4 months in dog years roughly equals 3 years 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 4 months 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 way
Most people still assume that one dog year equals seven dog years. This belief likely began in the 1950s, but it’s not the correct way to measure it.
While there has been quite a bit of research since then disproving the 7:1 ratio, it seems people continue to believe the idea. This formula may be based on the belief that dogs live for about 10 years old and humans up can live to 70, however we don’t know the date it was first introduced.
Therefore, while the 7 to 1 rule is easy to understand and keep in mind, it’s unfortunately incorrect.
The correct calculation
The proper method to convert human years into dog years is more complex.
The American Veterinary Medical Association has the following things to say about it::
- The beginning year of a medium-sized dog’s life is about 15 years for humans.
- The second year of a dog’s existence equals about 9 human years.
- From then on, 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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