How old is my dog in human years?
Enter your dog’s age to see the equivalent human age, based on a 2020 study of how DNA changes with age in dogs and humans.
How dog years are calculated here
Researchers compared age-related chemical changes in DNA (methylation) in 104 Labrador retrievers with those in humans and found the relationship is logarithmic, not linear:
human age ≈ 16 × ln(dog age in years) + 31
That means a 1-year-old dog is roughly like a 31-year-old human in this molecular sense, and aging then slows: a 4-year-old dog maps to about 53 and a 12-year-old to about 71. Because the study used a single breed, size and breed differences aren’t modeled.
Sources
FAQ
Is one dog year really seven human years?
No. Dogs mature much faster early in life and the pace slows later, so a simple ×7 rule doesn’t fit. Research on DNA methylation suggests a logarithmic relationship instead.
Does size matter?
Larger breeds generally have shorter lifespans and are considered seniors earlier than small breeds. The formula used here was derived from Labrador retrievers, so treat results for very small or giant breeds as rougher estimates.
Why doesn’t it work for puppies under one year?
The logarithmic formula gives unrealistic values for very young puppies, so we only calculate from age 1 onward.