You might have heard the common saying that a dog ages 7 human years for every calendar year they live. That's not exactly right, though. It's quite a bit more complicated. Here's the real scoop.
As you know if you've ever raised a puppy, the first year brings a tremendous amount of growth and change. In fact, by the end of their first year, a dog is equivalent physically to about a 15-year-old person. Dogs go through their version of puberty around 6 to 8 months of age. Female dogs have their first heat then and are able to breed. By around 7 months of age, all of a dog's adult teeth are in.
After the first year, aging slows down a little, and by 5 years of age, dogs are the equivalent of around 36 human years old. That's still pretty close to the old adage that 1 year equals 7 human years for a dog. But after 5 years, canine aging differs depending on whether you are talking about a small, medium, or large breed dog.
Small dogs live longer than large or giant ones, and that translates to slower aging relative to human years once the first 5 calendar years are over. Small dogs age the equivalence of around 4 years per year, medium dogs range from 5-7 per year, and large dogs age from between 5 and 9 human years per one calendar year.
What this all means is that if a dog lives to be 15 years old, his human age equivalence is:
This can all be slightly confusing, and of course, there is some variation among breeds within the general size ranges. Giant breed dogs, for instance, have an average lifespan of 7-10 calendar years.
Here's a basic chart to give you an idea of the human age equivalent for a dog in the three main size ranges of small, medium, and large.
Size of Dog | Small | Medium | Large |
---|---|---|---|
Age in Years | Human Age Equivalent | Human Age Equivalent | Human Age Equivalent |
1 Year | 15 | 15 | 15 |
2 Years | 24 | 24 | 24 |
3 Years | 28 | 28 | 28 |
4 Years | 32 | 32 | 32 |
5 Years | 36 | 36 | 36 | 6 Years | 40 | 42 | 45 |
7 Years | 44 | 47 | 50 |
8 Years | 48 | 51 | 55 |
9 Years | 52 | 56 | 61 |
10 Years | 56 | 60 | 66 |
11 Years | 60 | 65 | 72 |
12 Years | 64 | 69 | 77 |
13 Years | 68 | 74 | 82 |
14 Years | 72 | 78 | 88 |
15 Years | 76 | 83 | 93 |
16 Years | 80 | 87 | 120 |
Now that you know about what human age your dog is equivalent to, you might be wondering how you can help your dog live longer and stay healthier. Here are some general tips and links to articles with more information:
Works Cited
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