Last Updated on September 20, 2023
10 in dog years roughly equals 60 in human years.
This calculation was made for a medium-sized dog (21 to 50 pounds) using the recommendations from the AKC (American Kennel Club).
There are 2 ways of calculating the conversion from human years to dog years. The above result was calculated using the more correct way, we’ll explain what makes the other way incorrect later in this article.
The table below shows dog years and their equivalent to human years, with different columns for different sizes.
| Dog's Age in Years | Human Years (Small Dog) | Human Years (Medium Dog) | Human Years (Large Dog) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 | 15 | 15 |
| 2 | 24 | 24 | 24 |
| 3 | 28 | 28 | 28 |
| 4 | 32 | 32 | 32 |
| 5 | 36 | 36 | 36 |
| 6 | 40 | 42 | 45 |
| 7 | 44 | 47 | 50 |
| 8 | 48 | 51 | 55 |
| 9 | 52 | 56 | 61 |
| 10 | 56 | 60 | 66 |
| 11 | 60 | 65 | 72 |
| 12 | 64 | 69 | 77 |
| 13 | 68 | 74 | 82 |
| 14 | 72 | 78 | 88 |
| 15 | 76 | 83 | 93 |
| 16 | 80 | 87 | 99 |
Calculating how many human years is 10 in dog years
As mentioned above, there are 2 main ways of calculating dog years to human years and vice versa. There’s a correct way and an incorrect way.
The old calculation
Many people believe that 1 dog year equals 7 dog years. This assumption likely began in the 1950s, but it’s not the right method of calculating it.
Although there’s been plenty of research since then disproving this ratio of 7 to 1, people continue to believe it. The formula could have been based on the assumption that dogs live to about 10 years old and humans up reach 70 years old, but honestly, we’re not quite sure the date it was first introduced.
Therefore, while the 7-1 rule is simple to calculate and remember, it’s unfortunately incorrect.
The correct way
The best method of converting human years into dog years is more complicated.
The American Veterinary Medical Association has the following to be said about it:
- The first year of a medium-sized dog’s lifespan is approximately 15 years human.
- The second year of a dog’s existence equals about 9 human years.
- From that point forward each year of a human equals either four or five dogs years.
Keep in mind that smaller dogs tend to live longer than bigger dogs. Scientists concluded that every 4.4 pounds of body mass reduced a dog’s life expectancy by about a month.
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