14 years in dog years is about 78 human years

14 years in human years, by size

Dog age calculator, with 14 years filled in: change the size, or work a human age back to dog years.

The last year the clock reads older than a small dog

At 14 the DNA clock gives 73.2 human years, still above the 72 of the small-dog chart and of Merck’s table, which lists 13 to 14 dog years as 68 to 72. Next year the small chart passes it too.

AVMA’s chart gives a 14-year-old medium dog 78. Seven times 14 is 98, twenty human years more than the medium chart.

What changes from 13 to 14

This birthday adds 4 for a small dog, 4 for a medium dog, 5.5 for a large dog and 7.5 for a giant dog in human years on the chart. The DNA clock adds 1.2.

Life stage at 14

Dogs of every size are seniors at 14, by the stages of the 2019 AAHA guidelines and the senior ages of VCA (small 11, medium 10, large 8, giant 7).

No size turns senior at exactly 14.

What the DNA clock says about a 14-year-old dog

Wang et al. (Cell Systems, 2020) matched the DNA methylation of 104 Labrador retrievers with that of people and fitted human age = 16 × ln(dog age) + 31. For 14 years that is 73.2 human years, 4.8 fewer than the 78 of AVMA’s chart for a medium dog.

At 14, the chart reads older than the clock for medium, large and giant dogs and younger for small dogs: the clock slows down with age while the bigger sizes keep a steep line.

The seven-year rule at this age

Seven times 14 is 98. The chart puts a 14-year-old dog between 72 and 114 human years by size, and the medium dog at 78, so the rule is 20 human years too high for a medium dog. No veterinary source on this page uses it.

Frequently asked questions

How old is a 14-year-old dog in human years?

About 72 for a small dog (20 lb or less), 78 for a medium dog (21 to 50 lb), 90 for a large dog (51 to 100 lb) and 114 for a giant dog (over 100 lb), on the charts of AVMA, Merck and PetMD. Your veterinarian can tell you where your own dog is.

Is a 14-year-old dog a senior?

Yes, whatever its size: VCA counts dogs as seniors from 7 (giant) to 11 or 12 (small). AAHA defines a senior as a dog in the last 25% of its expected life and suggests exams at least every six months.