How old is your dog compare to your age? Even pet experts or veterinarians hadn’t have the consensus, until this study from Tina Wang, “Quantitive translation of dog-to-human aging by conserved remodeling of epigenetic networks” revealed the science-based result.
The researchers explain that the aging of vertebrae is referred by the remodeling of DNA methylome (same as finding annual ring in trees). And they matched the human developmental stage to dog’s lifespan. The graphic shows age comparison between Tom Hanks and Labrador Retriever.
Here are the simple digits for each developmental stages with relative human life analogue.
Juvenile: 2-6 months (baby to middle school student)
Adolescent: 6-24 months (high school teenager to college student)
Mature: 2-7 years (marriage and become a parent)
Senior: 7-12 years (retirement from work)
This study has a limitation on explaining the overall dog’s life since it’s only based on comparison on one breed, Labrador Retriever. It is well known that smaller breeds tend to live longer than bigger dogs.
But one thing is clear, dogs age fast at their younger years and reach their full maturity between 1-2 years. It means that your dog’s overall health condition along its whole life can be determined by its early 1-2 years.
Not only giving full love to your puppy but also taking a foresight of its senior healthcare will be important for dog owners to remind.