Last Updated on February 22, 2023 by Becky Roberts
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 formula
The majority of people still believe that one dog year equals 7 dog years. This belief probably started in the 1950s, however this isn’t the best way to calculate it.
Although there’s been a lot of research since then disproving that the ratio is 7-1, people continue to believe the idea. The formula could have been based on the idea that dogs live to about 10 years old and humans up can live to 70, however we don’t know when it started.
So while the 7 to 1 rule is easy to remember and calculate however, it’s sadly incorrect.
The correct way
The proper method to convert human years to dog years is more complicated.
The American Veterinary Medical Association has the following to be said about it:
- The beginning year of a medium-sized dog’s life is about 15 years for humans.
- The second year in a dog’s lifespan is equivalent to 9 human years.
- From that point onwards, every human year equals four or 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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