The Age of the Dogs Compared to Human Years

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Many people believe that one year of a dog's life is equal to seven human years. A 22 year old dog would be 154 years old. This is not realistic and has been proven to be false. 
Veterinarians have come up with a much more realistic comparison between human and dog years. 2 months = 3 years ... 5 months = 10 years ... 8 months = 12 years (Puberty)  The comparison applies both to the physical and the psychological development of the Labrador. For instance, a Labrador will go through his "puberty phase" around the age of nine months, which is about 13 years in human years.

Because dogs mature at different rates than people, it is inaccurate to say that 1 dog year is equal to so many human years (e.g. to say that 1 dog year is equal to 7 human years). One must take into account the rate of maturity, along with the aging factors discussed above, to obtain an accurate calculation.
Since the average lifespan of a Labrador is about 14 years, the list below doesn't go further than 18 years. (The oldest Labrador I've known reached 17 years of age.) The oldest recorded age for a dog is 27 years.  Remember that a Labrador isn't fully matured until the age of 3 years, both physically and psychologically. A 3 year old Labrador will still be puppyish! 
 
Dog Years to Human Years

The following table matches dog years to human years. It takes into account the fact that dogs mature differently than people. It also takes into account the dog size, which is a strong factor in determining expected lifespan.

April 2010