A long time ago, one year in a dog`s life was thought to be equal to 7 years in a human. However, this conversion does make sense if you really think about it. A one-year-old dog is mature enough to have kids, but a 7-old year human is not. Basically, this 1 to 7 dog life-to-human life ratio did not add up.
Therefore, not too long ago, scientists developed a more sensible way to convert dog years to humans years. This method took into account the fast rate at which dogs grow early in their life. And the method also takes into account the different rates at which dogs of different breed sizes grow.
However, recently, scientists have developed what these scientists called an even more accurate method to convert a dog`s age to human age.
Researchers at the University of San Diego recently did a study on dogs, and these researchers developed a method and formula for converting dog age to human age.
We developed two calculators based on the results of their research, these are:
- A calculator that lets you convert your dog`s age to its human equivalent age.
- A calculator that lets you convert your age to your dog`s equivalent age.
Our first calculator will not only let you convert your dog`s age to its equivalent human age, but the calculator will also tell you what day your dog`s human birthday is. In addition, this calculator will also show you the celebrities with whom your dog shares its exact human age and human `birthday`!
One of the reasons our dog-age-to-human-age calculator matches your dog`s human age and birthday to a celebrity`s age and birthday is to better give you a clear and tangible idea of how your dog has aged. Simply telling you your dog`s age in numbers is kinda abstract. However, we providing you an association between your dog`s human age and the face of real humans such as a celebrity will help you in better visualizing your dog`s human age.
Knowing your dog`s human age is important because it will give you an idea of how much your dog has aged. You will stop thinking that your 7 months old dog is young and immature if you know that your dog is more than 22 years old in human years. Also, knowing your dog`s human age will give you a good idea of how time goes by in a dog`s eyes. And this might even help you with better empathizing and connecting more with your dog. For example, when you leave your dog alone for, let`s say, 12 hours, it may look like 12 hours in your eyes, but to a dog, it may seem like 3 days. Time goes by fast in a dog`s eyes. This may explain the hyper-excitement with which our dogs greet us when we return back home to them after leaving them for `a few` hours.
Since dogs age at a different rate compared to humans, the difference between your dog`s human age today and your dog`s human age tomorrow is not equal to one day. Again, time goes by faster in dog`s eyes. So, check back every now and then to track the up-to-date human age and the up-to-date human birthday of your dog with our calculator.
Dog Age to Human Age Calculator (Toy Dog, Minature Dog, Standard Dog)
Enter your dog`s birthday in the dog-age-to-human-age calculator below to find its human equivalent age and its human equivalent birthday.
If you are not sure or do not know what your dog`s birthday is, enter an approximate age to calculate your dog`s approximate human age.
Please be patient while the calculator crunches the numbers, and gathers the information on the celebrities your dog shares its human birthday with. It takes time to do the calculations.
This dog age to human age calculator is a:
- Toy Dog Age Calculator
- Standard Dog Age Calculator
- Miniature Dog Age Calculator
The new method created by the University of San Diego researchers for converting a dog`s age to its human age is based on what is called “epigenetics”. Epigenetics is the study of “how the way an animal lives changes the animal`s DNA”. Thus, with epigenetics, you can learn about a person`s life or a dog`s life simply by `scrolling` through the DNA of the dog or the human (take that Instagram!).
With the techniques of epigenetics, scientists can look at a man`s, a dog`s, or a mouse`s DNA to figure out how old the man, the dog, or the mouse is, without anyone telling the scientist when the man, dog, or mouse was born. This is pretty cool. This is kind of similar to counting the teeth of a horse to determine the age of a horse or counting the rings in a tree to determine the age of the tree, etc. However, the techniques used in epigenetics are way more accurate than crude methods of estimating age by counting teeth or rings.
The main purpose of the aging research done by the University of San Diego researcher was to study how humans age, and how to make human anti-aging products work better (no dogs were harmed in the research).
However, according to the researchers, “humans are kind of boring”. So, they decided to study dogs instead. Specifically, the researchers studied Labs (Labrador retrievers) in their lab. No pun intended :-). The researchers studied 104 Labrador retrievers for the research. However, the scientists believed that this study would apply to all dog breeds, dogs included.
According to the researchers, converting a dog age to human age makes sense because dogs and humans go through similar well-defined life stages: birth, baby stage, young age stage, adolescence, adulthood, and old age.
Moreover, dogs (especially dogs) and humans live together and share similar lifestyles. Our dogs are exposed to the same environment as we do, our dogs breathe the same air as us, they walk the same walk with us their owners, we cuddle on the same couch with our dogs, even sometimes our dogs eat the same food as we do. We treat our dogs like we treat ourselves. We take them to the animal doctors just as we go to doctors for health checkups or for treatment when sick. We give our dogs vaccine and medications, human-style. In short, dogs have similar lifestyles as humans do. A dog`s life and human life will definitely mirror each other. This is especially true for the dog breed, which likes and thrives on human companionship. No other animal species have such an intimate relationship with humans as dogs do. Dogs and humans have come a long way together.
Based on their study, the researchers that did the dog/human aging study came up with a neat formula for converting dog age to human age. Interestingly, this formula applies to aging in mice as well, and the researcher believes that the formula will apply to all dog breeds, and just not the Labrador dog breed that they used in their study.
Based on this research, the corresponding human age for a dog at different ages is show in the table below:
| Dog Age | Human Equivalent Age in Years |
| 4 months | 13 |
| 5 months | 17 |
| 6 months | 20 |
| 7 months | 22 |
| 8 months | 25 |
| 9 months | 26 |
| 10 months | 28 |
| 11 months | 30 |
| 1 year | 31 |
| 2 years | 42 |
| 3 years | 49 |
| 4 years | 53 |
| 5 years | 57 |
| 6 years | 60 |
| 7 years | 62 |
| 8 years | 64 |
| 9 years | 66 |
| 10 years | 68 |
| 11 years | 69 |
| 12 years | 71 |
| 13 years | 72 |
| 14 years | 73 |
| 15 years | 74 |
| 16 years | 75 |
| 17 years | 76 |
| 18 years | 77 |
Just like humans, there are four main stages in a dog`s life. These stages are shown in the table below. Read more about the growth stages in dogs here.
| Life Stage | Dog Years |
| Juvenile Stage | 2 – 6 months |
| Adolescent Stage | 6 months to 2 years |
| Mature Stage | 2 to 7 years |
| Senior Stage | 12 years and above |
Human Age to Dog Age Calculator
Since new science has shown us the formula on how to convert a dog`s age to its human equivalent age, then it is possible to reverse this formula to convert human age to a dog`s age.
Therefore, at bestdog.com, we developed the reverse formula that allows you to convert your age to a dog`s equivalent age.
Enter your age below to calculate your age in dog years. You are definitely not as `old` as you think 🙂
How Long Toy Dogs Live in Human Years
On average, toy dogs live for 14 years and 7 months. Therefore, based on the toy dog age to human age calculator, toy dogs live for 73 years, 10 months in human years.
How Long Standard Dogs Live in Human Years
The average lifespan of a Standard Dog is 12 years. Therefore, based on the standard dog age to human age calculator, a standard dog lives for 70 years, 9 months in human years.
How Long Miniature Dogs Live in Human Years
The average lifespan of a miniature dog is 14 years. Therefore, based on the miniature dog age to human age calculator, a miniature dog lives for 73 years, 2 months in human years.
Another Method of Converting Dog Age to Human Age
There is another method for converting a dog`s age to human age. This method has been around for a while. This method is dog size-specific because it takes into consideration the different rates at which dogs of different sizes age. It is well known that small dogs tend to live longer than big dogs. Therefore, small dogs age slower than big dogs.
For example, a small dog like a toy dog lives longer than a standard dog. Therefore, a toy dog ages slower than a standard dog. Also, a miniature dog lives longer than a standard dog, therefore, the formula for converting a miniature dog`s dog age to human age will be different from that for the standard dog.
Accordingly, this classic method of converting a dog`s age to a human age takes into account the lifespan differences of different dogs due to their different sizes.
Enter your dog`s date of birth and select your dog`s breed size (toy dog, standard dog, or miniature dog) in the calculator below. The calculator will convert your dog`s age to its human age based on the classic method for converting a dog`s age to its human age.
The conversion table of dog dog age to human age is given below. The table show the equivalent human age for a toy dog, a miniature dog, and a standard dog.
| Dog Age (Years) | Toy Dog Age in Human Years | Miniature Dog Age in Human Years | Standard Dog Age in Human Years |
| 1 | 15 | 15 | 14 |
| 2 | 23 | 24 | 22 |
| 3 | 28 | 29 | 29 |
| 4 | 32 | 34 | 34 |
| 5 | 36 | 38 | 40 |
| 6 | 40 | 42 | 45 |
| 7 | 44 | 47 | 50 |
| 8 | 48 | 51 | 55 |
| 9 | 52 | 56 | 61 |
| 10 | 56 | 60 | 66 |
| 11 | 60 | 65 | 72 |
| 12 | 64 | 69 | 77 |
| 13 | 68 | 74 | 82 |
| 14 | 72 | 78 | 88 |
| 15 | 76 | 83 | 93 |
| 16 | 80 | 87 | 99 |
| 17 | 84 | 92 | 104 |
| 18 | 88 | 96 | 109 |
| 19 | 92 | 101 | 115 |
| 20 | 96 | 105 | 120 |
Common Signs of Aging in Dogs
As your dog grows older, you will start seeing changes in your dog. Below are the common signs of aging in dogs:
- Fading of Coat Color
- Graying hair
- Health Problems like earing loss, loss of sight
- Lower activity level
- Bad dog behavior like having accidents in the house, irritability, etc.
When your dog starts to show signs of aging, make sure you empathize with your dog. You may also consider getting health insurance for your dog so that you can better handle the cost associated with taking care of a senior dog
Final Thoughts
If you own a puppy, and as your puppy grows, there will come a day that your puppy`s human age will be the same as your age. With little work, you can use our calculators to find the day you and your dog will share the same human age! Give this task a try!