How old is a dog in human terms?

Puppies and children

It is known that a puppy grows much faster than a child. A young pet begins to switch to solid food at 3-4 weeks of age, and the child is ready for it no earlier than 4 months. At the age of 10 weeks, the puppy is already considered a teenager. The beginning of the corresponding period of our life falls on 12 years.

It is interesting to compare the maturation of a dog and a man in the teeth. Milk teeth appear in a puppy 20 days after birth, and in children this process starts after six months. At the age of 10 months, a dog’s permanent teeth are fully formed, and in humans this process ends by 18-25 years.

Adults

At two years old, the dog already enters adulthood, which roughly corresponds to our youthful period – 17–21 years. It is believed that the next three years of life, the animal matures, and on the fifth anniversary it meets its heyday. Almost the same as we are at 40. However, by our standards, this heyday does not last long – already at the age of eight, the dog moves on to a new stage.

Retirees

After reaching 8 years, the dog is considered aging. Age-related changes intensify in her body, the adequate immune response of the body decreases, and the functions of organs are gradually suppressed. In humans, a similar period begins at 55-60 years.

The average life expectancy of a dog is 12 years. Large breeds may have slightly less, small breeds may have more.

In Russia, the average life expectancy of a person, regardless of gender, is 71,4 years.

However, why not remember the centenarians? If we leave out the human record holders whose age exceeds 100 years, among people long-livers are those whose age has exceeded the 90-year mark. Among dogs, animals older than 20 years are considered centenarians. The Guinness Book of Records recorded a record – 29 years and 5 months: that’s how long the Australian shepherd Bluey from Rochester (Australia) lived. She was born in 1910 and worked on a sheep farm for 20 years, dying of old age in 1939. Beagle Butch from the USA (28 years old), Welsh Cattle Collie Taffy (27 years old) and Border Collie Bramble (also 27 years old) from the UK follow.

15 2017 June

Updated: December 21, 2017