Dogs Years

Does one dog year equal seven human years? The answer may surprise you. There are many misconceptions in how to compare a dog's age to a human's age. We want to be able to celebrate a dog's "yearly" birthday. We want to be able to compare ages of different dogs. We want to be able to gauge the longevity of man's best friend. So, we try to find a way to relate a dog's age to humans.

One general theory out there is that one dog year may equal seven human years for a certain small amount of time, but it certainly doesn't stay that way for much long. Many factors come into play, and there is no one clear cut answer. The ratio is higher with youth and decreases a bit as the dog ages. Generally, the first couple of years represent 18-25 years of human aging, although this varies with size and breed. So, essentially a dog's adolescence passes by in the short span of 2 human years. Can you imagine going from baby to mid 20's in two years?

In general, dog age compared to human age can be categorized by size of dog - small, medium, large, and extra large. These groups can be identified by 0-20 lbs, 21-50 lbs, 51-90 lbs, and over 90 lbs respectively.