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 incorrect calculation
Many people believe that one dog year equals seven dog years. This assumption likely began in the 1950s, however it’s not the correct way to calculate it.
Although there’s been quite a bit of research since then disproving the 7:1 ratio, that people still believe in it. This formula may be based on the belief that dogs live for 10-ish years and humans reach 70 years old, but honestly we don’t know when it started.
Therefore, while the 7 to 1 rule is simple to calculate and remember however, it’s sadly incorrect.
The correct calculation
The proper method to convert human years to dog years is a bit more complex.
The American Veterinary Medical Association has the following to say about it::
- The first year of a medium-sized dog’s lifespan is about 15 years for humans.
- The second year in a dog’s lifespan is equivalent to 9 human years.
- From that point forward each year of a human equals the equivalent of four to five dog 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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