‘Dog year’ theory is a myth, scientists find after developing new method to compare human-canine ages

New study finds that a one-year-old dog is closer in age to a 30-year-old human, while a four-year-old dog is equivalent to a 52-year-old human. Kate Ng reports

(iStock)

The theory that one dog year is equivalent to seven human years has been debunked, said scientists who claim to have developed a more accurate formula to compare the ages of dogs and human.

US researchers based their findings on a new concept in ageing research called the ‘epigenetic clock’, which tracks a person’s biological age through DNA tags which change in pattern during the course of life.

The biological age can lag behind or exceed chronological age depending on an individual’s DNA tags, which are affected by chemical processes. It was discovered by German biomathematician Steve Horvath, who published his findings in 2013.