How Long Is a Dog Expected to Live?

While indoor cats can easily live to be 17 years or more, dogs have shorter life spans. How long your pup will be around depends on a number of factors, including his breed, his size and what diseases he has to endure. Proper vet care, a healthy diet and plenty of love also can help keep your pet around longer.

  1. Small Breeds

    • Smaller breeds live longer, according to an article in WebMD Pets. In fact, about 40 percent of small breeds live to be at least a decade old, while only 13 percent of big breeds make it that far. Keep in mind that "small" refers to weight, rather than height -- dogs less than 30 pounds have the longest life spans, regardless of their actual height and size. Three breeds with an average life span of more than 15 years are Chihuahuas, Boston terriers and Maltese -- all tiny breeds.

    Large Breeds

    • Larger dogs, in comparison, live relatively short lives. The giant breeds, like Great Dane and Irish wolfhounds, have the shortest life span of any dog breeds, according to a study published in "The Journals of Gerontology." Great Danes, for example, live about seven years, while other large breeds have similar short life spans of about six to eight years. Although scientists are not sure why this happens, they do know that large dogs simply age faster and become seniors sooner. Some large dogs, such as golden retrievers and German shepherds live slightly longer lives -- 10 to 12 years -- but that's still shorter than the smaller breeds.

    What Affects Longevity

    • Being a purebred might affect your pup's longevity. That's because many breeds are prone to diseases that might affect their quality of life or shorten their life spans. For example, bulldogs are prone to respiratory problems, including deformities of the palate that might require surgery to allow for normal breathing. Beagles are prone to epilepsy and boxers are at a higher risk of developing lymphomas than other breeds. In many cases, mutts have an advantage and can live longer, because they are not prone to so many congenital diseases.

    Oldest Dog Record

    • According to the Guinness World Records, the world's oldest dog ever was Bluey, an Australian cattle dog who lived to the age of 29.5. Pusuke, a Shiba mix, died at the age of 26 in 2011. Despite the big numbers, a study published in the "An Age: The Animal Aging and Longevity Database" points out that those are unverified numbers. Technically, the database says that the longer proven life span for dogs is 24 years.