Study Reveals What Kind Of Dogs Live Longest

When you become a pet parent, you want your dog to live the longest, healthiest and happiest life possible because you love being around him so much. You might even be wondering if there’s a way to know just how much time you and your pup will have together.

Well, a recent United Kingdom study explored patterns in dog life expectancy based on a few different factors, including sex, breed and whether they’ve been spayed or neutered, by analyzing over 30,000 dogs — and found out some pretty interesting information.

So, how long do dogs live on average? The answer depends on several factors, but the study found that the lifespan of most dogs was around 11 years old.

Researchers found that female dogs are expected to live longer than male dogs, but really not by much — the average life expectancy for female dogs is 11.41 years, while the average life expectancy for male dogs is 11.07 years.

In addition to average life span differences between male and female dogs, researchers also noted dogs who have been spayed or neutered are expected to live longer than dogs who haven’t.

According to this study, the average life expectancy for female dogs who haven’t been spayed is 10.5 years, while the average life expectancy for female dogs who have been spayed is almost 12 years.

The average life expectancy for unneutered male dogs is 10.58 years, while the average life expectancy for neutered male dogs is almost a full year longer.

This research also looked at how a dog’s breed might factor into his life expectancy. According to this study, Jack Russell terriers are expected to live to be almost 13 years old on average, while the life expectancy of French bulldogs is only 4.53 years.

Several brachycephalic (aka flat-faced) breeds are expected to have shorter life spans, most likely due to the fact that these facial features they’ve been bred for make them predisposed for several health problems, like breathing, dental and eye issues.

It’s also worth noting that a lot of the breeds expected to live the longest are naturally really active. And while some breeds may be more athletic than others, any dog — regardless of breed — can live an active lifestyle.

For what it’s worth, the average life expectancy of mixed-breed dogs is 11.82 years, in case you needed even more evidence that breed isn’t the only thing that matters.

According to this research, sex, breed, and spaying and neutering all seemed to influence a dog’s life expectency. But those might not be the only factors. There are some other variables to consider, too.

This is a UK-based study that was influenced by research and analysis of dogs in the UK. These researchers noticed that UK dogs’ average life expectancies were a little different than those from this 2018 study of Japanese dogs.

This study also acknowledged there are higher life expectancies for dogs who are insured than those who aren’t because health care might be more affordable for people who have pet insurance.

On the other hand, one reason brachycephalic dog breeds might have shorter life spans is because pet insurance premiums are higher for flat-faced dogs, which may deter pet parents from insuring their pups.

While some dogs may be predisposed to live longer than others based on a whole bunch of factors, what’s most important is that you make the most out of your time with your BFF — regardless of breed, sex or anything else — by giving him everything he needs to be happy and healthy.

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