Your Day of Birth
Yang · 11 of 12

Year of the Dog

The Dog is loyal, fair and protective. Dogs are the friends who show up, stand up for what's right and keep their promises.

Next Dog year

The next Year of the Dog is the Metal Dog, starting February 3, 2030.

Dog years

YearDatesType
1910Feb 10, 1910 to Jan 29, 1911Metal Dog
1922Jan 28, 1922 to Feb 15, 1923Water Dog
1934Feb 14, 1934 to Feb 3, 1935Wood Dog
1946Feb 2, 1946 to Jan 21, 1947Fire Dog
1958Feb 18, 1958 to Feb 7, 1959Earth Dog
1970Feb 6, 1970 to Jan 26, 1971Metal Dog
1982Jan 25, 1982 to Feb 12, 1983Water Dog
1994Feb 10, 1994 to Jan 30, 1995Wood Dog
2006Jan 29, 2006 to Feb 17, 2007Fire Dog
2018Feb 16, 2018 to Feb 4, 2019Earth Dog
2030Feb 3, 2030 to Jan 22, 2031Metal Dog
2042Jan 22, 2042 to Feb 9, 2043Water Dog

Born in January or February? Check the dates: if your birthday is before that year’s start date, you belong to the animal before.

Strengths

  • Loyal
  • Honest
  • Fair
  • Protective

Watch out for

  • Can be anxious
  • Stubborn about principles
  • Slow to open up

The five kinds of Dog

Metal Dog
1910, 1970, 2030
Metal adds determination and backbone. Metal types set high standards, keep their word and don't give up easily.
Water Dog
1922, 1982, 2042
Water adds intuition and flexibility. Water types read people well, adapt fast and are good at finding a way around problems.
Wood Dog
1934, 1994
Wood adds warmth and generosity. Wood types are cooperative and fair, and they like to see things, and people, grow.
Fire Dog
1946, 2006
Fire adds passion and drive. Fire types are bold, energetic and hard to ignore, sometimes a little too fast to act.
Earth Dog
1958, 2018
Earth adds steadiness and common sense. Earth types are practical, patient and the person everyone relies on.
Lucky numbers
3, 4, 9
Lucky colors
Red, green, purple
Lucky flowers
Rose, cymbidium orchid
Yin or yang
Yang

Compatibility

Tradition groups the animals into teams of three that think alike, pairs of “secret friends”, and opposite signs that clash.

Best matchTigerSee the Tiger →Best matchHorseSee the Horse →Secret friendRabbitSee the Rabbit →Opposite sign, can clashDragonSee the Dragon →

Famous people born in the Year of the Dog

Mother TeresaAlbanian-Indian Catholic nun and missionaryAugust 26, 1910 · Metal DogJudy GarlandAmerican actress, singer, dancer and vaudevillianJune 10, 1922 · Water DogElvis PresleyAmerican singer and actorJanuary 8, 1935 · Wood Dog (born before Lunar New Year)CherAmerican musician, singer, actress and television personalityMay 20, 1946 · Fire DogDonald TrumpPresident of the United StatesJune 14, 1946 · Fire DogSylvester StalloneAmerican actor and filmmakerJuly 6, 1946 · Fire DogBill Clinton42nd President of the United StatesAugust 19, 1946 · Fire DogSteven SpielbergAmerican filmmakerDecember 18, 1946 · Fire DogDavid BowieEnglish musician and actorJanuary 8, 1947 · Fire Dog (born before Lunar New Year)PrinceAmerican musicianJune 7, 1958 · Earth DogMadonnaAmerican singerAugust 16, 1958 · Earth DogMichael JacksonAmerican singer, songwriter, record producer, and dancerAugust 29, 1958 · Earth Dog

Find your animal

The Chinese year starts at Lunar New Year, between January 21 and February 20, so a January or early February birthday often belongs to the year before. We use the exact date. We don’t save your birthdate or link it to you.

The other animals

Rat1984, 1996, 2008, 2020Ox1985, 1997, 2009, 2021Tiger1986, 1998, 2010, 2022Rabbit1987, 1999, 2011, 2023Dragon1988, 2000, 2012, 2024Snake1989, 2001, 2013, 2025Horse1990, 2002, 2014, 2026Goat1979, 1991, 2003, 2015Monkey1980, 1992, 2004, 2016Rooster1981, 1993, 2005, 2017Dog1982, 1994, 2006, 2018Pig1983, 1995, 2007, 2019

Personality traits, lucky items and compatibility come from Chinese tradition and are shared for fun, not as predictions. Lucky numbers, colors and flowers follow China Highlights' zodiac guide. Lunar New Year dates are calculated from the Chinese calendar and checked against a published table for 1924 to 2043. Famous birthdays come from Wikidata.