Year of the Dog 戌
Yang Earth branch · Loyal · honest · fair to a fault
First call when it's bad.
Dog years are linked to loyalty and principle — you may be the first call when things go wrong. The tradition's caution is worry: guarding so hard you forget to enjoy what's guarded. People born in Dog years are traditionally read as loyal, principled, the friend people call first.
Which years belong to the Dog?
A zodiac year starts at Lunar New Year, not on 1 January. Born in January or early February of a year below, you may belong to the previous animal — the calculator on the Chinese zodiac page uses the true boundary date for your birth year.
- 1946Fire Dog
- 1958Earth Dog
- 1970Metal Dog
- 1982Water Dog
- 1994Wood Dog
- 2006Fire Dog
- 2018Earth Dog
- 2030Metal Dog
The element changes each cycle — a Fire Dog and a Metal Dog share the branch but not the stem, which is why the same animal feels different across generations.
Who does the Dog get along with?
- Trine partners
- Tiger and Horse — the traditional harmony triangle: animals said to run in the same pack, sharing instincts and plans without friction.
- Secret friend
- Rabbit — the six-harmony pairing: quiet, reliable loyalty rather than fireworks.
- Clash
- Dragon — the opposite branch, six places across the wheel. Traditionally read as friction that demands effort, not a verdict on any real pair of people.
Lucky numbers by tradition: 3, 4, 9. These are traditional associations, not predictions — a full match reads all four pillars, not the year animal alone. Run a real match →
Famous Dogs
Verified birth dates from public records — tap any chart to see the whole thing.
- Michael JacksonAmerican singer, songwriter, record producer, and dancer
- George W. BushPresident of the United States from 2001 to 2009
- Winston ChurchillBritish statesman, soldier and writer
- Bill ClintonPresident of the United States from 1993 to 2001
- Elvis PresleyAmerican singer and actor
- Yuri GagarinSoviet pilot and cosmonaut, first human in space
- Mother TeresaAlbanian-Indian Catholic nun and missionary
- MadonnaAmerican singer, songwriter, and actress
The Dog is one pillar of four
Your year animal is an eighth of a full Chinese chart: BaZi reads a stem and branch for your year, month, day and hour, and the day — not the year — carries your core self.