The question of life expectancy is one that inevitably comes up when a new canine family member is being considered. People either want to know the commitment they have to make, or want to be prepared for the sad eventuality of losing a beloved companion. Regardless of the reason behind the curiosity, there are a variety of factors that impact the lifespan of a dog.
The breed of a dog is the most important predictor of how long a dog might live. Each breed of dog has a specific lifespan (with a small range, of course) which is usually highly reliable. Aside from the breed of a dog, there are other factors that play into how long a dog might live.
- Lifestyle: Like humans, a dog’s lifestyle can directly impact its longevity. Dogs that life a healthy lifestyle that includes plenty of exercise, mental stimulation, and good living conditions will live longer, and also enjoy a higher quality of life, even in old age.
- Nutrition: In addition to exercise, and good living conditions, high quality food (and in proper portions) will directly contribute to the health and longevity of a dog. Selecting the proper food designed for whatever life stage in which a dog finds itself, and paying attention to ingredients in order to avoid foods with high amount of fillers, by products and artificial flavors and colors, can extend a dog’s life.
- Medical Care: Many of a dog’s health problems can be prevented or properly managed by high quality and timely medical attention. Providing a dog with high quality medical care that includes regular checkups, and vaccinations can help prevent disease, and provide opportunity for early diagnosis when things do go wrong. This type of care can extend the lifespan of a dog.
- Spaying & Neutering: Another contributor to a longer lifespan is the reduction of cancer rates and other diseases related to sex organs that results from spaying or neutering a dog.
Other Factors that contribute to a longer life include:
- Breed Size: Generally, smaller dog breeds tend to live a longer life than larger breeds, as you can glean from the life expectancy chart below.
- Sex: Similar to humans, female dogs are generally expected to have a longer life as compared to their male counterparts within the same breed.
Life Expectancy of Mixed Breed Dogs
The best way to predict the life expectancy of a mixed breed dog is to use the weight of a specific dog. As with pure breeds, small sized dogs live a longer life as compared to larger ones, and females live a longer live compared to male dogs of mixed breed.
The smaller a dog is the longer it likely to live. As a general rule one can expect dogs weighing 20 pounds or less to have an average life span of around 12 years, while dogs weighing 90 pounds or more to live around 8 years.
| Afghan Hound | 11 to 13 |
| Airedale Terrier | 10 to 12 |
| Akita | 10 to 12 |
| Alaskan Malamute | 12 to 15 |
| American Foxhound | 10 to 12 |
| American Water Spaniel | 12 to 15 |
| Anatolian Shepherd Dog | 12 to 14 |
| Australian Sheppard | 12 to 14 |
| Beauceron | 10 to 12 |
| Belgian Malinois | 12 to 14 |
| Belgian Shepherd | 13 to 14 |
| Bernese Mountain Dog | 7 to 8 |
| Coonhound | 10 to 12 |
| Bloodhound | 10 to 12 |
| Borzoi | 10 to 12 |
| Bouvier des Flandres | 10 to 12 |
| Boxer | 12 to 14 |
| Briard | 10 to 12 |
| Bulldog | 8 to 12 |
| Bull Terrier | 12 to 14 |
| Chesapeake Bay Retriever | 10 to 13 |
| Chow | 12 to 15 |
| Collie | 12 to 15 |
| Coonhound | 10 to 12 |
| Curly-Coated Retriever | 12 to 14 |
| Dalmatian | 12 to 14 |
| Deerhound | 11 to 12 |
| Doberman Pinscher | 10 to 13 |
| English Foxhound | 10 to 13 |
| English Setter | 10 to 12 |
| Flat-Coated Retriever | 10 to 11 |
| German Shepherd | 10 to 13 |
| German Shorthaired Pointer | 10 to 12 |
| German Wirehaired Pointer | 10 to 12 |
| Giant Schnauzer | 12 to 15 |
| Golden Retriever | 10 to 13 |
| Gordon Setter | 10 to 12 |
| Great Dane | 7 to 10 |
| Great Pyrenees | 10 to 12 |
| Greyhound | 10 to 14 |
| Irish Setter | 12 to 14 |
| Irish Water Spaniel | 10 to 12 |
| Irish Wolf Hound | 6 to 8 |
| Komondor | 10 to 12 |
| Labrador Retriever | 10 to 15 |
| Newfoundland | 8 to 12 |
| Mastiff American | 10 to 12 Yeas |
| Mastiff English | 10 to 12 |
| Newfoundland | 8 to 11 |
| Old English Sheepdog | 10 to 12 |
| Otterhound | 10 to 11 |
| Pitbull | 12 to 14 |
| Pointer | 12 to 15 |
| Poodle Standard | 12 to 14 |
| Pyrenean Mountain Dog | 9 to 12 |
| Rhodesian Ridgeback | 9 to 12 |
| Rottweiler | 9 to 12 |
| Saint Bernard | 8 to 10 |
| Saluki | 12 to 14 |
| Samoyed | 12 to 15 |
| Shetland Sheepdog | 12 to 15 |
| Siberian Husky | 10 to 14 |
| Spinone Italiano | 12 to 14 |
| Vizsla | 10 to 14 |
| Weimaraner | 10 to 13 |