How Old Is My Dog In Human Years?

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Dog years are a myth. At the age of 1, it can be said that puppies have already reached puberty. By the time they’re 2, they’re considered young adults. By the time they hit 3, they’ll be closer in age to a 30-year-old human. Confusing? Hold on to your leashes, we’ll break it all down for you.

To know exactly how to calculate your puppy’s age, you need to consider a few factors that influence your dog’s lifespan.

All about age and dog breeds

Let’s be clear about one thing- 7 human years do not equal a single dog year. Dogs do not age at a rate of seven years within a single year, because that would be simply impossible.

Let’s take the graceful Great Dane for example. The average lifespan of this breed is 7 to 10 years, so a Great Dane who’s 4 years old will be just shy of middle age, or about 35 years old in human form.

The American Veterinary Medical Association elaborates that smaller breeds are considered seniors after their seventh year. Unfortunately, larger breeds have a shorter lifespan compared to smaller breeds and are considered “senior citizens” after only their fifth or sixth year of age. 

In general, though, large and small dogs alike are considered seniors after their fifth to seventh year because that’s the time when they often start to show signs of health-related issues. But that being said, it’s not that they’re ready for retirement anytime soon. Oh, far from it!

7 human years = 1 dog year? Not exactly

There are three guidelines to use when calculating your dog’s age, and they can actually be quite confusing. However, before you read the following guidelines you need to understand that dogs develop much quicker than humans, especially during their puppyhood.

For example, during a puppy’s first year of life, they grow exponentially and go through puberty, making them similar to a 15-year-old human. The second year of life comes with some growth as well, both physically and mentally. For this reason, experts believe that by their second year, puppies skip through 9 more human years. After this, each year is equivalent to about 5 human years.

Here’s an example to help you calculate about what age in human years your dog is now. Take a medium-sized Pit Bull who’s about 8 years old: 

• So let’s say your Pit’s first year equals 15 human years. That means that your Pit’s a teenager after just the first year. Oh, boy! Get ready for some teen attitude!
• When your dog reaches their second year, they gain about 9 human years. Regardless of breed and size, your dog does the most mental development from puppyhood into adulthood in their second year. After their second year, your dog is regarded as a full adult, or about 24 years old in human years.
• After your dog’s second birthday, each year equals about 5 human years. So the first year is 15, the second 9, and every other year after that is 5 human years . Now do the math. In this case, this hypothetical Pittie would be about 54 years old in human years.

Of course, this is not a simple, straightforward equation. There are a lot of other factors that influence your dog’s longevity, and those include regular veterinary check-ups, preventive care, and breed size.

Why do some dogs live longer than others? 

Even after countless studies, scientists still can’t determine exactly why some dogs live longer than others. However, one constant is that smaller breeds tend to outlive larger ones. It has also been noted that your dog’s weight contributes to longevity. On average, dogs classified as overweight or obese live as many as 2.5 years less than their ideally conditioned friends.

The weird thing is that it actually isn’t the case all over the Animal Kingdom. It’s common knowledge, for example, that nature’s giants like elephants, giraffes, and whales, live longer than smaller species, like mice. So why do big dogs have it the other way around?

What we’ve known for a while is that large dogs age at a very accelerated pace. Their lives seem to transfer from puppyhood into giants in a matter of months, and we basically have evolution to thank for this.

What scientists have uncovered is that every 4.4 pounds of body mass can reduce a dog’s lifespan by a whole month. Another reason larger breeds live shorter lives is that they encounter age-related health issues faster than, say, a Chihuahua or a Shih-Tzu. That’s because big dogs come with big health issues, and abnormal cell growth is one of them.

Other ways to tell your dog’s age 

If you’re looking to adopt a dog from your local shelter and don’t know their history, there are a few telltale signs of a dog’s age. 

Dog’s teeth play a key role in determining their age:

• By 8 weeks, all of their baby teeth are in 
• By 7 months, all of their permanent teeth have settled and are pearly white
• If their teeth are dull and there are some yellow stains visible, the dog might be 1 to 2 years old
• A 3-5-year-old dog might have some tartar buildup
• A 5-10-year-old dog’s teeth will show different diseases or signs of aging, most notably if they’ve never had a dental cleaning.

Older dogs also have other visible aging signs, such as cloudy eyes, graying hair, and loose skin.

We all know that the brightest flames burn the quickest, but that doesn’t mean that you’re completely helpless in making sure your dog lives the longest life they possibly can. One serious component of doing just that is making sure they have Animalia’s dog insurance. With our coverage in you and your dog’s corner, worrying about veterinary bills will be a thing of the past.

Roi Kadosh

Adores dogs and writing, not necessarily in that order. Left his heart in New York City, but lives far, far away from it.

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Reviewd by

Dr. Amanda Chambers