Dog years are a myth and puppies are middle-aged, scientists claim
Long-held theory canines age seven times faster than humans is wrong, new research suggests
Your support helps us to tell the story
As your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.
Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn't have the resources to challenge those in power.
Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November election
![Head shot of Andrew Feinberg](https://static.independent.co.uk/static-assets/support-us/andrew-feinberg.png)
Andrew Feinberg
White House Correspondent
The idea that dogs age seven years for every one human year is wrong, scientists have claimed.
Researchers at the University of California say they have found puppies are middle-aged by the time they are two, with dogs tending to then age more slowly in later life.
By the time they get to three, dogs are roughly equivalent to a 50-year-old human, according to the study.
The researchers looked at exactly how dogs age by focusing on the DNA methylation in 104 labradors aged between four weeks and 16 years old.
The DNA changes over time as cells mature, allowing scientists to track an animal’s biological progression.
After assessing the results, the researchers then compared their findings to those from 300 humans.
By the age of two, the labrador DNA was equivalent to a human in their early forties, rather than a 14-year-old human, which the traditional formula would suggest.
However, ageing slows in dogs over time, meaning that by the age of 10, a labrador is similar to a person aged 68.
This ties in with the long-held formula for calculating the age of dogs, which was developed on the assumption that most canines lived until around 10, while humans lived until around 70.
“The expected lifespan of labrador retrievers, 12 years, correctly translated to the worldwide lifetime expectancy of humans, 70 years,” the researchers said.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments