How Old is Your Dog?
Dog Years to Human Years Converter
| Dog's Age | Human Years |
|---|---|
| years | years |
Enter your dog's age (from 1 to 16) to get the human years equivalent. The calculation is made for a "medium" dog (21 to 50 pounds) using the AKC recommendation.
How old is your dog in human years? We used to simply multiply a dog’s age by seven. However, this calculation isn’t so cut-and-dried. See our dog age calculator and chart to discover your dog’s age.
The Easy Calculation of Dog’s Age
The easy way to calculate a dog’s age is to take 1 dog year and multiple it by 7 years. This is based on an assumption that dogs live to about 10 and humans live to about 70, on average.
For example, a dog which is 5 years old is 35 “human years.” This isn’t a bad way to go from a health perspective because it helps us humans realize that our dogs aren’t the same as children.
As pets get older, they need extra care and attention. Small dogs are generally considered “senior” at seven years of age. Larger breeds are often senior when they are 5 to 6 years of age.
Be aware of arthritis and related discomfort or irritability, weight control, sight and hearing issues, and any changes in behavior or activity which could indicate more serious issues.
Visit your vet for exams regularly; adjustments can be made to give your pets a more comfortable, longer, healthier life.
The More Accurate Calculation of Dog Years
Statistics from pet-insurance companies, breed-club surveys, and veterinary hospitals have helped us learn more about how dogs age.
Contrary to common belief, dogs do not age at a rate of 7 human years for each year in dog years.
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association:
- The first year of a medium-sized dog’s life is equal to approximately 15 years of a human’s life.
- The second year of a dog’s life equals about nine years for a human.
- And after that, every human year equals approximately four or five years for a dog.
In other words, the number of human years piles onto a dog’s life more quickly during the dog’s rapid growth to maturity.
Dog Age Calculator: Dog Years to Human Years
If we think like a dog, here’s how a dog’s age compares to a human’s age! Note that this calculator is for a medium size breed of dog. Consult the chart below to see the differences between different size dogs (small, medium, large, giant). It should give you a good sense of where your dog is in the development/aging process.
|
Age of Dog (dog’s age according to the calendar) |
Dog’s Age in Human Years (dog’s age in equivalent human years, based on stage of breed size) |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small | Medium | Large | Giant | |
| 1 year | 15 | 15 | 15 | 12 |
| 2 years | 24 | 24 | 24 | 22 |
| 3 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 31 |
| 4 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 38 |
| 5 | 36 | 36 | 36 | 45 |
| 6 | 40 | 42 | 45 | 49 |
| 7 | 44 | 47 | 50 | 56 |
| 8 | 48 | 51 | 55 | 64 |
| 9 | 52 | 56 | 61 | 71 |
| 10 | 56 | 60 | 66 | 79 |
| 11 | 60 | 65 | 72 | 86 |
| 12 | 64 | 69 | 77 | 93 |
| 13 | 68 | 74 | 82 | 100 |
| 14 | 72 | 78 | 88 | 107 |
| 15 | 76 | 83 | 93 | 114 |
| 16 | 80 | 87 | 99 | 121 |
Source: AKC, “How to Calculate Dog Years to Human Years”
Related Articles
Have a cat? See our Cat Age Chart!
Is your dog starting to enter its elderly years? Get some tips for caring for an old pup.
Also, check our home remedies for your pet’s arthritis.
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William
My Cuddles is a Shit Tzu. We had her for 10 yrs. She was diagnosed with a liver shunt, tumor on her spleen and gallstones. She 8 yrs of age and we took chance a had surgery on her on all of these bad ailments. She lives and we are so very happy and love her dearly. She is a Champ!
It would have been helpful for this article to include what they are considering, small, medium, large and giant. My dogs are both 54 lbs. Is that medium or large according to this chart.
In 2012 when we got our boy Max we really wasn’t looking for a dog. While at NCSU our son Shane had adopted a shelter dog named Max. He was a black Boston Terrier/Pug mix (Bugg). Shane asked us if we could keep Max because his new landlord didn’t allow dogs. We of course said yes. The vet guessed him to be around 5 years old then. From day one Max has always loved us unconditionally and never destroyed any of our property.
In 2021 Max was diagnosed with Cushings Disease and Diabetes and they took their tole on him and us as his parents. Max has been blind and deaf for over 6 months and lately has lost control of his bodily functions and balance. He has now got to where his quality of life is failing and it’s now time for us to let Max run across the rainbow bridge where he can be pain free.
We are taking Max to Dairy Queen for a ice cream treat surprise and his last car ride will be to the vet Dr Turner in Cherryville NC on 08/01/2022@1530 hrs.
Max’s ashes will be placed in a urn to keep with us but a small amount of ashes will be took to Oak Island to be spread upon the water because he loved the beach so much. Max will take a portion of our hearts with him and he will forever be remembered as the bestest friend any family could ever have. RIP our sweet baby.
Iam so sorry Iam sitting here and my dog a Chihuahua he is not acting right he’s I think like 17 is not eating and lethargic I think he’s dying and I don’t know . Iam taking him to the vet Iam sorry about your fur baby
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