5 months in dog years roughly equals 4 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 5 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 incorrect way
Many people believe that 1 dog year equals seven dog years; this assumption was probably first introduced in the 1950s, but this isn’t the best method of calculating it.
While there has been plenty of research that has disproved this ratio of 7 to 1, it seems people continue to believe it. The formula could be based on an idea that dogs live to 10-ish years and humans can live to 70, however, we’re not quite sure when it first started.
So while the 7-1 rule is easy to remember and calculate however, it’s sadly incorrect.
The new way
The proper method to convert human years into dog years is more difficult.
The American Veterinary Medical Association has the following to be said about it:
- The very first year of a dog’s life is approximately 15 years human.
- The second year of a dog’s life is roughly 9 years for humans.
- From that point onwards each human year is equal to 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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