If you’re not familiar with the Lancashire Heeler, you’re not alone. But in a recent study of more than 150 breeds, the little working dog has the longest lifespan of any purebred dog, at an average of 15.4 years.
The recent study was published in Scientific Reports, and and included more than 600,000 British dogs.
One finding was that:
“Large breeds and breeds with flattened faces had shorter average life spans than smaller dogs and those with elongated snouts, the researchers found. Female dogs also lived slightly longer than male ones.”
So the very popular French Bulldog rates very low on the average lifespan range, whereas something like a Corgi lives an average of 3 years longer, and a Lakeland Terrier lives an average of 4 years longer.
Below is a table with the breed with the corresponding average lifespan in year. It’s a big one, but the trends are fascinating.
Breed |
Average Lifespan (years) |
|---|---|
| Lancashire Heeler | 15.4 |
| Tibetan Spaniel | 15.2 |
| Bolognese | 14.9 |
| Shiba Inu | 14.6 |
| Papillon | 14.5 |
| Havanese | 14.5 |
| Lakeland Terrier | 14.2 |
| Coton de Tulear | 14.2 |
| Border Terrier | 14.2 |
| Schipperke | 14.2 |
| Large Munsterlander | 14.1 |
| Lhasa Apso | 14 |
| Swedish Vallhund | 14 |
| German Spitz Mittel | 14 |
| Norwich Terrier | 14 |
| Australian Cattle Dog | 14 |
| Poodle | 14 |
| Cairn Terrier | 14 |
| Italian Greyhound | 14 |
| Miniature Dachshund | 14 |
| Welsh Springer Spaniel | 14 |
| Lowchen | 13.9 |
| Bearded Collie | 13.9 |
| Belgian Tervuren | 13.8 |
| Parson Russell Terrier | 13.8 |
| Finnish Lapphund | 13.8 |
| Bracco Italiano | 13.8 |
| Welsh Terrier | 13.8 |
| Tibetan Terrier | 13.8 |
| Australian Shepherd | 13.7 |
| Miniature Pinscher | 13.7 |
| Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier | 13.7 |
| Bedlington Terrier | 13.7 |
| Spanish Water Dog | 13.7 |
| Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen | 13.7 |
| Wire Fox Terrier | 13.5 |
| English Springer Spaniel | 13.5 |
| Irish Terrier | 13.5 |
| Norfolk Terrier | 13.5 |
| Sussex Spaniel | 13.5 |
| Vizsla | 13.5 |
| Chinese Crested | 13.4 |
| Whippet | 13.4 |
| Shetland Sheepdog | 13.4 |
| West Highland White Terrier | 13.4 |
| German Shorthaired Pointer | 13.4 |
| Brussels Griffon | 13.3 |
| Miniature Schnauzer | 13.3 |
| American Cocker Spaniel | 13.3 |
| Collie | 13.3 |
| Jack Russell Terrier | 13.3 |
| Silky Terrier | 13.3 |
| Puli | 13.3 |
| Yorkshire Terrier | 13.3 |
| English Cocker Spaniel | 13.3 |
| Tibetan Mastiff | 13.3 |
| Saluki | 13.3 |
| Pekingese | 13.3 |
| Dalmatian | 13.2 |
| Dachshund | 13.2 |
| Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever | 13.2 |
| Polish Lowland Sheepdog | 13.2 |
| Pembroke Welsh Corgi | 13.2 |
| Golden Retriever | 13.2 |
| Cardigan Welsh Corgi | 13.1 |
| English Setter | 13.1 |
| Border Collie | 13.1 |
| Field Spaniel | 13.1 |
| Sealyham Terrier | 13.1 |
| Labrador Retriever | 13.1 |
| Samoyed | 13.1 |
| Maltese | 13.1 |
| Toy Manchester Terrier | 13 |
| Foxhound | 13 |
| German Wirehaired Pointer | 13 |
| Standard Schnauzer | 13 |
| Japanese Spitz | 13 |
| Portuguese Water Dog | 13 |
| Norwegian Elkhound | 13 |
| Toy Fox Terrier | 12.9 |
| Irish Setter | 12.9 |
| Weimaraner | 12.8 |
| Dandie Dinmont Terrier | 12.8 |
| Shih Tzu | 12.8 |
| Scottish Terrier | 12.7 |
| Briard | 12.6 |
| Beagle | 12.5 |
| Basset Hound | 12.5 |
| American Staffordshire Terrier | 12.5 |
| Bichon Frise | 12.5 |
| Japanese Chin | 12.5 |
| Kerry Blue Terrier | 12.4 |
| Gordon Setter | 12.4 |
| Skye Terrier | 12.4 |
| Keeshond | 12.3 |
| Clumber Spaniel | 12.3 |
| Miniature Bull Terrier | 12.2 |
| Pomeranian | 12.2 |
| Curly-Coated Retriever | 12.2 |
| Old English Sheepdog | 12.1 |
| Chow Chow | 12.1 |
| Basenji | 12.1 |
| Giant Schnauzer | 12.1 |
| Glen Of Imaal Terrier | 12.1 |
| Crossbreed | 12 |
| Airedale Terrier | 12 |
| Bull Terrier | 12 |
| Canaan Dog | 12 |
| Staffordshire Bull Terrier | 12 |
| Belgian Malinois | 12 |
| Borzoi | 12 |
| Kelpie | 12 |
| Rhodesian Ridgeback | 12 |
| Spinone Italiano | 11.9 |
| Siberian Husky | 11.9 |
| Chihuahua | 11.8 |
| Cavalier King Charles Spaniel | 11.8 |
| Boston Terrier | 11.8 |
| Flat-Coated Retriever | 11.7 |
| Pug | 11.6 |
| Chesapeake Bay Retriever | 11.6 |
| Greyhound | 11.5 |
| Akita | 11.4 |
| German Shepherd Dog | 11.3 |
| Boxer | 11.3 |
| American Eskimo Dog | 11.3 |
| Alaskan Malamute | 11.3 |
| Bouvier des Flandres | 11.3 |
| Doberman Pinscher | 11.2 |
| Afghan Hound | 11.1 |
| Brittany | 11.1 |
| Dogue de Bordeaux | 11.1 |
| Newfoundland | 11 |
| Great Pyrenees | 10.9 |
| Black Russian Terrier | 10.9 |
| Irish Water Spaniel | 10.8 |
| Chinese Shar-Pei | 10.6 |
| Rottweiler | 10.6 |
| Great Dane | 10.6 |
| Scottish Deerhound | 10.5 |
| Bullmastiff | 10.2 |
| Anatolian Shepherd | 10.1 |
| Bernese Mountain Dog | 10.1 |
| Leonberger | 10 |
| Pharaoh Hound | 10 |
| Irish Wolfhound | 9.9 |
| Bulldog | 9.8 |
| French Bulldog | 9.8 |
| Affenpinscher | 9.3 |
| Bloodhound | 9.3 |
| Neapolitan Mastiff | 9.3 |
| Saint Bernard | 9.3 |
| Mastiff | 9 |
| Cane Corso | 8.1 |
| Presa Canario | 7.7 |
| Caucasian Shepherd Dog | 5.4 |
Does this knowledge make you more wary of having certain breeds? Does a longer lifespan with your furry friend make all the difference?
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2 Comments
What were the sample sizes? Dogue de Bordeaux actually have one of the shortest lifespans on average – about 5.88 years
That was interesting even though I have no dog.
Have you thought about doing the cat breeds?