Dog’s Age: Just How Old Is My Dog?

It is a popular misconception that all dogs age 7 years for each calendar year. Then there are some would multiply each year by 4. If we would to calculate dog’s age in these manners, then all dogs would either live over 100 years old or die before they turn 50.

Let me show you what I mean using two of my dogs as example base on the above method of calculation.

• Snowball, Maltese, weighs 5.2 lbs, born Oct 01′ 1990 and still bossing around.
• Lucky, Crossbred, weighed about 90 lbs, born 1966, died mid 1977.

If I multiply it by 7, Snowball would be 119 years old on his 17th birthday and Lucky would have been 77 years old when he died.

If I multiply it by 4, Snowball would be 84 years old this Oct and Lucky would have been 40 years old when he died.

As you can see, both methods of calculating dog’s age are very misleading. They aren’t totally wrong either!

How Is Dog’s Age Calculated?

Canine aging is much more rapid during their first two and half years. Around 3 years of age, the ratio defers from different breeds.

• Small sized dogs: 1 calendar year to 4 dog’s years
• Medium sized dogs: 1 calendar year to 4.5 dog’s years
• Large sized dogs: 1 calendar year to 5.5 dog’s years
• Giant breeds: 1 calendar year to 7.2 dog’s years

The relative age of different-sized dogs varies through life. Given the different life expectancies of small to giant breeds, two dogs of exactly the same age may in fact be at very different stages in their lives.

So, does it really matter if your dog lives up to 100 years old? What matters is the quality time you both shared!