Barking up the wrong tree: dog years don't add up

There is a common myth that 1 human year is equal to 7 dog years, and practically all pet owners know it. No-one is quite sure where it first came from, but experts agree that the calculation needs some tweaking.

To give you a better idea of how old your pooch truly is, we've put together a guide on calculating their age accurately.

What are dog years?

According to the popular myth, every year a dog spends on the planet is equivalent to 7 years of a human’s life.

This would mean that a 1-year-old dog would be the same age as a 7-year-old child, whilst a 10-year-old dog would be 70 in human years.

However, while this calculation may apply to some dogs, it's not fully accurate as all breeds mature at a different rate.

Qualified vet Matt Brash reveals that there are other factors to consider when calculating dog years too. "Pet welfare has improved over the last few decades," he explains.

"Nutrition, housing and veterinary care are better than ever before, leading to our beloved chums enjoying longer, more fulfilled lives. A calculation that came into use over 50 years ago suddenly doesn’t carry much weight."

Sizing it up

From dogs that can fit in your pocket to those who barely fit through the door, there are so many different breeds around the world, each with their own unique set of characteristics. How large they grow is just one of them.

A Yorkshire terrier, for instance, is unlikely to ever reach the heights of a great dane. This is because small dogs generally grow slowly during their lifetime, while large breeds grow quickly in their first 2 years before slowing down in later life.

Unfortunately, quick growth can result in several health problems for dogs, including bone disease and some cancers. This is why large dogs tend to only live up to 10 years, while small dogs typically live to be over 15 years old.

However big or small, it may not be too late to protect your pooch. Most providers will insure your dog for a new policy up to the age of 7.

How to convert dog years accurately

Although the classic dog years calculation is simple, its inaccuracy means results are a guess at best. However, there are other ways to measure your dog’s human age – and it doesn’t involve difficult multiplications!

Pedigree’s Dog Age Calculator is a tool that considers the breed of a dog and its genetic make-up before calculating its age in dog years. The result should give you a more accurate representation of your pet’s maturity.