|
dogs average lifespan
what is the average life span of a dog?
[ ]
Want to answer more questions in the Domesticity category?
Maybe give some free advice about: Pets?
It really depends on the breed. Certain breeds have longer lifespans than other. On average pure breeds live between 10 to 12 years.
Mixed breeds, or mutts or pound puppies as they are called today, can live as long as 20 years.
]
What I believe is amazing about a dogs life span is that it is directly proportionate to the amount of time a child needs a dog as their best friend. So that the child is old enough to understand when the animal dies or has to be put down. The average pure breeds life span ranges in length from 10 to 15 years.
Strange as it may be, mutts or pound puppies as I call them live significantly longer. We had a dog we rescued from a pound who was with us for almost 20 years.
]
Different breeds have very, very different life spans.
It's not purely based on their size, or the 'efficiencies' of their body - life expectancies for mammals is far more complex then that, and in dogs, life expectancies also have a lot to do with the selective breeding human beings did for millenniums with them. Some selective breeding resulted in longer lifespan, but lots of it also reduced life spans. (For example, Saint Bernards and Great Danes have always been huge dogs, but they used to have longer life spans. But people kept breeding them to be taller and fatter and to weigh more and now their life spans are generally lower, because they are bigger than their joints and hearts can manage.)
Size is a good general gauge of how long a dog's life expectancy is. Most of the time, the larger the breed, the shorter the life.
Here's a bunch of breed life expectancies from the 2008 World Atlas of Dog Breeds, and you can see in general, the bigger the dog the shorter the life, but there are some exceptions. Many kinds of Bulldogs are quite overbreed in ways that reduce their health and life expectancy, so despite being much smaller than a German Shepherd, their life expectancy is lower. Chihuahuas and Pomeranians are virtually the same size, but Chihuahuas can live much longer.
Labrador retriever -- 10 to 14 years
Yorkshire terrier -- 12 to 15 years
German Shepherd -- 10 to 14 years
Golden retriever -- 10 to 12 years
Beagles -- 12 to 14 years
Boxers -- 11 to 14 years
Dachshunds -- 12 to 14 years
Bulldogs -- 10 to 12 years
Poodles -- 10 to 15 years
Shih Tzu -- 11 to 15 years
Miniature Schnauzers -- 15 years or more
Chihuahuas -- 15 years or more
Pomeranians -- 13 to 15 years
Rottweilers -- 10 to 12 years
Pugs -- 12 to 15 years
German shorthaired pointers -- 12 to 15 years
Boston terriers -- about 15 years
Doberman Pinschers -- 10 to 12 years
Shetland Sheepdogs -- 12 to 14 years
Maltese -- 15 years or more
]
Well, that really depends on the breed. Small dogs(shih tzus, chihuahuas, etc.)tend to live much longer than large dogs - sometimes even around 20 years or so. Bigger dog breeds(mastiffs, danes, etc.)tend to only live around 5-7.
I believe a lot of it has to do with the efficiency of their organs. Smaller bodies typically means less work for the organs, and thus a longer life span. Massive breeds, however, put a lot more strain on their bodies simply by being large. This is a very similar concept to gigantism(the growth disorder)in humans. People with gigantism have so much extra strain on their bodies that they hardly ever live to their 30s.
]
More Questions: |