Why your dog isn't the age you think

"Dog years" is a popular way to estimate your dog's age. Just take the number of years they've been alive and multiply by 7. But really, that's not backed by any science. In fact, researchers at UC San Diego just came up with a much more scientific way to estimate your dog's age. And it blew my mind...

#shorts #pets #dog #animals #sciencefacts

[daves]

The researchers are clearly incorrect. My dog is 11 and she's still my baby.

[JD-ymhg]

They aren’t measuring age, they’re measuring the rate of development.

[MudStuffin]

Not age, but maturity. Dogs reach their maturity ceiling much faster comparatively to humans.

[TheBajamin]

Can confirm. My 2 year old dog has a bad back, watches golf every Sunday, and constantly asks about the weather and mail.

[runwalk]

Couple of things to note here:
First of all, this study was done specifically on Labradors, so you can't assume it's true for ALL dog breeds, especially ones that are quite significantly different, like a Chihuahua.


Secondly, this is done by measuring the amount of methyl groups on the DNA at certain ages. Methyl groups are added by a process conveniently called methylation. Methylation is an important process that helps DNA carry out it's many important functions and with age the quantity of methyl groups decreases.

[carnivault]

i’m gonna have to ignore this because there’s no way i can justify a 30yo pissing on the couch. she’s simply a baby, your honor

[bluebull]

Dogs after 1 year: im older than you now

[jumentoqueanima]

The dogs size also matters for that. The smaller the dog the less it ages generally.

[FZ-bkkh]

Always thought it was really cool how puppies and kittens developed so quickly. Makes sense they're equivalent to a full grown human by the time they're just one

[JmKrokY]

And then there's me who just uses regular years for everything

[snowmochi]

All I want is for my dog to live a healthy life until one day before I die. That’s literally all I want in my life

[AnyVideo]

"Multiply by 7" is not for young dogs, but for reminding you how much time you have left with your dog as it gives good estimates for how old a lot of dogs live

[adoberoots]

When you consider that dogs can run around and are basically fully functional dogs at just a few weeks of age, whereas human infants are completely helpless and unable to fully walk for anywhere from 18-24 months it makes a lot more sense!

[bobhouse]

The attractiveness mixed with the most interesting shorts are an amazing combo😊🎉

[a]

My dog is 12 and she is still my enjoyment and (for some reason) she is energetic (sometimes)

[StrengthScholar]

There's nothing that you can say to convince me that a 1-year-old dog is the equivalent relative age of a 30-year-old human being.

[Hnry]

Ain’t no way that a 30 year old be living rent free in my house

[Ciara_Foxx]

It's all about muzzle greying. If they have no grey around the muzzle, they're a puppy; if the have grey around the muzzle they are still a puppy

[moviemania]

Also, by breed/size is another age variable. There are some fillable forms online where you can get a better breakdown. Glad you're helping to disprove this myth!

[whatsupimlouie]

It’s definitely the fact that humans take WAY longer to fully mature. Our brains aren’t done developing until 25, puppies can start walking in like a week