Year of the dog: what it means and when it returns

Part 1

Where the year of the dog comes from

The Chinese zodiac is a repeating twelve-year cycle, with each year represented by one of twelve animals. In order, the animals are the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. The dog sits in eleventh place, just after the rooster and just before the pig. In Chinese tradition, people born in a dog year are said to share this same place in the cycle.

One widely told story says the Jade Emperor held a contest or banquet to choose twelve animals as guards, and the order they arrived set the zodiac order. In this story, the dog stopped to bathe in a river on the way, arrived late, and ended up eleventh. Another version ties the dog's position to the old system of two-hour time periods, where the eleventh period fell in the evening when dogs stood watch over the house.

Part 2

Which years have been the year of the dog

Recent and upcoming years of the dog include 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018, and 2030. If your dog's birth year appears on that list, you can tell people they share their zodiac sign with a dog year.

• 1994 ran from February 10, 1994 to January 30, 1995.
• 2006 ran from January 29, 2006 to February 17, 2007.
• 2018 ran from February 16, 2018 to February 4, 2019.
• 2030 will run from February 3, 2030 to January 22, 2031.

These dates move around because the Chinese zodiac follows the lunar calendar, not the fixed January 1 start of the western calendar. Chinese New Year, which marks the start of each new zodiac year, usually falls somewhere between late January and mid-February. This means a dog born in January could actually belong to the previous zodiac year, the rooster, if born before that year's Chinese New Year date.

Part 3

Traits linked to people born in a dog year

In Chinese zodiac tradition, people born in a dog year are described as loyal, honest, and protective of the people close to them. They are also said to have a strong sense of justice and to take their responsibilities seriously. The same tradition gives dog years some harder traits too, including a tendency to be judgmental, pessimistic, or stubborn once they have formed an opinion.

The five elements and the dog sign

Alongside the twelve animals, Chinese astrology pairs each year with one of five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, or water. Each element rotates through the cycle, so a dog year is not always the same element as the last one. 1934 and 1994 were Wood Dog years, 1946 and 2006 were Fire Dog years, 1958 and 2018 were Earth Dog years, 1970 was a Metal Dog year, 1982 was a Water Dog year, and 2030 will be a Metal Dog year. Tradition holds that the element can shift the personality linked to the year, for example the 2030 Metal Dog is described as especially confident and determined compared with other dog years.

Part 4

How the year of the dog is marked today

Your own zodiac birth year is traditionally treated as an unlucky year to get through rather than a lucky one. One common custom for protecting against bad luck in that year is wearing red underwear every day.

The dog remains a recognisable symbol during Chinese New Year, appearing on decorations, calendars, and greeting cards in the years it represents.

Unlike the western calendar, which starts on January 1, the zodiac year starts on the date of Chinese New Year, so the switch from one animal to the next moves each year. This is why you need the exact Chinese New Year date, not just the calendar year, to know for certain which animal governs a birth in January or early February.

Part 5

Dogs and the zodiac beyond the year of the dog

Chinese zodiac tradition also pairs the dog sign with other signs it is said to get along with. People born in the year of the dog are described as most compatible with those born in the year of the rabbit, the horse, and the tiger. The dog sign is said to clash more often with the dragon, the ox, and the goat.

The legend of the zodiac contest also explains why the dog and the cat are rivals in Chinese folklore: one version says the dog felt the cat had lied its way into a better spot, and the two have chased each other ever since.