What's My Dog's Age in Human years?

Have you ever wondered why your dog seems to be so wise? 

Ok, maybe they still chew up your socks or get into the trash…

But regardless, part of what makes dogs so special is their ability to embrace what we humans have to think about. For instance, dogs know how to embrace play, how to rest and relax, how to be in the moment, how to forgive, and so much more! 

We have much to learn from our furry friends. 

What if part of your dog’s wisdom was due to his human age? 

You’ve surely heard that calculating your dog’s age in human years is easy: Just take your dog’s age and multiply by 7.  

This is not completely wrong, but it’s not completely correct either.  

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) actually estimates that the first year of a dog’s life is equal to about 15 human years. The second year of a dog’s life accounts for about 9 human years. And after that, every year of the dog’s life is equal to about 5 human years. 

Let’s break that down: 

Puppy’s 1st Year: 15 human years

Puppy’s 2nd Year: 9 human years

Puppy’s 3rd Year: 5 human years

29 years old!

You can see from this quick example that your 3 year old dog is not quite the same age (in human years!) as your 3 year old toddler. 

This is important to remember because this means that dogs’ stage of development changes a little more quickly than we might think.  

For instance, as a dog ages, its digestive function and efficiency decreases. But this could happen at age 7 (i.e. age 47 in human years) for a dog, where a 7 year old kid has not entered this stage of development, and likely won’t for another 40 years! 

DOG YEARS TO HUMAN YEARS CHART

Dog Years (Age according to the calendar)	Human Years (Dog’s age in equivalent human years, based on stage of development/aging)
1 Year	15
2 Years	24
3	28
4	32
5	36
6	42
7	47
8	51
9	56
10	60
11	65
12	69
13	74
14	78
15	83
16	87

What does this mean for your dog? 

Well, it’s never too early to support your dog with high-quality probiotics and prebiotics.

As a puppy, digestive function is efficient (sometimes too efficient, if you know what we mean!), but an unestablished gut microbiome can leave your puppy highly susceptible to nasty viruses and bacteria. 

As a young dog, digestive function is optimal. However, this is the time when dogs might be working harder, exercising more frequently, traveling, and potentially adapting to different foods. Supporting your dog with a probiotic is essential for maintaining healthy gut function during periods of change and stress. Not to mention, probiotics will help keep the GI tract regular and protect against unexpected bouts of diarrhea, digestive upset, etc. 

As dogs age, their digestive function and efficiency decreases, just like in humans. This is the time when you really want to ramp up the good stuff! Feeding a combination of quality probiotics and prebiotics to assist with maintaining the integrity of the GI tract, in addition to digestive enzymes to help your dog absorb nutrients from its food, is crucial. 

Remember, support the gut and you support your dog’s entire body.