Last Updated on September 20, 2023
8 in dog years roughly equals 51 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 8 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
Many people believe that one dog year equals 7 dog years; this assumption likely began in the 1950s, however it’s not the right method of calculating it.
While there has been quite a bit of research since then that disproves this ratio of 7 to 1, it seems people are still holding on the idea. The formula could have been based on the assumption that dogs live to 10-ish years and humans to 70, but honestly, we’re not quite sure when it first started.
Therefore, while the 7 to 1 rule is easy to remember and calculate however, it’s sadly incorrect.
The new way
The proper method to convert human years to dog years is more complex.
The American Veterinary Medical Association has the following things to add to it:
- The very first year of a medium-sized dog’s lifespan is approximately 15 years human.
- The second year in a dog’s lifespan 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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