16 in dog years roughly equals 87 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 16 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
The majority of people still believe that one dog year equals 7 dog years. This assumption likely began in the 1950s. However, this isn’t the best method of calculating it.
There has been quite a bit of research since then that disproves this ratio of 7 to 1, that people still believe in the idea. The formula could be based on an belief that dogs live for 10-ish years and humans to 70, but honestly, we’re not quite sure when it started.
So while the 7 to 1 rule is simple to calculate and remember however, it’s sadly incorrect.
The new calculation
The proper method to convert human years to dog years is a bit more difficult.
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 of a dog’s life is equivalent to 9 human years.
- From that point onwards 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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