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How do dogs age? It has always been believed that one year of a dog’s life is equal to 7 human years. However, that is not accurate since a one year old dog can already give birth while a 7-year old child cannot. Then there’s the world’s oldest dog alive at 29 years (that is 203 human years!) Experts these days have decided that 77 is the “new 60” and managed to come up with a more accurate method in calculating your dog’s age in human years.

If you happen not to know how old your pekingese is, bring him to a vet for you to find out. Vets would then check his teeth, eyes, coat and muscle tone to determine his age.

Teeth – Dogs have a complete set of permanent teeth when they reach 7 months, so if your dog still has wonderful pearly whites then chances are he is more likely a year old or so. Of there is yellowing on his back teeth may determine that he is already between 1-2 years old, while the presence of tartar would mean that he is between 3-5 years old. Missing teeth would determine that he is already a senior and would be needing dental care.

Coat – A young dog in general has fine, soft coat while older ones have a coarser, thicker coat. Plus, a senior dog may also show patches of whaite or gray hair on his face, especially the snout area.

Eyes – Clear, bright eyes would represent the younger dog while older ones have opaque or cloudy eyes.

Muscle tone – Young dogs have a better muscle definition due to their high acitivity level. Older dogs are usually a little fatter and bonier due to their decreased activity.

How Do Dogs Age

A dog’s lifespan is only a fraction of the average human’s lifespan, which means that a dog ages more quickly in the same amount of time. A human of six is very young, but a dog of six is already middle aged. Unfortunately, it’s not very accurate because dogs mature much more quickly than humans do. Dogs have shorter childhoods and longer adulthood. Dogs start walking at three weeks and reach physical maturity at 18 months. If we use the seven-for-one rule that would be the same as a human toddler walking at five months or a human child reaching physical maturity by age 11. Also, while a 15-year-old dog would be considered the equivalent of a 105-year-old person, many more dogs live to be 15 than humans live to be 105. A more accurate formula would be: 10 and 1/2 dog years for the first two years, then four dog years per year thereafter. However, this formula does not take the dog’s size into consideration. We know that small dogs tend to live longer than large dogs, as much as twice as long. Source: Wiki Answers, http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_do_you_calculate_a_dog’s_age_in_’dog_years’

How to Calculate your Dog’s Age

If your dog is 1 year old, that is equal to 15 human years and not 7 as we have always believed.

When he is 2 years old, then in human years he is actually already 24 years and not 14.

When your dog is 2 years old, add 4 years to the succeeding years. For instance, if he is 3 years old, then in human years he is already 28 years old; 4 years is equal to 32 years old, 5 years is to 36, so on and so forth…

Also take into consideration your dog’s size. Smaller dogs, like the pekingese, generally have a longer life span compared to the bigger breeds. Thus making the toy breeds have the longest life spans while the giant breeds having the shortest.

Now you know how to calculate a dog’s age and wouldn’t have to wonder how do dogs age really. It is nice that you are corrected of a false belief regarding their age. With this knowledge, you can share and spread the word out to your friends and other pet owners so that they will be educated as well. It is essential for every owner to know how old their dogs really are so that appropriate care measures could be given.

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