How Long Do Dogs Live? (Dog Lifespan)

Typical lifespan of small dogs

Smaller dogs generally live longer than larger dogs, mostly because they don't suffer as many serious skeletal and cardiovascular diseases as larger dogs.

• Their bones and joints don't need to support as much weight, so they don't break down as quickly.

• Their heart doesn't need to pump blood through a huge body, so it doesn't wear out as quickly.
  

• They have proportionately fewer growth hormones surging through their metabolic system. Studies suggest that growth hormones may shorten life.

Small dogs often live to 14 or 15 years of age.

Examples of long-lived breeds include Beagles, Bichons Frise, Corgis, Dachshunds, Lhasa Apsos, Miniature Poodles, Miniature Schnauzers, Schipperkes, Shelties, many terriers, and many toy breeds such as Chihuahuas, Maltese, Min Pins, Pomeranians, Toy Poodles, and Yorkies.

However...

Smaller breeds are NOT necessarily HEALTHY throughout their longer life. On the contrary, many small dogs are very prone to health problems. It's just that their particular health problems tend to affect their QUALITY of life, rather than its length.

Typical lifespan of giant or large bulky dogs

In terms of lifespan, this is the saddest group of all:

Irish Wolfhound	6-8 years
English Mastiff, Great Dane, Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, Leonberger	6-10 years
Bernese Mountain Dog, Bloodhound, Bullmastiff	7-9 years
Dogue de Bordeaux, Newfoundland, Rottweiler, St. Bernard	8-10 years
Cane Corso, Great Pyrenees, Neapolitan Mastiff, Scottish Deerhound	8-11 years

Typical lifespan of medium to large dogs

Most dogs in this size range live 10-13 years. But in some of these breeds, life-threatening health problems are so common that it can be difficult to find an individual that you can count on remaining healthy for a normal lifetime. Many individuals of these breeds live only 5-7 years.

For example:

• Many Golden Retrievers and Boxers die early from cancer.

• Many Doberman Pinschers and Cavaliers die early from heart disease.

• Many German Shepherds and other large breeds die early from hip and joint diseases.

• Many Great Danes and Akitas die early from bloat.

• Many Welsh Springer Spaniels die early from epilepsy.

• Many Chinese Shar-Peis die early from amyloidosis.

• The list goes on...