8 months in dog years roughly equals 8 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 8 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 calculation
The majority of people still believe that 1 dog year is equal to 7 dog years. This belief was probably first introduced in the 1950s. However, it’s not the correct method of calculating it.
While there has been plenty of research since then that disproves the 7:1 ratio, it seems people continue to believe the idea. This formula may be based on an assumption that dogs live to 10-ish years and humans reach 70 years old, but honestly it’s hard to tell when it started.
Therefore, while the 7 to 1 rule is easy to understand and keep in mind, it’s unfortunately incorrect.
The new calculation
The proper method to convert human years to dog years is a bit more difficult.
The American Veterinary Medical Association has the following things to be said about it:
- The beginning year of a dog’s life is approximately 15 years human.
- The second year in a dog’s lifespan is roughly 9 years for humans.
- From that point forward, every human year equals either four or five dogs 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.
Related:
