Animal 11 · twelve-year cycle

Year of the
Dog

Year of the Dog runs from Chinese New Year to the day before the next, not 1 January to 31 December. See every exact Dog year from 1900 to 2035 with its element.

Calendar and tradition: The Chinese New Year boundary is a calendar result. Personality, compatibility, career, and lucky-item material below are traditional interpretations, not scientific findings or predictions.

Immediate answer

The Dog is #11 in the cycle

Most recent complete Dog year: Metal Dog 20303 February 2030 to 22 January 2031
Cycle length: Every 12 yearsThe element repeats every 60 years
Traditional colors: Red · Green · Purple
Exact lookup: Use the maintained date calculatorCoverage: 1900–2035 birth dates

Calendar fact

Every Dog year and its exact dates

A Chinese zodiac year is not a Gregorian year. Each Dog year opens on that year's Chinese New Year and closes the day before the next one, so it always straddles two Gregorian years. Every row below is derived from the maintained Chinese New Year boundary table rather than estimated, which is why the start and end dates move each cycle.

Dog years from 1900 to 2035, with the element and yin or yang quality of each.
Zodiac year	Element & quality	First day	Last day
2030	Metal DogYang	3 Feb 2030	22 Jan 2031
2018	Earth DogYang	16 Feb 2018	4 Feb 2019
2006	Fire DogYang	29 Jan 2006	17 Feb 2007
1994	Wood DogYang	10 Feb 1994	30 Jan 1995
1982	Water DogYang	25 Jan 1982	12 Feb 1983
1970	Metal DogYang	6 Feb 1970	26 Jan 1971
1958	Earth DogYang	18 Feb 1958	7 Feb 1959
1946	Fire DogYang	2 Feb 1946	21 Jan 1947
1934	Wood DogYang	14 Feb 1934	3 Feb 1935
1922	Water DogYang	28 Jan 1922	15 Feb 1923
1910	Metal DogYang	10 Feb 1910	29 Jan 1911

Why this matters: someone born in early 2031, before that year's Chinese New Year, is still a Dog rather than the following animal. A Gregorian birth year on its own gives the wrong answer for roughly the first five to seven weeks of every year. The calculator checks the boundary for you.

Traditional profile

How tradition describes the Dog

The Dog represents loyalty, honesty, and friendship. People born in the Year of the Dog are faithful and true, always there for their friends and family. They have a strong sense of justice and will fight for what's right.

LoyalHonestAmiableKindCautious

Traditional strengths

Common themes

Loyal · Honest · Friendly · Faithful · Courageous

Traditional challenges

Common cautions

Anxious · Pessimistic · Stubborn · Sensitive · Narrow-minded

Traditional interpretation

Compatibility themes

This simplified animal-sign tradition is not a relationship assessment. Chinese astrology can also consider elements and other factors.

Commonly described as strongest

Rabbit · Tiger · Horse

Commonly described as favorable

Rat · Snake · Monkey · Dog · Pig

Commonly described as challenging

Ox · Dragon · Goat · Rooster

Traditional associations

Numbers, colors, flowers, and directions

Traditional numbers: 3 · 4 · 9
Traditional colors: Red · Green · Purple
Traditional flowers: Rose · Cymbidium orchid
Traditional directions: East · South · Northeast

Interpretation label: “Lucky” and “unlucky” lists are traditional correspondences. They do not alter probability or predict an outcome.

Traditional interpretation

Career themes in animal-sign guides

Traditional profiles often associate the Dog with these fields. Career fit depends on the individual, not their zodiac animal.

JudgePolice officerScientistCounselorInterior designer

Boundary note: People born before Chinese New Year belong to the preceding animal year. Use a complete date, not the Gregorian year alone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which years are Year of the Dog?▼

Dog years repeat every 12 years: 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018, 2030. Each one begins at Chinese New Year rather than 1 January, so the 2030 Dog year ran from 3 February 2030 to 22 January 2031.

Why can a January or February birthday have the previous animal?▼

Chinese New Year falls between 21 January and 21 February depending on the year, because the Chinese calendar is lunisolar. A birthday before that year's boundary belongs to the preceding zodiac year, so a Gregorian birth year alone is unreliable for anyone born in the first weeks of a year.

What element is the Dog?▼

The animal repeats every 12 years while the five elements repeat every 10, so a full animal-and-element combination returns only every 60 years. The most recent complete Dog year was a Metal Dog (Yang).

Are Year of the Dog personality readings scientific?▼

No. Animal traits, compatibility, lucky items, and career themes are cultural or astrological interpretations, not scientific measurements or predictions.