How long do dogs live? Expected lifespan for different dog breeds and sizes of dogs. How you can increase your dog's lifespan.

Teach Your Dog
100 English Words
by Michele Welton
My unique Vocabulary and Respect Training Program makes your dog the smartest, most well-behaved companion you've ever had. The A+ course in good manners and happy obedience. Increases your dog's intelligence. Teaches him to listen to you, to pay attention to you, and to do whatever you ask him to do.

My dog training book

11 Things You Must Do RIGHT To Keep Your Dog Healthy and Happy
by Michele Welton
Raise your dog the RIGHT way, feed him the RIGHT food, give him the RIGHT vaccinations, avoid health problems and unnecessary veterinary expenses, and help him live a longer, happier, and more comfortable life.

My dog health book

How To Buy a Good Dog
by Michele Welton
Read this book BEFORE you get a dog. You'll learn how to choose the right dog and the right place to get your dog -- while avoiding all the wrong dogs and the wrong sources.

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How Long Do Dogs Live? (Dog Lifespan)

By Michele Welton, Copyright © 2008. May not be reprinted without permission.

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.

Is there anything you can do to make them less likely to develop health problems -- so that they live not only a long life, but a HEALTHIER one?

Yes. Click here.

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

These breeds "burn out" early. Often they act like rambunctious puppy/teenagers for their first three years, then dignified adults for a couple of years. Then their bones and joints break down, their heart weakens, or they develop cancer. They're elderly at six or seven, and dead by age ten.

Is there anything you can do to lengthen their lifespan?

Yes. Click here.

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...

Is there anything you can do to lengthen their lifespan?

Sometimes. Many severe health problems are INHERITED, and if your dog gets the faulty genes from his parents, you may not be able to save him no matter how hard you try.

But some of these health problems
ARE influenced by how you raise him.

To help your dog live a longer and HEALTHIER life...

Follow these 11 "Golden Rules" of raising your dog.
By doing these 11 things, you will minimize your dog's chances of developing health problems and maximize his lifespan.

Dogs raised by these 11 Golden Rules tend to live a long, hearty, healthy life and seldom need to see the vet.

11 Things You Must Do Right
To Keep Your Dog Healthy and Happy

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