Three Recent Discoveries Have Upended Scientists' Understanding Of How Dogs Age, Navigate, And Perceive Human Speech

Business Insider ^ | 9-7-2020 | Aylin Woodward

[blam]

It often seems impossible to know what's going on in Fido's head as he lounges on his dog bed.

But a handful of new studies offer surprising insights about how our canine companions age, perceive human speech, and find their way home.

A study published last month found that dogs understand verbal communication just as we do, parsing out tone and then meaning as separate aspects of human speech.

Dogs may also use Earth's magnetic field like a compass to find their way home, other recent research revealed.

And another study published this summer found that puppies age much faster than older dogs do — which means you're probably underestimating your dog's human-age equivalent.

Taken together, these recent discoveries may change how you understand your pet.

We've been underestimating our dogs' ages

Dogs live an average of 12 years. Human life expectancy, by contrast, is at least five times that, which is why many people go by the common rule of thumb that one "dog year" is equivalent to seven "human years."

But that one-to-seven ratio is wrong, researchers say — it's a misunderstanding of how dogs' aging processes compare with those of humans. Instead, according to a July study, genetic evidence suggests that Labrador puppies and other young dogs age faster than their older counterparts.

"What's surprising is exactly how old a 1-year-old dog is — it's like a 30-year-old human," Trey Ideker, a coauthor of that study, said in a press release.

But dogs age more slowly as time passes — or rather, their cells do. So for each year older a dog gets, the corresponding increase in "human years" gets smaller. The study considers a 12-year-old Labrador to be 70 human years old.

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[blam]

aylin? (HA)

[gov_bean_ counter]

Dogs age on a sliding scale???

[Telepathic Intruder]

[DannyTN]

This is what happens to Fido if earth's magnetic field flips.

[PLMerite]

Man, someone almost always beats me...

[Dr. Sivana]

But that one-to-seven ratio is wrong, researchers say — it's a misunderstanding of how dogs' aging processes compare with those of humans

There have been modified rules of thumb for dog years for a long time, with the early years being faster than the later ones. NO ONE EVER thought that a one year old dog was the equivalent of 7 year old human.

[Telepathic Intruder]

That’s smart, putting the wall outlet so high above the floor, away from children. What wasn’t so smart is carpeting your ceiling, or supergluing or dog to it.

[DannyTN]

It’s always good to have a carpeted ceiling in case the magnetic field flips.

[Telepathic Intruder]

Touche. Or you live on Guam and it capsizes.

[immadashell]

… supergluing or dog to it.

The dog seems to be happy with it.

[TexasGator]

“It’s always good to have a carpeted ceiling in case the magnetic field flips.”

?

[Da Coyote]

If the magnetic field collapsles, will we have to imitate TV SF shows and “reverse the polarity”?

[Seruzawa]

[Cold Heart]

That is cute.

Now cover that wall socket:)

[blueunicorn6]

That is my new favorite.

[hanamizu]

Photo obviously taken in Australia.

[dfwgator]

That’s what I came here for.

[mass55th]

LOL!! That’s the first thing I thought of when I read the title.

[mass55th]

Then there's this one:

What we say to cats.. what they hear

[Liberty Valance]