Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook.pdf - Mr. Walnuts

A p p e n d i x
COMPARATIVE AGE
OF DOGS AND
HUMANS
An old general rule is that one dog year is equivalent to seven human years,
but this is not always accurate. Dogs age at different rates than humans do.
Some dog years are equivalent to more than seven years, and some are equivalent
to fewer years. For example, it takes puppies about a year to grow into
their adult bodies, while it takes children a lot longer. Thus, the first year of a
dog’s life is perhaps equivalent to about 15 years of a child’s.
Dogs also vary in how quickly they age. In general, small breeds live longer
than large ones—occasionally, twice as long.
The chart below indicates average figures for all breeds of dogs, based on
their size. The numbers in bold indicate that the dog is considered senior; the
numbers in italics indicate that the dog is considered geriatric.
575
B