How to calculate a dog’s age in human years

He dog it is known as man’s best friend, and one of the most recurring doubts that arise is it How many more years will he live to share together.

Another question that doesn’t have much of an answer to is: how old is a dog AND how old is a human being. There are various theories for calculating your age.

One of the most common is to multiply a human year by seven, but this is not reliable either. This belief has led to unrealistic and incorrect calculations.

THE University of California, San Diego provided new knowledge in this regard, e developed a mathematical formula which is based on the size and weight of the dogs.

How to calculate the age of a dog?

THE The old age of dogs is different from that of peopleso scientists from the University of California have published studies in which they expose a new way to adapt the dog’s growth process greater precision at the human age.

To perform the calculation They divided the animals into four groupsas the dog’s size is a key factor in determining age.

• Small breeds: less than 10 kilos.
• Medium breeds: They weigh between 10 and 22 kilos.
• Large breeds: from 23 to 40 kilos.
• Giant races: exceeding 40 kilos.

The formula they created is as follows: Human years = 16 x (dog’s chronological age) + 31. That is, you have to multiply the dog’s age by 16 and then add 31.

How was the study carried out?

Scientists carried out the study by analyzing the genetic material of 104 Labrador Retrievers with a 16 year age range. In the research they took into account DNA methylations, since this pattern controls the activity of genes that changes over the years.

Considering this model The researchers were able to calculate the dogs’ current biological age in relation to people.

Other methods to calculate the age of a dog

• Teeth: Dogs’ teeth emerge between 15 and 21 days, become permanent at 6 months and then wear down after 3 years.
• White hair: Gray hair appears from the age of 6 or 8 and appears on the chin, eyebrows, head and cheeks.
• Behavior: Small dogs have a more active and restless attitude, while older dogs are calmer.
• Illnesses: Over the years, dogs often contract bone and joint diseases or conditions due to wear and tear.
• Senses: Over the years, dogs lose the acuity of their main senses such as smell, hearing and sight.
• Other signs: coat quality, change in metabolism, hormonal changes and memory loss.