How Old Is Your Dog In Human Years? Researchers Suggest A Simple Formula To Calculate

December 6, 2019

How do you calculate dog years in human years? If you're a dog owner, this question may have popped up in your head a few times. In fact, it's such a popular puzzle that there's a belief that one dog year is equal to 7 human ones.

According to BusinessInsider, this theory claims that whatever age the dog is, multiply it by 7 to get its human equivalent. But this isn't accurate.

What people should understand, however, is that dogs tend to age really fast during the first two years of their lives. This explains why they can reach full maturity in one year.

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So if the 'x7' theory is not accurate, then how can you gauge your canine's development in relation to humans?

How many dog years are human years?

A team of researchers has come up with a more accurate way to determine the answer to this puzzle. It's not quite as arbitrary as the myth above but it's based on some changes that happen to the DNA over time.

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The team's method is called methylation. They compare and analyze the DNA of both human and dog years to arrive at their formula.

A dog's lifespan can vary wildly, the researchers wrote, adding that some large breeds can live for as long as 6-7 years while smaller ones like chihuahuas can survive for up to 18 years.

After deeper research and comparisons, they came up with this formula: human_age = 16ln(dog_age) + 31.

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Yes, it's a tad bit complicated but basically, it means that you multiply the logarithm of the dog's age in years by 16 then add 31. This gives you the human years equivalent.

Now, if this is too confusing for you, there's an online calculator you can use.

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So if you're determined to find a better way to compare your age to that of your dog, this sounds like your very best bet.

Slowing down aging for dogs

As many breeds of dogs get older, they may experience some irreversible health issues that can make things difficult. In cases like this, it's crucial for pet owners to work hand in hand with their veterinarians to create a senior-wellness strategy that helps to ease the process.

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In general though, according to Activphy, dogs of all ages will benefit from keeping a healthy weight, exercising and being provided with healthy nutrition.

Annual wellness checks are also important so you can keep track of the dog's health and resolve ailments before they become a problem.

Calculating your dog's age

Maybe you just adopted a puppy or took in a stray and you're not sure how old it is, these clues provided by Pets.WebMD can be helpful.

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The dog's teeth should give you a rough idea. For instance, by 8 weeks, all the baby teeth should be in and by 7 months, the dog should have its permanent, white teeth.

By age 1 to 2, the teeth may be duller. A 3 to a 5-year-old dog may have some tartar buildup in its teeth while from age 5 to 10, teeth look more worn. A dog that's 10 years old and above may have heavy tartar buildup and possibly some missing teeth.

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We hope you now have a very good idea about how to calculate your dog's age in human years, how to keep it healthy and some tricks to adopt if you want to figure out its age in general. Dogs are fun to have around but they also rely on us to care for their welfare. So every information we learn can be really useful.