You’ve probably heard that 1 year in a dog’s life equates to 7 years in a person’s. Well, it’s not that simple.

Researchers are taking a closer look using information gleaned from studies on aging. It turns out that physical changes to a person’s DNA over time create what’s called an epigenetic clock, which can estimate a person’s age.

A similar thing happens with dogs — at least Labrador Retrievers, the breed that’s been studied so far. But the canine epigenetic clock moves a lot faster than the human one early in life, making for a more complex equation. In reality, conversion to human years multiplies the natural logarithm of the dog’s actual age times 16, then adds 31.

If that’s a lot to take in, you can use one of the updated