Dog Age Chart How Old Is My Dog In Human Years

Life Stages Of a Dog:

No matter how sad it may sound, the dog age also has its own spring and its own autumn. The life stages of a dog are quite similar to humans.

When a defenseless puppy is born, he is completely dependent on his mother for some time, and then he actively grows and explores the world, and all this is very reminiscent of our childhood.

The adult life of a dog is full of energy, enriched by acquired skills, upbringing, and experience. But, in the end, old age creeps up unnoticed, which leaves its mark on the behavior, disposition, and needs of the animal.

By imagining how old a dog is by human standards, on the one hand, we humanize the pet, and on the other, we learn mutual understanding and empathy.

It is this attitude that helps the owner cope with even the most unusual problems in his pet’s behavior and allows him to look at the world through the dog’s eyes, at least for a moment.

Puppy:

From birth to final adulthood, a dog, like a person, takes quite a bit of time. In addition, this period differs among different breeds: dwarf and small dogs mature by their first birthday, but large and giant breeds sometimes reach maturity no earlier than two years. But, despite the time difference, all puppies grow up the same way.

Sooner or later, the thirst for knowledge forces them to leave their mother’s nest and begin their own path in this big world. At this age they often come to us, their owners. And from this moment we begin to explore the world together.

A parallel can be drawn between the development of a puppy and a child. For example, puppies begin their first feeding at the age of 3-4 weeks, and in children no earlier than 4-6 months. Difficult for both dogs and humans, adolescence begins in puppies at approximately 10-16 weeks, and in children on average at 10-14 years.

A puppy’s first teeth erupt around the 20th day of birth, and for a baby at 6 months. The replacement of baby teeth with permanent ones in dogs starts at 3-4 months and ends by 10 months; in people, it sometimes lasts from 6 to 25 years. All of these analogies demonstrate how quickly dogs develop in their first year of life, especially compared to humans.

Of course, a difficult but very important stage of development is growing up, which determines the quality of further relationships with the environment, people, and animals, and is called socialization. It is the careful and patient upbringing of a young dog that makes it a devoted friend to man.

Adult:

Having reached physiological maturity, dogs are considered adults. By this point, the animal’s body has fully formed, the bone growth zones have closed, the teeth have changed, and the coat no longer resembles fluff. Not all dogs acquire measured and balanced behavioral traits by this time, but most still abandon puppy carelessness and playfulness.

At this stage, dogs are ready for anything: active sports, protection, guard, search, and other types of work, and, of course, ready for breeding.

Generally, with proper care, training, and good genetics, an adult dog has excellent stamina commensurate with its size, stable behavior, and good health. At this life stage, pets closely resemble people aged 20-55 years.

Elderly:

It is not necessary that after the period we have named, your pet will begin to show signs of aging. Many dogs retain a keen interest in walks and games until a very respectable age, do not lose stamina and obedience, and do not outwardly betray their status.

But there are still a number of restrictions for older dogs. So, a dog older than 8 years (and for giants older than 6) is considered elderly.

This means that it is advisable to free her from hard work, remove her from breeding, and begin to pay more attention to monitoring her health. In humans, a similar period begins at approximately 55-60 years.

Why Determine The Age of a Dog?

We know for sure the date of birth of a puppy only in cases where we purchased the dog from a breeder or witnessed its birth.

But, having adopted a dog from the street or bought it second-hand from people uninterested in such trifles, we can only guess about its age.

Is this really a problem or is there no need to bother looking for signs of age? In fact, knowing the age of the dog, we can plan a considerable number of necessary activities and take a more competent approach to care.

The vaccination schedule, treatment for parasites, feeding, training, intensity of exercise, and much more depend on age.

For example, most anti-tick medications are contraindicated in puppies under 8 weeks of age, and dogs that have not reached sexual maturity should not be bred. It is important to understand when your dog may have started to age.

All major veterinary associations encourage owners of elderly animals to contact the clinic for medical examination at least once a year. This measure allows you to notice signs of many diseases in the early stages and begin timely therapy to allow your pet to live as long a life as possible.

How To Calculate How Old A Dog Is By Human Standards?

To figure out what stage of life a pet is at, it is much more convenient for someone to compare its age with a human age.

This kind of humanization allows owners, even those who do not have a medical or veterinary education, to use their memories, emotions, and sensations to correlate them with the behavior and condition of their pet.

Such analogies, if we do not overdo them and do not forget that we are still dealing with an animal with its own specific characteristics in behavior and needs,

give us a chance to understand the reasons for even the most unacceptable behavior and are highly likely to establish contact between a person and a pet. It is for this purpose that we will now tell you how to calculate the age of a dog by human standards.

Commonly Accepted Counting Method:

For most dog owners, the usual calculation method is 1 to 7. That is, one year of a dog’s life is equivalent to seven human years.

This method appeared back in the 20th century when veterinarians compared the average life expectancy of humans and the average life expectancy of dogs. As a result, the researchers concluded that people live on average 7 times longer than dogs.

This method, of course, is easy to use; you just need to remember how much to multiply the real age of the pet. However, the 1 to 7 comparison is not entirely correct, since the active phase of growing up in animals occurs many times faster than in humans. In two years, the pet makes a kind of age leap. As a result, by the age of 1.5-2 years, the dog’s age can be equated to 23-25 years of a person.

Average:

If we clarify the average life expectancy of a person in our country or even in the world, and then find out the average life expectancy of a four-legged animal, or better yet, a representative of a specific breed, then by simple division we will get the number of human years in one dog year.

So, regardless of gender, people live on average 70 years, and the average dog lives up to 10-12. It turns out that in one human year, by dog standards, there are as many as 7 years.

In fact, by the age of two, dogs of any breed are mature and experienced creatures, but people at the age of 14 are often at the peak of puberty and are just beginning to acquire the characteristics of an adult.

In addition, there is a big difference between the life expectancy of large and small dogs. Alas, working with average numbers generalizes the picture so much that it does not allow us to compare ourselves with our pets, even approximately.

Dog                    Human

1 year                 7 years

2 years              14 years

5 years             35 years

8 years            56 years

15 years          105 years

Lebeau’s Theory:

A veterinarian working in France last century, in an attempt to calculate a dog’s age by human standards, built his own calculation method based on knowledge of the accelerated maturation of dogs.

According to his method, a one-year-old puppy can be roughly compared to a fifteen-year-old teenager, and at two years old an adult dog is similar to a 24-year-old person. Then each year of a dog’s life is approximately equal to four human years.

 Dog              Human

1 year           15 years

2 years         24 years

3 years        28 years

4 years        32 years

5 years        36 years

10 years      56 years old

14 years      72 years old

Kleiber’s Law:

The past century has been rich in discoveries and scientific works. Max Kleiber also tried to understand the principle of the time allotted to each creature.

He discovered that for many animals the basal metabolic rate is proportional to their body mass to the power of 3/4, which means long life for large animals, short for small ones.

But dogs became the exception to the rule. After all, among them, representatives of small breeds are long-livers.

AVMA Method:

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) contributed to comparing the life stages of humans and dogs and slightly modified the already familiar Lebeau theory.

So, according to the latest data, if we are talking about a medium-sized dog (10-30 kg), then its first year will be similar to our fifteen years, the second – nine, and then each year is equivalent to about five.

Still, this method is somewhat general and is not suitable for those who want to estimate the age of a large or small dog by human standards.

    Dog                Human

   1 year             15 years

  2 years           24 years

  3 years           29 years

  5 years           39 years

 10 years         64 years

 14 years          84 years 

How To Prolong a Dog’s Youth?

Every person, when choosing a four-legged friend for themselves, should think about the downside of living with an animal. Without proper care, a dog’s life is unlikely to be long and happy. Quite the contrary.

An ill-considered, unbalanced diet leads to the fact that at the age of 5-6 years, the dog behaves like a 15-year-old. He is tormented by illness and fatigue, and all because in the active phase of growth, the animal’s body does not receive enough substances necessary for health.

Health Comes First:

Get vaccinated on time, especially in the first year of life, and visit the veterinarian regularly to notice the development of the disease at an early stage.

It has been proven that toxic substances that accumulate in the human body with age are present in almost the same volume in the body of a dog, which lives with its owner in the same house for many years.

At the same time, animals feel their negative effects much earlier and more severely than people. Veterinary examinations are the easiest way to early diagnose serious diseases in your four-legged friend. If a dog is sick, then its owner should also consult a doctor.

Feed Correctly:

give only high-quality food, follow the feeding schedule, and do not overfeed. Special dry food for older dogs helps maintain the vitality of your pet.

They contain a complex of vitamins and microelements that help inhibit the biological aging process. Proper nutrition during this period has a beneficial effect on blood vessels, bones, and brain, and actually prolongs the life of your pet.

Take Long Walks Every Day:

15-30 minutes is not enough for a dog to burn off the energy accumulated during the day. Walks should be long – at least 2-3 hours a day, preferably after each feeding.

Brush Every Day:

This is necessary not only for the beauty of the coat. This way you give your pet a massage that promotes blood circulation. Your pet’s skin will always be healthy, and its coat will be thick and shiny.

Conclusion:

Throughout their lives, dogs, like people, go through different stages: childhood, growing up, maturity, and aging. To give your pet as many healthy and comfortable years of life as possible, at each stage it must be provided with a balanced and healthy diet.