Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2009
| Subscribe to Newser's RSS feeds RSS | Follow Newser on Twitter Twitter


 ANALYSIS 
0

'Dog Years' Just Don't Add Up

The '7-year' rule is too simplistic, veterinarians say

Share

(Newser) – A human year is 7 dog years, right? That ubiquitous formula has been driving veterinarians and dog enthusiasts nuts for decades. If it were accurate, some pooches would live to the equivalent of age 150 or so, Carl Bialik writes in the Wall Street Journal. For those who must convert, he suggests scrapping the one-size-fits-all approach in favor of a more nuanced formula.

The truth is that there is no hard and fast age equivalency: Veterinary researchers have found that dogs grow 20 times as fast as humans before age 1, then slow down. Dog lifespans also vary from breed to breed, and all dogs have benefited from improvements in veterinary care in recent decades. So is the end near for the 7:1 formula? Nope. "You can't really kill the 7-year rule," said one expert.

The Yorkshire Terrier, one of the breeds owned by John McCain, and the Poodle, voted
The Yorkshire Terrier, one of the breeds owned by John McCain, and the Poodle, voted "best breed for the Obamas" by dog lovers via the American Kennel Club's www.presidentialpup.com poll.   (AP Photo)
In this handout photo provided by Best Friends Animal Society, a puppy is shown at the Whispering Oaks Kennels in Parkersburg, W.Va., on Aug. 23, 2008.
In this handout photo provided by Best Friends Animal Society, a puppy is shown at the Whispering Oaks Kennels in Parkersburg, W.Va., on Aug. 23, 2008.   (AP Photo/Best Friends Animal Society)
Nampa, Idaho veterinarian John Calhoun after helping his one-year-old Australian Shepherd named Dodger out of the water at the Pooch Pool Party, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2008 in Nampa, Idaho.
Nampa, Idaho veterinarian John Calhoun after helping his one-year-old Australian Shepherd named Dodger out of the water at the Pooch Pool Party, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2008 in Nampa, Idaho.   (AP Photo)
Coal is a black Labrador retriever from Heartland Lab Rescue in Oklahoma City, Okla. His age is none of your business.
Coal is a black Labrador retriever from Heartland Lab Rescue in Oklahoma City, Okla. His age is none of your business.   (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)
Jake, a black Labrador retriever search and resue dog, is seen in this 2003 photo. He helped search the rubble for victims in the 9/11 attacks.
Jake, a black Labrador retriever search and resue dog, is seen in this 2003 photo. He helped search the rubble for victims in the 9/11 attacks.   (AP Photo)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

My guess is it was a marketing ploy. A way to educate the public on how fast a dog ages compared to a human, predominantly from a health standpoint. - William Fortney, veterinarian

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
OFF THE GRID
11.24.09
Murdoch and Microsoft: The Mice Are Trying to Roar
11.23.09
Books Are Bad for You
0 comments
VIEWING:
 
LEAVE A
COMMENT Comment Policy
Facebook ConnectPost this comment to Facebook?

After connecting you will have the option to post your comment on your Facebook profile.

 

Related Newser Stories

58 Stories

 7-Foot Dog Has 
 High Hopes for 
 World Record 

North Dakota specimen, ermm, Boomer, stands 3 ft tall and 7 ft long

Oct 8, 09 11:42 AM CDT
(Newser) - The owner of a North Dakota dog who drinks from the kitchen sink and stares motorists right in the eye thinks he’s a candidate for world’s tallest dog. Boomer, a 180-pound Landseer Newfoundland, measures 3 feet at the shoulders and 7 feet nose to tail. His owner plans... More »

MORE ABOUT:
pets • tall • North Dakota • dog • Guinness World Records • Newfoundland • Great Dane • Landseer Newfoundland • giant

 Gadget Translates 
 'Woof' into 
 Words 

Japanese toymaker debuts dog translator next month

Jul 20, 09 2:33 PM CDT
(Newser) - Ever wonder what your dog is thinking? The “Bowlingual Voice” from Japanese toymaker Takara Tomy claims to be able to tell you just that, the Telegraph reports. The device is made up of a microphone and transmitter on the collar that categorizes the dog’s utterances into one of... More »

MORE ABOUT:
weird • Japan • canine behavior • invention • dog • gadget • canines

They Don't
Call Him Fido
for Nothing

Dogs are ethical, full
of natural goodness, scientist says

May 16, 09 5:58 PM CDT
(Newser) - Science is finally catching up to what dog owners have known all along: Canines are ethical. After thousands of hours studying dogs—once dismissed as "furry automatons," an author said—animal behaviorist Marc Bekoff concluded that they possess the capacity for empathy and compassion, the hallmarks of morality.... More »

MORE ABOUT:
animal behavior • human • canine behavior • empathy • Harvard • emotion • dog • human nature • canines • morality

58 Stories


This site tries to provide a more accurate formula
dogyears.com


Arts & Living  •  Science & Health 
TwitterFollow @NewserArts on Twitter

 
pets • age • lifespan • veterinarian • dog • canines

from our news partners