Last Updated on September 20, 2023
6 months in dog years roughly equals 5 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 6 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 calculation
Most people still assume that 1 dog year equals seven dog years; this assumption probably started in the 1950s, however it’s not the right method of calculating it.
While there has been quite a bit of research that has disproved the 7:1 ratio, it seems people continue to believe the idea. This formula may have been based on the assumption that dogs live to 10-ish years and humans reach 70 years old, but honestly, we’re not quite sure the date it was first introduced.
So while the 7 to 1 rule is easy to remember and calculate, it’s unfortunately incorrect.
The correct calculation
The best method of converting human years into dog years is a bit more difficult.
The American Veterinary Medical Association has the following things to say about it::
- The first year of a medium-sized dog’s life is approximately 15 years human.
- The second year of a dog’s life equals about 9 human years.
- 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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