Chinese zodiac · Yang · animal number 11 of 12
Year of the Dog: years, element cycle and traits
The eleventh animal, traditionally linked with loyalty, honesty and protectiveness toward friends.
Animal: 狗 gǒu · Earthly branch: 戌 xū
The Dog is eleventh in the order, which surprises many people given its place as a faithful companion. In one popular version of the Great Race story the Dog, a strong swimmer, stopped to play in the water. The Dog's hour is the evening, when the household is watched over.
Dog years from 1924 to 2031
The Chinese zodiac animal changes at Lunar New Year, not on 1 January. Each row shows the date the Dog year begins and the last day before the next animal takes over. Dates follow China Standard Time (UTC+8) and are computed from the positions of the Sun and the new Moon.
| Year | Element and polarity | Starts (Lunar New Year) | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1934 | Wood Dog (Yang) | ||
| 1946 | Fire Dog (Yang) | ||
| 1958 | Earth Dog (Yang) | ||
| 1970 | Metal Dog (Yang) | ||
| 1982 | Water Dog (Yang) | ||
| 1994 | Wood Dog (Yang) | ||
| 2006 | Fire Dog (Yang) | ||
| 2018 | Earth Dog (Yang) | ||
| 2030 | Metal Dog (Yang) | * |
* In 2030 the new Moon falls within minutes of midnight in China, so a calendar built another way can differ by a day. Orrery Lane follows the astronomical definition.
If you were born in January or February, check the start date before assuming your animal. For example, a person born on 15 January 2030 was born before the 2030 Lunar New Year on 2030-02-03, so their zodiac animal is the Rooster from the previous year, not the Dog. Birth place can also matter near the boundary, because the date is set in China time.
The element cycle for the Dog
The Chinese calendar pairs the 12 animals with five elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. Each element covers two consecutive years, first yang and then yin, so the full pairing of animal and element repeats only every 60 years. The Dog is a yang animal, and in the Four Pillars (BaZi) system its own fixed element is Earth, which is separate from the element of the year.
- Wood Dog (1934, 1994): the Wood element is read as growth, planning and reaching outward.
- Fire Dog (1946, 2006): the Fire element is read as warmth, expression and quick action.
- Earth Dog (1958, 2018): the Earth element is read as steadiness, care and holding things together.
- Metal Dog (1970, 2030): the Metal element is read as clarity, precision and firm edges.
- Water Dog (1982): the Water element is read as adaptability, depth and flowing around obstacles.
The traditional hour of the Dog is 19:00 to 21:00. The popular zodiac year begins at Lunar New Year, while the Four Pillars system begins its year at Lichun, around 4 February; the two can give different animals for dates in early February, as explained on how we calculate.
Traits as reflection
People born in a Dog year are traditionally described as loyal, honest and protective. The character is often said to value fairness, to be wary of strangers at first and then devoted once trust is earned. None of this describes every person born in a Dog year; read it as a mirror to hold up, not a rule.
Strengths people often recognise
- Dependable and straightforward
- Fierce loyalty to the people close to them
- Sense of fairness
- Alert to what is going wrong
Themes to reflect on
- Worrying about problems that may never arrive
- Suspicion with newcomers
- Taking on other people's burdens
Dog compatibility table
Traditional folk compatibility compares animals by position on the 12-step cycle. The Dog's trine allies are the Tiger and Horse; its sixth-harmony partner is the Rabbit; the opposite animal, the traditional clash, is the Dragon. These are folk groupings, offered as conversation starters rather than verdicts on any relationship.
| Animal | Traditional relation |
|---|---|
| Rat | No special relation |
| Ox | No special relation |
| Tiger | Trine ally |
| Rabbit | Sixth-harmony partner |
| Dragon | Opposite on the cycle (clash) |
| Snake | No special relation |
| Horse | Trine ally |
| Goat | No special relation |
| Monkey | No special relation |
| Rooster | Traditional harm pairing |
| Pig | No special relation |
The animal is only one part of a Chinese chart, and Western signs add another layer. See the compatibility report for two-chart comparisons, or browse the 12 zodiac signs.
Questions to reflect on
- Which of my worries is about something that has already happened?
- Who has earned more of my trust than I have given?
- What do I carry that is not mine?
See your own Chinese zodiac year
The free chart shows your Chinese zodiac animal and element beside your Western Sun, Moon and Rising signs, calculated in your browser from your birth date, time and place.
Explore other animals
Next in the cycle: Pig. Before: Rooster. The full year-by-year table lists every year from 1924 to 2031, and the origins and sources page explains where these traditions come from.
Astrology is a symbolic framework that mainstream science does not recognize. These lines are prompts for reflection, not advice or a forecast. Orrery Lane offers astrology for reflection and entertainment. It does not predict events and is not professional advice.