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Dog Years to Human Years: Dog Age Chart and Calculator

Dog age chart, how old is my dog? Black and brown dog with collar

How Old is My Dog in Human Years?

Dog Years to Human Years Converter

Dog's Age Human Years
years years

Enter your dog's 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.

Written By: Catherine Boeckmann Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

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 multiply it by 7 years. This is based on the assumption that dogs live to about 10 and humans live to about 70, on average. For example, a dog that is 5 years old is 35 in “human years.”

Contrary to common belief, dogs do not age at a rate of 7 human years for each dog year. The number of human years piles onto a dog’s life more quickly during the dog’s rapid growth to maturity. 

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That said, this isn’t a bad approach from a health perspective because it helps 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 that could indicate more serious issues.

Visit your vet for exams regularly; adjustments can be made to give your pet a more comfortable, longer, and healthier life.

How to Calculate a Dog’s Age Properly

Statistics from pet insurance companies, breed club surveys, and veterinary hospitals have helped us learn more about how dogs age. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association:

  • The first year of a medium-sized dog’s life equals approximately 15 years of a human’s life.
  • The second year of a dog’s life equals about 9 years for a human.
  • After that, every human year equals approximately 4 or 5 years for a dog.

Dog Years to Human Years Chart

If we think like a dog, here’s how a dog’s age compares to a human’s age! Note that this is still not a perfect calculator. There are many variations based on a dog’s breed, its background, and its size. Note that this calculator is for a medium-sized breed of dog. Consult the chart below to see the differences between dogs of different sizes (small, medium, large, giant). It should give you a good sense of where your dog is in the development/aging process.

  • Small Dog: 20 pounds or less
  • Medium Dog: 21 to 50 pounds
  • Large Dog: 51 pounds to 100 pounds
  • Giant Dog: Over 100 pounds
 
Age of DogDog’s Age in Human Years
SmallMediumLargeGiant
1 year15151512
2 years24242422
328282831
432323238
536363645
640424549
744475056
848515564
952566171
1056606679
1160657286
1264697793
13687482100
14727888107
15768393114
16808799121

Courtesy of “How to Calculate Dog Years to Human Years”

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How old is your canine companion? Tell us in the comments below!

Pets & Farm Animals
About The Author
Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann

Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Catherine Boeckmann is the Executive Digital Editor of Almanac.com, the website companion of The Old Farmer's Almanac. She covers gardening, plants, pest control, soil composition, seasonal and moon c...
Read More from Catherine Boeckmann

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Comments

<span>Juanita Corinn…</span> Wed, 05/07/2025 - 01:41
I have a 10 year old Yorkie Chihuahua mix I call a chiyorkie so he is so smart and bilingual at that understand English and Spanish in trying to get a loan or grant for him to fix his teeth he needs help bad in a single older woman that is below low income with much love for all animals and people especially baby's thank you for letting me share
<span>Rita</span> Wed, 01/15/2025 - 21:00
Our chocolate lab is 17 and we keep thinking he won’t be around much longer but we’ve been thinking it for about three years now. Still walks 1/2 mile a few times a day. Sometimes he falls but he gets back up and acts like nothing happened!
<span>Jugó</span> Wed, 08/14/2024 - 15:16
I saw some that says 21 the first two years then 3.5 each year after that - Now they’re moving it up more?
<span>Vivian Harriman</span> Wed, 06/05/2024 - 09:37
My dog is 18 years and weighs 10 pounds
<span>Christine</span> Tue, 05/28/2024 - 21:17
Is it rare for pitbull he's 1/2 American 1/2 Colby to live long. My boy is 16yrs old.
<span>Dresden</span> Tue, 04/09/2024 - 12:27
My dog was named Doogie he was a brown/tan Chihuahua and he was 14 when he passed of getting poisoned by our people who put weed killer around parts of the ground they pulled trees and did not tell anyone R.I.P Doogie P. April 1st 2022
<span>Christine</span> Tue, 05/28/2024 - 21:18
That so messed up sorry for ur loss.
<span>Noah Scott</span> Wed, 03/13/2024 - 17:13
my dog is 18 but it does not show the age
<span>Stephanie Marak</span> Sat, 10/07/2023 - 18:22
My chi poo doodle is going to be 13 on Halloween part chiahuah part poodle what should be his ideal weight?
<span>Riley Moore</span> Mon, 04/03/2023 - 14:40
do you have shepard facts?