How dogs age - and what it reveals about you

Sometimes, I can look at a dog and see a bit of their human companion in it, and vice versa. While some dogs (and humans) stay forever giddy, 🐶 others just want to nap. It’s not just my imagination.

People and pets can be emotionally bonded, but this shared experience is biological, too. More than shared feelings, we age together—and uncovering the biology could have real implications for the longevity of both you and your pet.

If you’ve ever looked at your dog and thought, “We are the same person,” you’ll feel right at home at the Livelong Women’s Health Summit—2,000 women, 70+ experts, zero fluff, and insights you’ll be texting your friends about all day.

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The myth we all grew up believing is that one human year is the equivalent of seven dog years. Theoretically, that would mean a 10-year-old border collie is at a similar stage of life to a 70-year-old person. 🧓

This might not be how dog aging actually works. 

In 2020, researchers at UC San Diego developed a more precise way to estimate a dog’s age by looking at changes in DNA methylation – a cellular signaling process 🧬 that regulates your genes and is closely tied to aging and disease risk.

Human_age = 16 x ln(dog age) + 31

Derived from an ‘epigenetic clock,’ ⏰ a one-year-old puppy is ‘ruff-ly’ closer to a 30-year-old human (biologically), while a seven-year-old dog is closer to their early 60s. 

Humans follow a similar pattern. We age rapidly in early life, then the pace slows (with possible spikes of faster aging at ages 44 and 60), sharing similar vulnerabilities to immune aging, heart disease ❤, and cancer.

Because of this, they could be a powerful model for testing anti-aging therapies for humans and all dog-kind. One of the most promising is rapamycin.

Dog longevity has increased nearly 50% since the 1980s, according to a Japanese study, and new drugs could push that further.

Originally used as an immunosuppressant, rapamycin has already become a big target in longevity research. In animal studies, it has extended lifespan in worms, mice, 🐭 and monkeys, and now it’s being tested in dogs.

The Dog Aging Project’s TRIAD (Test of Rapamycin in Aging Dogs) trial is studying whether rapamycin can extend health span and lifespan in middle-aged dogs. 🐩 Since dogs age faster than humans, we can observe the lifetime effects more quickly. 

Early studies suggest rapamycin may:

What’s most exciting is that this same anti-aging potential may translate to humans, given our shared biology and aging patterns.

But we can’t fully understand dog aging without understanding how the environment shapes their health.

If this made you think differently about your dog (and yourself), you’ll love the Livelong Circle — where curious, thoughtful women swap insights and make sense of the science together.

You and your dog share the same air, habits, and environment, and all these factors can have meaningful consequences on your shared health.

In a 2020 study, epidemiologist Tove Fall and team discovered:

And beyond a physical environment, you share an emotional one. 💕

Dogs can sync their mood to yours. If that mood is chronic stress, it can create an ‘emotional contagion’ that negatively affects your dog’s health and well-being, showing up as increased heart rate ⬆, inflammation, behavioral issues, and, over time, it may increase the risk of obesity, heart disease, and dementia.

A massive study of 3.8 million people found that dog ownership is tied to a 24% lower risk of death from any cause and a 31% reduction ⬇ in cardiovascular risk.

Other studies link it to less inflammation, lower blood pressure, and lower rates of anxiety, depression, and loneliness.

It could be that dogs ensure we’re hitting the longevity basics:

👨‍🦰 For single adults, the health benefits of a pooch companion may be strongest.

This isn’t about unlocking dog aging to create “1,000-year-old dogs,” says Celine Halioua, founder of the dog longevity biotech company Loyal.

The goal is to give your pet more healthy years. The downstream benefits could mean that their human companions live longer, too.

For both, the same basic rules of healthy aging apply:

1. 🚶 Move daily: Walks aren’t just for your dog. They’re metabolic medicine for both of you.

2. 🧘‍♀ Manage stress: Your calm is their calm. Regulating your nervous system helps regulate theirs.

3. 👪 Prioritize connection: Social bonds — human and animal — protect long-term health.

4. 🐕‍🦺 Support joint health and pain: Emerging, early research suggests CBD may help with pain and mobility in dogs. It’s still being studied, so talk to your vet.

Your dog isn’t just a companion. They’re a mirror of human aging, and an important co-investigator in longevity science. In time, researchers hope to see new therapies that work for both dogs and their human companions. In the meantime, focus on creating a supportive environment. And know that you are more alike than you realized.

Become an Ambassador: We’re seeking ambassadors for the Livelong Women’s Health Summit. Opportunities for special perks and bonuses.

Ask LIV: We’ve added an AI-powered tool that answers your health and longevity questions.

On the Livelong Podcast^TM: Is Ozempic Actually a Longevity Drug? An Endocrinologist Weighs In.

In last week’s article, we broke down the realistic health benefits of micro-meditations— because honestly, do 1-minute meditations do anything?

We asked, you answered: How long can you sit still with no phone, no music, no distractions?

Even if you feel like your attention span is lower than a goldfish's, this is a great insight from one of our readers. “Don't walk through your life without critical observation and awareness.”