will help you give an idea.

• 8 weeks: All baby teeth are in.
• 7 months: All permanent teeth are fully grown and are white and clean.
• 1-2 years: Teeth are somewhat dull with some degree of yellowing in the back teeth.
• 3-5 years:  Some tooth wear along with tartar buildup in almost all teeth.
• 5-10 years: Teeth begin to show signs of disease.
• 10-15 years: Worn out teeth with possible heavy tartar buildup. Some teeth are also likely to be missing.

In older dogs, you might be able to notice some other signs of aging such as:

• Stiff legs
• Cloudy hair
• Loose skin
• Grey hair that first begins to grow around the muzzle and then moves to other areas including the head, body, and face.

Dog Years to Human Years Chart

Dog years refer to the age of your dog according to the calendar, whereas human years refer to the dog’s age in equivalent human years keeping in mind the stage of aging or developing.

*Note: The table only refers to dogs that are of small and medium-size. For larger dogs, they are younger by 2 years*

How to Help Your Dog Live Longer?

Don’t we all want our canine friend to stay with us for as long as possible and, be our ultimate lifelong companion?

Regular Exercise

This goes without saying; one of the most important factors to help your furry friend stay fit and healthy is none other than regular exercise.

Daily walks and play sessions are simple and highly effective ways to ensure your pet’s good health and wellbeing. These physical activities won’t just help keep their weight under control, but will also boost their immune system, create high energy levels, and keep their heart in good shape.

Healthy Diet

Exercise and diet go hand in hand, and one is definitely incomplete without the other.

Alongside regular exercise, your pet also needs to follow a healthy diet comprising of all the essential nutrients it needs to stay fit and healthy during old age. It is essential that you choose the right kind of food for your dog, depending on what they prefer and their age.

Regular Check-Ups

Just like humans, as a dog ages and enters adulthood, it needs proper care and attention with regular visits to the vet.

You must keep an eye on your furry friend’s health and ensure that you follow proper health checkups. This will help detect possible health issues early on and in case you are lucky, it might also help prevent the onset of any health-related issue.

Spend Time with Your Pet

Above everything, the most important thing you need to do to help your pet live longer is to spend as much time with it as possible. You need to shower it with love, care, and attention as a way to strengthen the bond between you and your pet.

More than that, when they see you showing so much care and affection to them, your furry buddy is likely to feel happy, which is a very important emotion to stay healthy, fit, and in the best of health. This doesn’t only apply to pets and animals, but also to human beings!

Now that you know how to calculate the age of dogs in human years, do the same for your pet and make sure to everything you need to help it live longer!