Dog Age Calculator

Often the rule is heard where one dog year is equal to 7 human years. This is not true as there is more to it than that, dogs mature quicker than humans at a young age. It is believed this calculation happened around the 1950's, as humans generally lived to around 70 and dogs to around 10.

If you would like to calculate a cat's age to human years, check our Cat Years Calculator

Things to take into consideration when calculating a dog's age:

Breed
Dog's size
Weight
Dogs overall health
Dog's diet

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, puppies age 15 human years in their first year regardless of breed. Then their 2nd year is equal to around 9 human years, from here it varies on the size of the dog. Dog's mature quickly from childhood to adulthood. Two years after a dogs birth, the dog will typically have aged 24 human years.

Aging then slows down to about 4-5 years for each calendar year. Usually smaller dogs live longer than larger dogs, according to some research this may be related to large breed puppies having too many excess free radicals for antioxidants to fight, likely because large breed puppies have fast metabolisms, thus requiring more energy. If these findings are proved correct, it may be possible to extend large dogs lives with antioxidant supplements. There are many theories around aging of larger breeds.

There is currently a Dog project that is working on extending the period of life in which dogs are healthy.

There are things that can be done to help a dog's health

Diet: Feeding the dog healthy food without chemicals in it
Dental Hygiene: Brushing your dog's teeth reguraly can reduce the change of infection
Obesity: Try to get your dog 30 minutes of exercise a day, some breeds need more such as a german sheperd.

Generally, dog breeds are separated into three types once they are full grown:

Small: 20 lbs or less
Medium: 21-50 lbs
Large: 50 lbs or above

How to calculate your dog's age

Example 1:

Find out if your dog is small, medium or large breed. In our example it is a large dog.
Find out the dogs current age. Our dog is 3 years old.
We follow the aging done by the American Kennel Club.
Our dog's age is 28 human years

You can use our calculator which uses the American Kennel club aging formula.

Note: This calculator gives a rough estimate of a dog's age converted to a humans age, as many factors can affect a dog's age. For a more concrete answer visit a Veterinarian.

How to Use Dog Age Calculator

Enter How old the dog is.
Press calculate.