Explore A New Trail With Your Dog
How much does your dog love their daily walk? You can make your walk extra special on their birthday by taking them somewhere brand new. Explore a new hiking trail together or take your dog to a new park. To make it even more fun for them remember to give them some extra time to sniff around and take in all those new and exciting smells.
The More Accurate Calculation Of Dog Years
Statistics from pet-insurance companies, breed-club surveys, and veterinary hospitals have helped us learn more about how dogs age.
Contrary to common belief, dogs do not age at a rate of 7 human years for each year in dog years.
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association:
- The first year of a medium-sized dogs life is equal to approximately 15 years of a humans life.
- The second year of a dogs life equals about nine years for a human.
- And after that, every human year equals approximately four or five years for a dog.
In other words, the number of human years piles onto a dogs life more quickly during the dogs rapid growth to maturity.
Birthday Cake Dog Hat
We cant promise your dog will want to wear a birthday cake hat, but just one picture of him in it is priceless. It comes in two sizes and has an adjustable toggle to secure it in place. If your dog just isnt in to wearing anything on his head, go for a birthday bandana instead. Get ready for Instagram likes!
via merchant
You May Like: New York Times Birthday Book
Super Senior Dog Indicators:
- Having accidents: Physical examinations should always be done if a housebroken dog starts having accidents indoors. If your older female dog has gone incontinent, your veterinarian can prescribe medication for this, and for males, theres always a belly band. Belly bands are available for all sizes of dogs and come in both a disposable option or a washable, reusable band as a bonus, many of the reusable belly bands come in fun colors and designs. Perfect for matching your dogs personality.
- Lenticular Sclerosis is a bluish grey haze that covers your dogs eyes when they get older. It does not affect your dogs vision, but will look cloudy to you. Your veterinarian should be able to tell you if your dog has this when he shines a light into them. Lenticular Sclerosis is different than Keratitis , the latter being very serious with a host of signs that should indicate vet attention is necessary.
Every dog is an individual, and if you spend time with them and tune into them you can probably guess pretty accurately how old they are. If you are planning a trip to the animal shelter, you can take along these tips if age is a factor in picking out your new best pal.
The Michelson Found Animals Foundations mission of saving pets and enriching lives is made possible by the generous contributions of Dr. Gary Michelson and Alya Michelson.
How Do Dog Years Work In Human Terms
When we talk about dog years, were attempting to explain how old a dog is from a human perspective. Since human life expectancy is far longer than a dogs, a standard calendar year represents a smaller portion of our lives.
We now know you dont merely multiply by 7 to convert dog years to human years. Nowadays, its widely accepted that the most relevant factor in converting dog to human years is weight, and that the average weight range of a breed establishes typical life expectancy.
When it comes to canine life expectancy, its quite common for tiny breeds such as dachshunds, Shih Tzus, Chihuahuas, Maltese, Yorkshire terriers and Jack Russell terriers to live to 15 years and longer, with some of the rarest cases surpassing the 20-year mark. On the heavier end of the scale, Newfoundlands, St. Bernards and rottweilers rarely live beyond 10 years, whereas Great Danes and mastiffs seldom live beyond 8. In the middle ranges, Labradors, golden retrievers and German shepherds live 10 to 12 years.
Don’t Miss: Space Themed Birthday Party Ideas
Dog Age Chart: How Old Is Your Dog In Human Years
Its common knowledge that one year of a dogs life is equal to seven human yearsor is it? If this is the way youve been calculating your dogs age, dont worry youre not alone. However, the truth is that this method isnt entirely accurate.
Historically, its very likely that the one dog year equals seven human years method was created to simply show that dogs age faster than humans. Today, scientists and researchers have developed a more precise method of calculating a dogs age to human years.
Lets dig in
Dogust The Universal Birthday For Shelter Dogs
While were talking about dog age, we also must touch on dog birthdays. Because dogs need to be celebrated!
If you have a pound hound like me, you dont know exactly when your dog was born. Thats why Dogust was created.
Dogust, celebrated August 1, is the universal birthday for shelter dogs. You can use August 1st as your marker for your dogs birthday!
Recommended Reading: Free Online Spiderman Birthday Invitations
New Way To Calculate Your Dogs Age In Human Years
In November 2019, scientists at University of California San Diego published a new method to calculate your dogs age in human years. It matches up various changes in DNA, nerve development and hormonal changes during aging, all common among mammals.
This new method of converting dog years to human years has a 7 week old puppy as the equivalent to a 9 month old child, based on when certain teeth emerge. After a dog is over a year, the age can be simply calculated by converting the dog age into a natural logarithm, multiplying that by 16 and adding 31.
BOL . Ive never been great at math.
So instead, use this dog age calculator and dog year chart for easy reference:
Let Your Dog Unwrap A Present
My dog Laika gets a fun new toy on her birthday, and I make the unveiling process a little more exciting for her by letting her unwrap it. If your dog doesnt have unwrapping experience keep it simple by using a gift bag. Remember to watch them closely some dogs have a tendency to eat anything in sight, including wrapping paper and shredded bags.
Don’t Miss: Birthday Cakes With Photos On Them
Determining Your Dog’s Actual Age
How Do Researchers Come Up With Those Numbers
There are many several factors to consider, so its not possible to pin it down precisely, but the AVMA says: Cats and small dogs are generally considered senior at seven years old, but we all know theyve got plenty of life left in them at that age. Larger-breed dogs tend to have shorter lifespans compared to smaller breeds and are often considered senior when they are 5 to 6 years of age. The senior classification is based on the fact that pets age faster than people, and veterinarians start seeing more age-related problems in these pets. Contrary to popular belief, dogs do not age at a rate of 7 human years for each year in dog years.
An example would be the Great Dane. The average life expectancy, according to the Great Dane Club of America, is about 710 years. Therefore, a 4-year-old Great Dane would already be 35 in human years. Again, keep in mind that these are rough estimates.
The National Center for Health Statistics doesnt keep records for dogs. Instead, there are three main sources for data on their longevity: pet-insurance companies, breed-club surveys, and veterinary hospitals.
Don’t Miss: Places To Have A Small Birthday Party
What Is The Equivalent Human Age Of My Mixed Breed
For mongrels, mutts, Heinz 57s, or whatever you choose to call your mixed breed, the best way to calculate age is by the aforementioned weight groups. In general, small dogs age at a slower pace and reach a longer life span of up to 16 years a giant dog has basically reached the same age at 10 to 12 years. Find out exactly how old your mutt is with this dog year calculator.
How Old Is Your Dog In Human Years
With the Dog Age Calculator, you can easily find out the age of your dog in human years. Dogs can grow very quickly from an early age with their first year being the equivalent of 15 human years. However, their second year is equivalent to 9 human years and, once they reach maturity and become adults, each year is the same as 4 human years.
Don’t Miss: Thank You Cards Children’s Birthday
Verifying The Pedigree Via Dna Testing
Have You Ever Wondered How Old Your Dog Would Be If They Were Human
Contrary to popular belief, there are not exactly seven dog years in a human year. Since dogs live a shorter life than humans, they age more quickly. Even within the species of dogs, different breeds and sizes of dogs age at different rates.
A two-year-old dog is generally considered to be an adult. We all know that this is definitely not the case with a two-year-old child. Once a dog is two, they are considered to be the equivalent of a 24-year-old human.
Read Also: 6 Year Old Birthday Party Ideas
Pay Attention To Their Hearing
Vision isnt the only sense that can change as your dog gets older, according to the American Kennel Club. Younger dogs generally have very sharp hearing , but you might notice that an older dog has trouble hearing you approach or responding to your call.
Your vet can check for hearing loss and help you care for a dog who can no longer hear.
How Do Dogs Age
As 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. Then, larger dogs age much faster in comparison to their smaller and medium counterparts. By seven years old, a small dog, like a Dachshund, will be six human years younger than a large breed, like an Airedale Terrier. Why is this?
Ultimately, scientists arent completely sure why smaller dogs age slower and live longer than larger ones. According to the American Kennel Club, some researchers hypothesize that its because larger dogs are affected by age-related diseases more quickly. Similarly, larger dogs progress from puppyhood to adulthood much faster, making abnormal cell growth, cancer, and other diseases more likely. Its for this reason that using the one dog year equals seven human years calculation isnt completely accurate.
While the newer method weve shared is more accurate, its still difficult to place a general formula on the way dogs age as this progression will not only depend on your dogs size, but their breed and individual genetics as well.
Also Check: Best 13th Birthday Party Ideas
Natural Dog Birthday Treats
If we were planning a party for humans, appetizers would absolutely be on the menu. The same can be said for a dog birthday party, where this gift set of hand decorated birthday-themed dog biscuits shaped like bones, cones and crowns will be a sure hit. Therell be no fighting over this tasty treat when the pup and all his friends are getting their own. And yes, the icing is safe for dogs. Try your hand at homemade dog treats, too.
via merchant
Ordering A Copy Of Your Dogs Pedigree Certificate Online
Recommended Reading: When Martin Luther King Birthday
Like This Please Share
Please help me spread the word by sharing this with friends or on your website/blog. Thank you.
Disclaimer: Whilst every effort has been made in building this calculator, we are not to be held liable for any damages or monetary losses arising out of or in connection with the use of it. This tool is here purely as a service to you, please use it at your own risk. Full disclaimer. Do not use calculations for anything where loss of life, money, property, etc could result from inaccurate calculations.
Don’t Forget About The Humans
Aside from an afternoon of cute dog shenanigans, you have to give your human guests some incentive to come to the puppy party, too. Enter, delicious party foods and drinks. Whip up a few party favorites like chicken wings, spinach, and artichoke dip, and deviled eggs, serve beer, wine, orif you’re really into the party themea custom cocktail in honor of your doggy’s day.
Strike a paws! Make your own photo booth backdrop, grab some props and get ‘gramming! Have your guests upload their photos to Instagram or Facebook with a custom hashtag , so you can see all of the fun in one place.
Continue to 9 of 10 below.
The best part of these dog-friendly party games is that they’re actually basic training techniques disguised as fun! Make sure you have plenty of toys for games like hide-and-seek and fetch, which help dogs practice commands like “sit,” “stay,” “come,” and “fetch.”
If you really want to take your puppy party games to the next level, try a round of Snoopy Says. Like the human version, Simon Says, participants listen to commands and make certain movements. The last pupper standing wins!
Continue to 10 of 10 below.
Recommended Reading: Baby 1st Birthday Invitation Card
