--- title: "The Truth Behind How Old Is a Dog in Human Years" id: "70360" type: "post" slug: "the-truth-behind-how-old-is-a-dog-in-human-years" published_at: "2019-01-01T12:00:57+00:00" modified_at: "2019-01-01T12:00:57+00:00" url: "https://wagsaboutyou.com/2019/01/01/the-truth-behind-how-old-is-a-dog-in-human-years/" markdown_url: "https://wagsaboutyou.com/2019/01/01/the-truth-behind-how-old-is-a-dog-in-human-years.md" excerpt: "For as long as you can remember, there’s always been a distinction between the age of a dog in “dog years” versus that of…" taxonomy_category: - "Petcare" --- January 1, 2019 # The Truth Behind How Old Is a Dog in Human Years January 1, 2019 · [Petcare](https://wagsaboutyou.com/category/petcare/) Share[https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwagsaboutyou.com%2F2019%2F01%2F01%2Fthe-truth-behind-how-old-is-a-dog-in-human-years%2F](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwagsaboutyou.com%2F2019%2F01%2F01%2Fthe-truth-behind-how-old-is-a-dog-in-human-years%2F) [https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwagsaboutyou.com%2F2019%2F01%2F01%2Fthe-truth-behind-how-old-is-a-dog-in-human-years%2F&text=The%20Truth%20Behind%20How%20Old%20Is%20a%20Dog%20in%20Human%20Years](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwagsaboutyou.com%2F2019%2F01%2F01%2Fthe-truth-behind-how-old-is-a-dog-in-human-years%2F&text=The%20Truth%20Behind%20How%20Old%20Is%20a%20Dog%20in%20Human%20Years) [https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwagsaboutyou.com%2F2019%2F01%2F01%2Fthe-truth-behind-how-old-is-a-dog-in-human-years%2F&description=The%20Truth%20Behind%20How%20Old%20Is%20a%20Dog%20in%20Human%20Years](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwagsaboutyou.com%2F2019%2F01%2F01%2Fthe-truth-behind-how-old-is-a-dog-in-human-years%2F&description=The%20Truth%20Behind%20How%20Old%20Is%20a%20Dog%20in%20Human%20Years) [https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwagsaboutyou.com%2F2019%2F01%2F01%2Fthe-truth-behind-how-old-is-a-dog-in-human-years%2F](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwagsaboutyou.com%2F2019%2F01%2F01%2Fthe-truth-behind-how-old-is-a-dog-in-human-years%2F) [https://api.whatsapp.com/send?text=The%20Truth%20Behind%20How%20Old%20Is%20a%20Dog%20in%20Human%20Years%20https%3A%2F%2Fwagsaboutyou.com%2F2019%2F01%2F01%2Fthe-truth-behind-how-old-is-a-dog-in-human-years%2F](https://api.whatsapp.com/send?text=The%20Truth%20Behind%20How%20Old%20Is%20a%20Dog%20in%20Human%20Years%20https%3A%2F%2Fwagsaboutyou.com%2F2019%2F01%2F01%2Fthe-truth-behind-how-old-is-a-dog-in-human-years%2F) [mailto:?subject=The%20Truth%20Behind%20How%20Old%20Is%20a%20Dog%20in%20Human%20Years&body=For%20as%20long%20as%20you%20can%20remember%2C%20there%E2%80%99s%20always%20been%20a%20distinction%20between%20the%20age%20of%20a%20dog%20in%20%E2%80%9Cdog%20years%E2%80%9D%20versus%20that%20of%26hellip%3B%0A%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fwagsaboutyou.com%2F2019%2F01%2F01%2Fthe-truth-behind-how-old-is-a-dog-in-human-years%2F](mailto:?subject=The%20Truth%20Behind%20How%20Old%20Is%20a%20Dog%20in%20Human%20Years&body=For%20as%20long%20as%20you%20can%20remember%2C%20there%E2%80%99s%20always%20been%20a%20distinction%20between%20the%20age%20of%20a%20dog%20in%20%E2%80%9Cdog%20years%E2%80%9D%20versus%20that%20of%26hellip%3B%0A%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fwagsaboutyou.com%2F2019%2F01%2F01%2Fthe-truth-behind-how-old-is-a-dog-in-human-years%2F) [Stay Connected via Google News Follow Us For The Latest Pet Updates and Guides.](https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=wagsaboutyou.com) ### **For as long as you can remember, there’s always been a distinction between the age of a dog in “dog years” versus that of human years.** Are you ready to really learn how old is a dog in human years and if that really means anything? As always, we are going to shed light on another dog topic that has people talking. Keep reading to learn more. #### **The First Year** As much as there is an easy topic that compares the age of dogs to the age of humans, we know that it’s a controversial subject. What is commonly circulated is that for every human year, there are 7 dog years in comparison. The reality is that it doesn’t matter the breed, all dogs will develop and age very similar to 15 human years in their first year of life. You read that right. In the first 5 months, your pup will lose teeth and by seven months old, they will have all of their adult teeth. #### **The “Terrible Twos”** Once again, as in the first year, the second year of your pup’s life will be the same regardless of the breed or size. They will all age pretty much at the same rate, with little variants. During the “terrible twos” your dog will age a total of 9 human years. So how old is a dog in human years? This means that after only 2 years, your dog is already past the human legal drinking age and well into their mid-20s! ## Meet the newest arrivalsPuppies available now [View all puppies](https://wagsaboutyou.com/available-puppies/) - [Many Interested](https://wagsaboutyou.com/pet/detail/boca-raton-fl/5150382/shih-tzu/) ## [Shih Tzu](https://wagsaboutyou.com/pet/detail/boca-raton-fl/5150382/shih-tzu/) Female puppy · 7 weeks old - Boca Raton - Born Sep 11, 2026 - Ref #1003 Get My DetailsVirtual Meet & Greet[(561) 488-5757](tel:+15614885757) - [Many Interested](https://wagsaboutyou.com/pet/detail/boca-raton-fl/5150380/poochon/) ## [Poochon](https://wagsaboutyou.com/pet/detail/boca-raton-fl/5150380/poochon/) Female puppy · 6 weeks old - Boca Raton - Born Sep 17, 2026 - Ref #1002 Get My DetailsVirtual Meet & Greet[(561) 488-5757](tel:+15614885757) - [Many Interested](https://wagsaboutyou.com/pet/detail/boca-raton-fl/5150379/labrador-retriever/) ## [Labrador Retriever](https://wagsaboutyou.com/pet/detail/boca-raton-fl/5150379/labrador-retriever/) Female puppy · 6 weeks old - Boca Raton - Born Sep 15, 2026 - Ref #1001 Get My DetailsVirtual Meet & Greet[(561) 488-5757](tel:+15614885757) #### **Puberty Time** Small dog breeds grow much faster out of the puppy stage than larger dogs but they will eventually catch up to them. Large dogs reach middle age faster than small dogs. #### **40 Fine** In your dog’s fifth year of living in the big world, this is when they start a little more rapidly. Small dogs weighing 20 pounds or less are approximately 40 in human years while they are only 6 in dog years. For larger dogs, add 2 more years. #### **Senior Dogs** If you can believe it, after only 6 years of living, your dog will technically be considered a senior dog. They will continue to age anywhere from 3 to 5 years over just 1 human year. Know someone who’d love this? Share itShare[https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwagsaboutyou.com%2F2019%2F01%2F01%2Fthe-truth-behind-how-old-is-a-dog-in-human-years%2F](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwagsaboutyou.com%2F2019%2F01%2F01%2Fthe-truth-behind-how-old-is-a-dog-in-human-years%2F) [https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwagsaboutyou.com%2F2019%2F01%2F01%2Fthe-truth-behind-how-old-is-a-dog-in-human-years%2F&text=The%20Truth%20Behind%20How%20Old%20Is%20a%20Dog%20in%20Human%20Years](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwagsaboutyou.com%2F2019%2F01%2F01%2Fthe-truth-behind-how-old-is-a-dog-in-human-years%2F&text=The%20Truth%20Behind%20How%20Old%20Is%20a%20Dog%20in%20Human%20Years) [https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwagsaboutyou.com%2F2019%2F01%2F01%2Fthe-truth-behind-how-old-is-a-dog-in-human-years%2F&description=The%20Truth%20Behind%20How%20Old%20Is%20a%20Dog%20in%20Human%20Years](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwagsaboutyou.com%2F2019%2F01%2F01%2Fthe-truth-behind-how-old-is-a-dog-in-human-years%2F&description=The%20Truth%20Behind%20How%20Old%20Is%20a%20Dog%20in%20Human%20Years) [https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwagsaboutyou.com%2F2019%2F01%2F01%2Fthe-truth-behind-how-old-is-a-dog-in-human-years%2F](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwagsaboutyou.com%2F2019%2F01%2F01%2Fthe-truth-behind-how-old-is-a-dog-in-human-years%2F) [https://api.whatsapp.com/send?text=The%20Truth%20Behind%20How%20Old%20Is%20a%20Dog%20in%20Human%20Years%20https%3A%2F%2Fwagsaboutyou.com%2F2019%2F01%2F01%2Fthe-truth-behind-how-old-is-a-dog-in-human-years%2F](https://api.whatsapp.com/send?text=The%20Truth%20Behind%20How%20Old%20Is%20a%20Dog%20in%20Human%20Years%20https%3A%2F%2Fwagsaboutyou.com%2F2019%2F01%2F01%2Fthe-truth-behind-how-old-is-a-dog-in-human-years%2F) [mailto:?subject=The%20Truth%20Behind%20How%20Old%20Is%20a%20Dog%20in%20Human%20Years&body=For%20as%20long%20as%20you%20can%20remember%2C%20there%E2%80%99s%20always%20been%20a%20distinction%20between%20the%20age%20of%20a%20dog%20in%20%E2%80%9Cdog%20years%E2%80%9D%20versus%20that%20of%26hellip%3B%0A%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fwagsaboutyou.com%2F2019%2F01%2F01%2Fthe-truth-behind-how-old-is-a-dog-in-human-years%2F](mailto:?subject=The%20Truth%20Behind%20How%20Old%20Is%20a%20Dog%20in%20Human%20Years&body=For%20as%20long%20as%20you%20can%20remember%2C%20there%E2%80%99s%20always%20been%20a%20distinction%20between%20the%20age%20of%20a%20dog%20in%20%E2%80%9Cdog%20years%E2%80%9D%20versus%20that%20of%26hellip%3B%0A%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fwagsaboutyou.com%2F2019%2F01%2F01%2Fthe-truth-behind-how-old-is-a-dog-in-human-years%2F) ## From the blog More from the journal [All articles](https://wagsaboutyou.com/blogs/) November 1, 2026 · Petcare ### [When Can Your Puppy Safely Visit Parks in Stuart and Boca Raton, FL?](https://wagsaboutyou.com/2026/11/01/puppy-park-safety-stuart-boca-raton/) Quick Answer / Summary Puppies can generally begin walking in public parks about two weeks after their final core puppy… Read article November 1, 2026 · A Blog Called Pup · Pet Store · Petcare · Puppy Care ### [Your Puppy’s Official Thanksgiving Job Description](https://wagsaboutyou.com/2026/11/01/puppy-thanksgiving-job-description/) Qualifications: Four paws, an excellent nose, and absolutely no respect for the organizational chart. Thanksgiving is a lot of work.… Read article October 1, 2026 · A Blog Called Pup · Pet Store · Petcare · Puppy Care ### [Which Halloween Trope Is Your Puppy? Take the Extremely Unscientific Test](https://wagsaboutyou.com/2026/10/01/halloween-puppy-trope-quiz/) Halloween gives us plenty of dramatic characters: fearless heroes, suspicious detectives, lovable sidekicks and snack-fueled troublemakers. But what happens when… Read article