Year of the Dog: Chinese Zodiac Dog Years, Traits and Matches
The short answer
Dog years come every 12 years and begin at Chinese New Year, not on 1 January. The most recent ran from 16 February 2018 to 4 February 2019, and the next begins on 3 February 2030.
Dog years come every 12 years and begin at Chinese New Year, not on 1 January. The most recent ran from 16 February 2018 to 4 February 2019, and the next begins on 3 February 2030.
The Dog is the zodiac's loyal guardian. Tradition describes Dog people as honest, fair and protective, with a strong sense of right and wrong and a small, trusted circle they will defend without hesitation.
Strengths and challenges
Strengths: Loyal, Honest, Fair, Protective. Challenges: Anxious, Stubborn, Judgemental, Pessimistic.
The Dog in love
In love the Dog is faithful and protective, and it values trust above everything. It needs reassurance and a partner whose word holds.
The Dog at work
At work the Dog is the conscience of the team. It suits law, advocacy, care, teaching and service roles with a clear purpose.
Best and hardest matches
Traditionally the Dog works best with the Tiger and Horse (its trine) and has a quiet ally in the Rabbit. Its opposite is the Dragon, the pairing tradition calls a clash.
Every Dog year, 1924 to 2044
| Year | Element and animal | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1934 | Wood Dog | 14 February 1934 | 3 February 1935 |
| 1946 | Fire Dog | 2 February 1946 | 21 January 1947 |
| 1958 | Earth Dog | 18 February 1958 | 7 February 1959 |
| 1970 | Metal Dog | 6 February 1970 | 26 January 1971 |
| 1982 | Water Dog | 25 January 1982 | 12 February 1983 |
| 1994 | Wood Dog | 10 February 1994 | 30 January 1995 |
| 2006 | Fire Dog | 29 January 2006 | 17 February 2007 |
| 2018 | Earth Dog | 16 February 2018 | 4 February 2019 |
| 2030 | Metal Dog | 3 February 2030 | 22 January 2031 |
| 2042 | Water Dog | 22 January 2042 | 9 February 2043 |
Branch: 戌 Xū · Fixed element: Earth · Yang · Hours: 7pm to 9pm
How the dates are worked out
Each Chinese New Year here is worked out from the sky, not copied from a list. A lunar month starts on the day of a New Moon in China Standard Time (UTC+8, or Beijing local time before 1929). The month holding the December solstice is the 11th month. When 13 New Moons fall between two of those months, the first month with no principal solar term (the Sun reaching a multiple of 30 degrees) is a leap month. New Year is the first day of the 1st month, which is why it moves between 21 January and 20 February. New Moons and solar terms follow Jean Meeus's Astronomical Algorithms. The rules follow the Chinese calendar.