So, what is the answer to the math problem?
Who knows? The easiest equation (7:1) is probably the least accurate. Formulas that take into consideration the faster development that occurs the first two years of life give a more accurate comparison. But even with this theory, there is variation. Some mathematicians feel that a 1-year old dog should be compared to a 10- to 15-year old human. The second year, as development levels out, should equate to 3 to 8 years of human aging. That would put a 2-year old dog on par with a 13- to 23-year old human. But that is still a big range. “
In short, there is no definitive answer to the math problem. There is just too much variability in the canine community; there are too many breeds and too many sizes. What is consistent is the fact that dogs age more rapidly than their owners and a 1-year old dog often resembles a gangly teenager. A 4-year old dog has the energy of a young adult, while a 9-year old dog walks with the stiff gait of a senior citizen.
To further complicate the issue, emotional maturity does not align with physical maturity. Emotional maturity occurs over an extended period of time. For example, a 21-year old human is considered an adult, but may not reach emotional maturity until age 40 or so; the same applies to dogs. Even though a 9-month old pup may be socially and sexually active, full maturity is not achieved until age 3 or 4. That is why 2-year old Labradors still chew your favorite slippers!
Dog Years to Human Years Converter
| Dogs Age | Human Years |
|---|---|
| years | years |
Enter your dogs 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. Body
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.
Do Dogs Age 7 Years to our 1 Year?
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.”
Contrary to common belief, dogs do not age at a rate of 7 human years for each year in dog years. The number of human years piles onto a dog’s life more quickly during the dog’s rapid growth to maturity.
That said, 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.
16 Year Old Shelter Dog Starts Galloping Like A Puppy With His Foster Dad | The Dodo Foster Diaries
Since the 1950s, the popular calculation of how old a dog was “in human years” has been that 1 dog year is the equivalent of 7 human ones. Even though this formula has been around for a surprisingly long time, the reality is not so cut-and-dried. That doesn’t stop many people from defaulting to this traditional calculation. “You can’t really kill the seven-year rule,” says Kelly M. Cassidy, a curator of the Charles R. Connor Museum at Washington State University, who compiles studies about longevity in dogs.
One explanation for how this formula got started is that the 7:1 ratio seems to have been based on the statistic that people lived to about 70, and dogs to about 10.
“My guess is it was a marketing ploy,” says William Fortney, a veterinarian at Kansas State University. He tells the Wall Street Journal that it was “a way to educate the public on how fast a dog ages compared to a human, predominantly from a health standpoint. It was a way to encourage owners to bring in their pets at least once a year.”