Not too long ago news broke that the world’s oldest dog had died. Chanel, a wirehaired dachshund died in New York at age 21. That’s 147 years old for you and me. Or maybe not. Turns out that the standard calculation citing one year in a dog’s life equals 7 in human years is not really that accurate. How dogs age is a little more complicated and actually pretty interesting.
Anyone who has lived through raising a puppy knows that a 9 month old puppy acts much like a human teenager. Defiant, distracted, rebellious and moody. It may come as no surprise then that at 10-12 months a young dog corresponds in age to an 11-15 year old in human years. They are sexually mature, yet lanky, uncoordinated, and still developing musculature for their adult body. The second year of a dog’s life is equivalent to another 3 to 8 years in the life of a human. Their physical and mental maturity is reaching its peak and a young dog seems to be settling in and settling down. Much like the young adult that makes it through high school, enters college, and begins to think about structuring the rest of their lives.
Emotional maturity in dogs develops over several years. Giant breeds tend to be younger at heart (perpetual puppydom) for a greater amount of time. As their bones take longer to fully develop, so do their brains. In both larger and smaller breeds their age may indicate adulthood (age 2-3), but full maturity may not happen for another year. Think of the difference between a young human adult at 21 and then that same person at age 40. Both ages are in adulthood, yet a world apart in terms of experience and wisdom.
As a dog nears their 5th birthday their age in human years is about 36 years old. Peak adulthood, their most responsible years that hopefully have been build on a solid foundation of good nutrition, great exercise, and consistent learning and training. By age 8, or 48 in our years, a dog is middle aged and may start to exhibit signs of joint stiffness, fading eyesight or hearing, sensitivity to heat or cold and possible digestive disturbances. Any of this sound familiar to those of you cruising close to that age mark? After age 8 larger dogs exhibit their seniority more due to the added weight on their joints and strain on their hearts. By age 11 a dog is considered geriatric and is entering their 60’s in human years. They might be slowing down more than their Baby Boomer counterparts, but their aging process is slowing down as well. A 13 year old dog matches a 68 year old human and at 16 they have an 80 year old human as their peer.
So actually that 21 year old dog was more equivalent to a 96 year old human. Still exceeding their anticipated lifespan, but not totally off the charts in terms of possibilities. My 16 year old Jack Russell terrier is deaf, stiff and a little dotty, but still trucking along. Much like a couple of my relatives who have topped the 80 year old mark. Take good care of your pets and help them to live as long and happy life as they can.
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Anyone who has lived through raising a puppy knows that a 9 month old puppy acts much like a human teenager. Defiant, distracted, rebellious and moody. It may come as no surprise then that at 10-12 months a young dog corresponds in age to an 11-15 year old in human years. They are sexually mature, yet lanky, uncoordinated, and still developing musculature for their adult body. The second year of a dog’s life is equivalent to another 3 to 8 years in the life of a human. Their physical and mental maturity is reaching its peak and a young dog seems to be settling in and settling down. Much like the young adult that makes it through high school, enters college, and begins to think about structuring the rest of their lives.
Emotional maturity in dogs develops over several years. Giant breeds tend to be younger at heart (perpetual puppydom) for a greater amount of time. As their bones take longer to fully develop, so do their brains. In both larger and smaller breeds their age may indicate adulthood (age 2-3), but full maturity may not happen for another year. Think of the difference between a young human adult at 21 and then that same person at age 40. Both ages are in adulthood, yet a world apart in terms of experience and wisdom.
As a dog nears their 5th birthday their age in human years is about 36 years old. Peak adulthood, their most responsible years that hopefully have been build on a solid foundation of good nutrition, great exercise, and consistent learning and training. By age 8, or 48 in our years, a dog is middle aged and may start to exhibit signs of joint stiffness, fading eyesight or hearing, sensitivity to heat or cold and possible digestive disturbances. Any of this sound familiar to those of you cruising close to that age mark? After age 8 larger dogs exhibit their seniority more due to the added weight on their joints and strain on their hearts. By age 11 a dog is considered geriatric and is entering their 60’s in human years. They might be slowing down more than their Baby Boomer counterparts, but their aging process is slowing down as well. A 13 year old dog matches a 68 year old human and at 16 they have an 80 year old human as their peer.
So actually that 21 year old dog was more equivalent to a 96 year old human. Still exceeding their anticipated lifespan, but not totally off the charts in terms of possibilities. My 16 year old Jack Russell terrier is deaf, stiff and a little dotty, but still trucking along. Much like a couple of my relatives who have topped the 80 year old mark. Take good care of your pets and help them to live as long and happy life as they can.
< Back to Pets with Patti Articles
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