How your dog ages
How to Calculate your Dog's Age to Human Years
According to scientists, the math isn't that simple. Dogs are typically older than we assume, or the "rule of paw" indicates. Different breeds and dog sizes have different life spans. Smaller dogs tend to live longer but mature more quickly at younger ages than bigger dogs. Following extensive research, the American Veterinary Medical Association provides the following guideline to calculate your dog's age:
- For most dogs, the first year approximates 15 human years.
- The second year would equal nine human years. So, a 2-year-old medium-sized dog can be estimated to have 24 human years.
- Each dog year would be approximately four human years from the third year.
| Dog Age | Human Age |
| 1 | 15 |
| 2 | 24 |
| 3 | 28 |
| 4 | 32 |
| 5 | 36 |
| 6 | 40 |
| 7 | 44 |
| 8 | 48 |
| 9 | 52 |
| 10 | 56 |
| 11 | 60 |
| 12 | 64 |
| 13 | 68 |
| 14 | 72 |
| 15 | 76 |
How Accurate is this?
Scientists agree that you cannot precisely convert dog years to human years. Dogs age differently based on their age, breed, medical care, and environment. Generally, small 7-year-old dogs can be considered "senior." In contrast, large dogs have shorter life spans. A 5 or 6-year-old big dog can be considered "senior."
Scientists have conducted numerous DNA analyses of different dog breeds and compared the effects aging has on DNA. Further, they analyzed the results and compared them to human DNA aging. Although not entirely concrete, the results highlighted the difference in dog aging at different ages and confirmed that seven human years is not equivalent to one dog year.
Clues to Guess a Dog's Age
Inspecting the teeth can be helpful if you're curious about your dog's age but lack records for their birthday. Here are a few clues:
- 8 weeks: The dog has all baby teeth
- 6-7 months: They have all their permanent teeth, usually white and clean. The canines (longest teeth) develop at six months.
- 1-2 years: Teeth, especially back teeth, show signs of yellowing
- 3-5 years: The incisors (front teeth) indicate signs of wear and have tartar buildup
- 5-10 years: Teeth show more signs of wear, tartar buildup, and possible signs of teeth. A senior dog also tends to lose some teeth.
Scientific data and vet observations of age-related problems debunk the idea that our dog ages seven human years for each of our own. Although the exact formula is yet to be arrived at, the new formula provides a more concrete method to translate our dogs age to human years.
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Re-transmitted/published with permission of Covey Rise magazine. Copyright 2008. This article appeared in Covey Rise Magazine in summer of 2007.
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