WEBVTT - BrainStuff Classics: Is a 'Dog Year' Really 7 Years?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey,

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff, Lauren Boglebon here with another classic episode featuring

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<v Speaker 1>our previous host, Christian Sagar. If you're listening to this

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<v Speaker 1>episode on the day it comes out and are in

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<v Speaker 1>the United States, then puppy bowl is upon us. And

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<v Speaker 1>what better time than to answer the burning question do

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<v Speaker 1>dogs really age? Seven years? For everyone human year? Hey,

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<v Speaker 1>welcome to brain Stuff. I'm Christian Sagar, and you may

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<v Speaker 1>have heard that dogs age differently from people. It's the

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<v Speaker 1>old notion of a dog year, right, the idea that

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<v Speaker 1>one year for humans equals about seven years for a pooch.

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<v Speaker 1>But is this true or just some tall tale as

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<v Speaker 1>shaggy dog story. If you will, well, yes and no,

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<v Speaker 1>and it's mainly no. First, let's talk about aging. Age

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<v Speaker 1>isn't just some hard and fast measurement of chronology. It's

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<v Speaker 1>also a measurement of how time affects our bodies. Animals

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<v Speaker 1>all age, but at different rates. By way of example,

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<v Speaker 1>let's look at this seven year myth. By that logic,

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<v Speaker 1>a fifteen year old dog would be in equivalent years

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<v Speaker 1>a one d and five year old person. But why

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<v Speaker 1>do so many dogs live to or past fifteen years old,

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<v Speaker 1>and so few people live to a hundred and five.

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<v Speaker 1>It just doesn't add up. And this is because we

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<v Speaker 1>can't make a simple one to one comparison. There's no

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<v Speaker 1>concrete equivalency that applies across the board. First, dogs don't

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<v Speaker 1>all have the same life expectancy, and they don't age

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<v Speaker 1>at the same rate either. Think about it this way.

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<v Speaker 1>A Chihuahua can live to be over fifteen people years old,

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<v Speaker 1>yipping at us the entire time. However, a larger breed,

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<v Speaker 1>like a Great Dane, they have a shorter lifespan on

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<v Speaker 1>the order of seven to eight years. So the size

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<v Speaker 1>of a dog affects its life expectancy, as does its

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<v Speaker 1>breed and expected adult weight. Generally, we can make a

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<v Speaker 1>good guess at a dog's a drange based on these factors.

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<v Speaker 1>Back to the rate of aging, So dogs undergo a

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<v Speaker 1>maturation process just like people. A puppy's first year on

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<v Speaker 1>the planet equals about more than a decade of people years,

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<v Speaker 1>but this rule doesn't apply for every year of a

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<v Speaker 1>dog's life. Afterward, after about two years on Earth, a

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<v Speaker 1>puppy is officially mature, able to sexually reproduce, and if

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<v Speaker 1>it were a person. Hey, it could buy booze, it

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<v Speaker 1>could vote, and maybe it could register for the draft.

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<v Speaker 1>But in biological terms, dogs also fall victim to the

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<v Speaker 1>ravages of age, just like humans. As a pooch ages,

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<v Speaker 1>she or he may begin to develop arthritis, poor hearing

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<v Speaker 1>or vision, and other ailments that are common in elderly humans,

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<v Speaker 1>and they appear to age more quickly in the early years,

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<v Speaker 1>while they're aging slows in the latter years. But if

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<v Speaker 1>you'd like to gauge your dog's age and life expectancy,

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<v Speaker 1>never fear well. It's true that there's no simple multiplication

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<v Speaker 1>exercise up lying to all dogs. You can use handy

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<v Speaker 1>estimation charts to make an educated guess about your pups lifespan.

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<v Speaker 1>Interesting side note. If this whole seven years thing is

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<v Speaker 1>a myth, and and we've pretty much established that it is,

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<v Speaker 1>then where did it come from. In an interview with

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<v Speaker 1>The Wall Street Journal, veterinarian William Fortney speculated that this

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<v Speaker 1>may have originated as a marketing ploy, meant to encourage

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<v Speaker 1>pet owners to bring their dogs in for checkups once

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<v Speaker 1>a year. So there you have it. Dogs don't exist

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<v Speaker 1>in some weird rip van Winkle asque time imbalance, and

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<v Speaker 1>every year for you isn't automatically seven for your favorite canine. However,

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<v Speaker 1>they do age at a different rate and it's important

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<v Speaker 1>to keep this in mind. Make sure you stay up

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<v Speaker 1>to date on vet visits, vaccinations, and field trips. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>episode was written by Ben Bullen and produced by Tyler Clang.

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<v Speaker 1>Brain Stuff is production of I Heart Radio's How Stuff Works.

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<v Speaker 1>For more on this and lots of other dog on topics,

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<v Speaker 1>visit our home planet us to forks dot com and

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