How much does your dog demonstrate in 'human years'? The game universally accepted by all invites to calculate the canine age in multiples of 7 years compared to the human one but the old rule does not seem to apply anymore. Dogs age even faster and a one-year-old puppy can actually match a 30-year-old human, while a handsome four-year-old puppy may have a 'human age' comparable to a fifty year old. Scientists at the University of California, San Diego found out that today on Cell Systems they published an update to a curious study in which they developed the first objective scientific formula to count Fido's years by comparing them to ours. The authors have also drawn an emblematic and funny chart where everyone can calculate the age of their dog by comparing it with the human one, taking as reference the age of the actor and director Tom Hanks who turned 63 years of this year.
To make the curious discovery, the researchers underwent epigenetic tests (which cross the influence of the environment and lifestyle on the genome) a group of Labradors, among the most popular and loved dogs in the world who therefore enjoy a style of healthy and well-monitored life. Despite this, these dogs age quickly and the senescence curve starts quickly, from birth. Not everyone ages the same way, of course, but the authors urge veterinarians to consider this type of senescence faster than previously thought.
Of course, the limit of the investigation is linked to having monitored only one dog breed but the researchers will launch new controls on high types and in any case the observation shows that environmental factors and lifestyle affect the lives of dogs, just like on that of their masters. Perhaps once both humans and dogs moved more and the rule of multiples of seven applied to man's best friend, today we are all more sedentary and even the dog is affected by the ailments typical of immobility. Massimo Perla, trainer, national manager of Csen's dog group and international manager of 'agility dog' for Fidasc, explains this to ANSA LIFESTYLE: “Dogs are born as men's collaborators and have been selected to hunt, swim or look after the flocks , still to be on guard but our lifestyle has changed profoundly and so has theirs. Canine aging is prevented by making them move more. They were not born to take a walk under the building, perhaps with the owner who consults the cell phone and the poor dog who pulls the leash just to move around a bit. To keep the dog in shape it is necessary to make him carry out physical activity with us ".
Among the canine sports that increase agility and physical fitness, the expert recommends some specialties borrowed from competitive competitions such as 'agility dog' courses with paths and tools and 'dog-cross' races in which dog and owner run together with an elastic leash. “But don't take Fido to run on the asphalt, - recommends Melosi. - Dogs must run on dirt paths. "
Water sports are also excellent, from swimming to diving. "The sedentary dog lives with a family of equally sedentary humans and the ailments are felt first," says the trainer.
