How to count dog age?
Surely you have often heard some single information about how to count the age of a dog. However, let us be completely honest about the matter. Are you able to determine with full awareness and precision what age your dog is? I think I know the answer to that question well.
But don’t get me wrong. Of course, I am referring to the so-called dog years, the equivalent of human years. Personally, I think that having knowledge about it is very useful in everyday life with a four-legged.
What is dog age
The age of the dog is a kind of contractual conversion factor, which is designed to estimate the maturity of the dog compared to the life expectancy of a human. Why is it so important to know how old our four-legged friend is?
– we know if we should approach the dog like a very young person, an adult or an old man,
– having this knowledge allows you to choose the right diet for the dog,
– we are able to determine what dose of movement our pet needs and what intensity and difficulty,
– much easier to choose the right accessories for your pet.
It is impossible to hide that what age we are has a direct representation in our way of life. A small child has other needs, another adult, and another older person. For our four-legged, the situation is the same. Depending on whether we are dealing with a puppy, an adult dog or a senior one, our approach to the pet changes.
Some accessories are versatile enough to be suitable for both small and older dogs. An example is the comfortable ATIVE dog harness by Bowl&Bone Republic. Remember that this is not always the case. Some accessories must be directly related to your pet’s age.
Dog harness |ACTIVE red
How to check my dog’s age?
Until recently, the age of the dog was calculated according to a conversion rate set in the 1950s, which was based on a simple principle. Namely, wanting to calculate the age of the dog multiplied the number of his years by 7. The number obtained reflected the age of the dog, compared with the life expectancy of a person.
For example, when our pet was 5 years old, it was then possible to determine that this was his 35th birthday.
This method has been used for a very long time. Its main problem was frequent imprecision. It was due to the fact that we cannot measure all dogs by one measure. As a canine caregiver, I think you will fully agree with that. It is impossible to hide that the life expectancy of a dog, excluding factors such as illness, standard of living or diet, depends on two important issues
– dog breed,
– the size of a dog.
Some breeds of dogs live much longer than others. The same is true for the size of dogs. Small dogs can live much longer than really big ones. Therefore, not taking into account even the breed of the dog when determining his age was a huge mistake. In order to determine the age of dogs in a slightly more precise way, a new method was developed.
New method to check the age of the dog
First of all, when determining the age of the dog, attention is paid not so much to the years that flow to the dog, but to its epigenetic clock.
Epigenetic clock – this clock determines the elapsed DNA changes caused by the passage of time.
Due to the fact that the life expectancy of a dog is much shorter than the life expectancy of a human, reading his age using an epigenetic clock is very helpful. This allows you to determine the age of the dog in a much more detailed and authoritative way.
The epigenetic clock is based on how genetic conditions, health, fitness, or overall lifestyle affect age. Its knowledge allows you to estimate the potential life expectancy of a four-legged.
Why a dog’s life goes differently
The period of the puppy in the life of the dog passes quite quickly. Reaching maturity by a four-legged is a much shorter phase of life than it is in humans. The child needs more time to fully master all the skills necessary for life.
So we see that initially the epigenetic clock in a dog ticks disproportionately faster than in humans.
However, it is worth noting that the period of adulthood in a dog lasts much longer than is the case with humans. It is safe to say that the vast majority of a dog’s life is his adulthood.
Therefore, scaling the age of the dog and trying to directly translate it into human years is very imprecise. Such a measurement can lead to many errors and mistakes.
How to count the age of a dog with a new method
So, what do we need to remember in order to determine the age of the dog, taking into account the epigenetic clock as well? It is impossible to hide that the new method of calculating the age of the dog requires us a slightly more advanced method of counting.
Namely, we need to multiply the natural logarithm of the actual age of the dog by 16, and then add the number 31 to the result.
(age of the dog x ln16) + 31
Although at first glance it may seem quite complicated, in fact this pattern does not require us to know how to calculate logarithms smoothly.
Moreover, I even think that we do not need to know more about the concept of logarithm itself than just that it is a very simple type of mathematical equation.
With the help of the formula for the age of the dog come to us all sorts of more developed mathematical calculators. Whether it’s those in analog form or internet ones. Calculating the logarithm with their help will not pose any challenge to us.
It is worth noting the fact that the above formula can be used only after the dog has finished the first year of life. Why? Because, as has already been mentioned, the puppy period in the life of the dog lasts a very short time.
For this reason, it would be very difficult to develop a meaningful pattern based not on years, but rather on the first weeks and months of the dog’s life.
Check your dog’s age
You already know what is the basis for calculating the age of the dog and how to calculate it yourself using the formula. However, wanting to make this task a little easier for you, I present to you the finished table below.
It contains a range of the real age of the dog from 1 year to 20 years. Thanks to it, you can easily and quickly read how many canine years your four-legged friend is at this point.
Is it possible to fully understand precisely the age of the dog?
Having full knowledge of how to count the age of the dog, you will certainly ask yourself how precise the result is. It is impossible to hide that a completely flawless estimation of the age of a four-legged is impossible. The aforementioned pattern was developed on the basis of observations of a specific breed of dog, Labrador.
The period of youth lasts extremely short in dogs. Moreover, the aging process begins much later than in humans. Therefore, the use of the old calculation method, which is not based on the logarithm formula, was not consistent and genuine.
Does the dog know his age?
I think that ignorance of age makes dogs happier than humans. For us, the number of years is of great importance and is often an indicator of how we should proceed at a given point in our lives.
However, is this a cause for concern for him? I think not, and what is your opinion on this?
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