Born in 1970: the Dog

Metal Dog is the full name of the 1970 sign. Its traditional two-part year name is 庚戌 (gēngxū), which puts it at number 47 of 60, and 1970 is a yang year, the cycle's active, outgoing half. Expect the Dog's usual traits (loyal, honest, protective) with a determined, disciplined and self-reliant edge from the Metal element.

The 1970 lunar year ran from February 6, 1970 up to the day before Chinese New Year 1971 (January 27, 1971). If you were born on or after February 6, 1970 you are a Dog; if you were born earlier in 1970, you belong to the previous year's sign, the Rooster. Someone born in 1970 turns 56 in 2026 (or 55 until their birthday for the year).

Calendar note: 1970's Chinese New Year fell on a Friday, and that lunar year ran 355 days — an ordinary 12-month lunar year.

What the Metal element adds

Metal is the element of autumn, structure and resolve. A Metal year sharpens focus and independence: a Metal animal knows what it wants and pursues it directly, sometimes at the cost of flexibility.

The full 60-year cycle pairs each of the 12 animals with each of the 5 elements, so a Metal Dog year comes around only once every 60 years — the last one before 1970 was 1910, and the next is 2030. People born in it are said to combine loyal and honest with the element's determined nature. Every Dog year is yang (the active, outgoing type). See the Metal element and the full Metal Dog profile.

1970 at a glance

Animal	🐕 Dog (狗)
Element	Metal
Yin or yang	yang
Traditional year name	庚戌 (gēngxū)
Place in the 60-year cycle	47 of 60
Zodiac year runs	February 6, 1970 to January 26, 1971
Age in 2026	55–56
Traditional best match	Rabbit
Traditional hardest match	Dragon
Lucky numbers	3, 4, 9
Lucky colors	green, red, purple

Dog compatibility

In the traditional chart, a 1970 Dog gets on best with the Rabbit (the "secret friend" pairing), and also with Tiger and Horse. The hardest pairing is the Dragon, six years apart in the cycle. See the full Dog compatibility table.

Where a birthday around 1970 lands

The zodiac year does not follow the calendar year, so 1970 is spread across two calendar years. This table shows exactly which animal a birthday gets.

Birthday	Zodiac animal
January 1 to February 5, 1970	Rooster (the 1969 year)
February 6, 1970 to December 31, 1970	Dog
January 1, 1971 to January 26, 1971	Dog (still the 1970 year)
January 27, 1971 onward	Pig (the 1971 year)

Zodiac years ahead for a 1970 Dog

The next own-sign year for someone born in 1970 is 2030, around age 60, then 2042, around age 72. Tradition calls this your běnmìngnián. Despite being "your" year, it is thought to clash with Tài Suì (the God of Age) and to carry a higher chance of setbacks, so many people wear red through it for protection.

The element pair: 1970 and 1971

Metal years come in pairs. 1970 is the yang year and 1971 is the yin year, the Pig. So a 1970 Dog and a 1971 Pig share an element and sit one year apart in the cycle. The traditional chart rates the Dog and Pig pairing as moderate: it has no special bond or conflict, so how well it goes depends on the two people more than on the calendar. See the Dog and Pig pairing.

Other Dog years

1934 1946 1958 1982 1994 2006 2018 2030 2042

Full Dog personality profile →   Dog compatibility with every sign →

Know your exact birth date? Use the calculator for your full combination →

What a Metal year changes for the Dog

Talking. What marks a 1970 Dog in conversation is the Metal element: it gets more guarded about it, saying less than it's actually thinking.

Work. Expect a 1970 Dog to work with a sharper, less negotiable edge than most, because Metal sharpens and hardens the sign's usual approach. The element affects execution more than the field.

Love. In 1970's Metal version, the Dog shows affection through direct, no-nonsense gestures, since metal is the element of autumn, structure and resolve.

For the sign as a whole (how the Dog communicates, works and loves in every element) see the Dog profile. This page covers what is different about 1970.

Known Dogs

The Dog's loyal streak is often illustrated with names like Michael Jackson, Madonna, Elvis Presley, Justin Bieber — none of whom was born in the 1970 lunar year. They illustrate the animal's general reputation, not this exact element combination.