How Long Does A Dog Live?
When adopting a dog, we inevitably think about its life expectancy, because logically we want our best friends to accompany us for many years. However, death is part of the life cycle of all animals and we must enjoy every moment with our partner. Next, we will see what needs to be done to estimate how long a dog lives.
Is it possible to estimate how long a dog lives?
The goal of predicting how long a dog lives is as complex as calculating its approximate age in human years. For this, you must consider some variables inherent to your own organism, such as your genetic inheritance, lineage, race and size.
Really, the calculation of the life expectancy of a dog also needs to take into account its quality of life. The care, the environment, the nutrition and the preventive medicine that we offer to our furry animals have a direct impact on their longevity.
In addition, as each dog is unique, its organism can have very special characteristics. Therefore, some dogs can exceed all expectations regarding their longevity.
Probably the clearest example of this has been Bluey, an Australian Shepherd who has lived 29 years ; the estimated life expectancy for their breed is between 13 and 15 years. To this day, this dog holds the world record for the longest-lived dog on record.
For all these reasons, it is impossible to define exactly how long a dog lives. The average life expectancy of a canine breed can be estimated, considering its genetic characteristics, its morphology and its metabolism. When carrying out this type of calculation, we must always consider that this average may increase or decrease depending on the living conditions of each animal.
Average lifespan of purebred dogs
In general, small or medium-sized dogs tend to live longer than large or giant dogs. The life expectancy of a small dog, such as the Chihuahua, Shih Tzu, or Lhasa Apso, is between 17 and 20 years. And many specimens can easily exceed this expectation.
For medium-sized dogs, such as the Shar Pei, Chow Chow, and Australian Shepherd, the average longevity is between 13 and 15 years. In large breed dogs, such as the Rottweiler or the Golden Retriever, this life expectancy is between 10 and 13 years. For giant dogs, such as the Newfoundland or Saint Bernard, longevity is between 8 and 11 years.
Is it true that mongrel dogs live longer?
There is a widespread belief that mixed-breed dogs are healthier and live longer than purebred dogs. In fact, most mongrel dogs show remarkable physical stamina and can live for many years with their families.
‘Pure’ dogs have undergone numerous selective crosses during the process of creating and standardizing their breed. The main objective was – and still is – to reinforce or exaggerate certain physical attributes and instinctual capacities.
In the process of crosses, more and more ‘perfect’ individuals are obtained, according to the patterns established by the ancient cinephile societies. Unfortunately, many breeders resort to inbreeding – between genetically related individuals – to improve the ‘purity’ of the lineage.
Selective crosses, impact on longevity
In practice, this high inbreeding has unfortunate consequences for the health of the offspring. Malformations, weakened immune system, fertility problems, degenerative pathologies, learning difficulties … These are some of the many disorders associated with inbreeding in dogs.
In turn, mongrel dogs have not been induced to inbreeding or selective crosses, so they enjoy great genetic diversity. In this way, they show a low predisposition to develop hereditary and degenerative diseases that severely affect most of the canine breeds.
This is one of the main reasons why mongrel dogs tend to live longer than purebred dogs. But just because they are healthier and more resistant does not mean that they do not need care to preserve their good health.
Like any breed of dog, mixed-breed dogs must receive adequate preventive medicine throughout their lives. It is necessary to respect the visits every six months to the veterinarian, the vaccination letter and deworming.
A balanced diet, daily physical activity, and adequate mental stimulation will also be crucial to your quality of life. In addition, regardless of the breed or size of your dog, love and dedication will be key to its longevity.
