Your companion looks up at you with those soft brown eyes as they lean into you, asking for some pats. Your once frisky dog, able to jump on the couch easily, is now struggling to clamber up beside you for Friday night movie night.
Worry crosses your face as you watch them struggle, and you wonder, “How old is my dog compared to my age?”
Sadly, dogs age differently than their human partners. Their lifespans are way too short. It’s sad to think about not having your furry companion with you, but you can help them live the best life in their older age by understanding how they age differently from us. First, it helps to equate their age to our human age.
Let’s look at what we used to think and then move on to what science has discovered more recently about how old your dog is in human years.
The Traditional Age Ratio
We’ve all heard the classic “1 dog year equals seven human years” adage. But is that accurate when calculating your dog’s age?
Turns out it’s not as accurate or as easy as that. Where did that ratio come from? An average person’s life span is seventy years, and the average dog’s lifespan is ten years. It’s simple, and it makes sense. I can see why it was so easily adopted as a fact and passed down to future generations of dog owners.
The Science Behind Aging
Recent scientific breakthroughs have shattered the simplicity of the 1:7 rule. Like us, our canine furbabies don’t follow a one-size-fits-all aging process. Factors like breed, genetics, and size play a crucial role.
Researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine tried to answer the question of dog and human age equivalency by studying how human and dog DNA changes over time. They concluded you can calculate a dog’s age to human years by using the following formula:
(human_age = 16ln(dog_age) + 31)
Or, for those of us who are math-challenged, you can follow this chart for dogs under 100 lbs:
- The first year of a dog’s life is equal to 15 human years.
- The second year of a dog’s life is equivalent to about nine human years.
- Each additional year is equal to about four or five human years.
Or you can use the following calculator and chart and leave the math to other people (which is my preference).
Dog Age Calculator and Chart
This Dog Age Calculator is super easy to use. You can select your dog’s breed (currently, the calculator has two options for breed – Golden Retriever and Other), enter their dog’s age, and it will calculate their human age for you.
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For example, my dog is a Greyhound; she is eight years old, so I selected “other” for the breed and entered her age, eight. The calculator tells me she is fifty-five years old in human years. The grey around her face makes so much more sense now. Although she still jumps around the living room like a spry thirty-year-old.
The American Kennel Club’s chart is also straightforward for determining your dog’s age in human years.
Why It’s Important
Understanding your dog’s age helps you to understand their life stage in a way you can relate to. When you say your dog is seven years old, in your mind, you are thinking of a seven-year-old in human years, just at the beginning of their life, with many years ahead to mature and learn.
But for dogs, seven years old can mean middle life or even nearing the end of their life for giant breeds like Great Danes or Cane Corsos. Dogs, like humans, have different dietary and supplement needs as they age. Some dogs may develop health issues as they age.
Provide for Your Furbaby
As a good pet parent, you want what’s best for your furry companion. Understanding how old they are in human terms helps you make better decisions for them. A tailored approach to diet, exercise, and preventive care ensures a happy and healthy life for your furry friend, regardless of age.
And there you have it, the keys to decoding your dog’s age so you can help to ensure their wagging tails are there to greet you for as long as healthily possible.
