Your Guide To Counting Dog Years

For many years, people have attempted to calculate dog years and convert them to human years. However, the methods used for these calculations have often been inaccurate.

The myth

The general rule people have followed for counting dog years has always been that one dog year is equivalent to 7 human years. However, this is not completely accurate. 

This 7-year rule is thought to have been created in the 1950s, based on the statistic that people lived to around 70 and dogs lived to around 10. 

How to calculate

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, this is the most accurate way to convert dog years to human years:

• The first year of a dog’s life is equivalent to 15 human years.
• A dog’s second year of life equals 9 human years.  
• Each year following is the equivalent of 5 human years.

How accurate is this?

While this method of counting dog years is considered the best way to convert dog years to human years, this is only an average. The calculation is intended for medium-sized dogs, as smaller dogs generally live longer compared to larger breeds. 

The takeaway

While the AVMA provided this calculation method, they recognise this is not 100% accurate for all dogs of all sizes, so take this method with a pinch of salt and have fun calculating your dog’s age!

For more information on this topic, click here to view our video.

More Info

Dogs of any size, breed, and age have different needs. We have various blog posts with advice for every type of dog, such as 5 Tips For Caring For Your Elderly Dog, and How Much Exercise Does My Dog Need?

For more expert tips and advice, click here to discover more from us.