Why is understanding my dog’s age important? While the newer method we’ve shared is more accurate, it’s still difficult to place a general formula on the way dogs age – as this progression will not only depend on your dog’s size, but their breed and individual genetics as well. It’s for this reason that using the “one dog year equals seven human years” calculation isn’t completely accurate. Similarly, larger dogs progress from puppyhood to adulthood much faster, making abnormal cell growth, cancer, and other diseases more likely. According to the American Kennel Club, some researchers hypothesize that it’s because larger dogs are affected by age-related diseases more quickly. Ultimately, scientists aren’t completely sure why smaller dogs age slower and live longer than larger ones. By seven years old, a small dog, like a Dachshund, will be six human years younger than a large breed, like an Airedale Terrier. Then, larger dogs age much faster in comparison to their smaller and medium counterparts. Generally, you can group dogs into small dogs (under 20 lbs), medium dogs (20 to 50 lbs), large dogs (50-100 lbs), and giant dogs (100+ lbs).Ĭheck out the dog age to human age chart below to calculate your dog’s age in human years based on their size group:Īs you can see in our dog age chart – aside from the giant category – small, medium, and large dogs age pretty similarly until they reach about age six. Therefore, it’s helpful to break down a dog age chart in terms of size, as you’ll see below. In general, smaller dogs live longer than larger dogs, so while a seven-year-old Great Dane might be considered a “senior” dog, the same isn’t necessarily true for a seven-year-old Chihuahua. So, why is this more accurate than the “one dog year equals seven human years” method?īecause it takes into account that not all dogs breeds age the same way.
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A total of four pairs of teeth can be found in the front and by comparing the size of the teeth, you can determine an animal's age. A new pair of teeth will appear for each year of an animal's life.
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These molars are located on both upper and lower jaws in the back of the mouth.Īs an animal matures, larger permanent teeth will appear on the lower jaw. They also have molars for grinding their food. Sheep, goats and cattle all have front teeth on the lower jaw and a dental pad on the upper jaw. Note the first pair of permanent teeth in the middle of the lower jaw. This animal is less than a year old because all the baby teeth are intact.