According to a new study we have been calculating our dogs' age wrong

We've always heard that in order to convert your dog's age to "dog-years" the simple equation is to multiply your dog's age in "human years" by seven.

But that theory has just been blown out of the water.

Scientists have just found out a dog year is NOT the equivalent of seven human years.

Instead, they have come up with a more accurate way to determine how old your dog is.

Researchers at the University of California San Diego's School of Medicine suggest a one-year-old puppy is actually about 30 in "human years."

By the age of four, according to the research, a dog would be about 54 in "human years," and by 14 they would be on a par with a human in their mid-70s.

The results showed that when dogs are young, especially within their first 5 years, they age even more rapidly than humans.

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"This makes sense when you think about it – after all, a 9-month-old dog can have puppies, so we already knew that the 1:7 ratio wasn't an accurate measure of age," said senior co-author Trey Ideker.

The report's presented equation to use is:

Human age = 16 ln(dog age) + 31

For iPhone calculators, first input the dog's age. Then click the natural logarithm (or ln) function. Multiply that result by 16. Then add 31.

For Google calculators, first click "ln." Then input the dog's age. Multiply the result by 16, and add 31.

The researchers say it may provide a useful tool for veterinarians, and for evaluating anti-ageing interventions.

Interesting!