How Long Do Dogs Live? Life Expectancy by Size and Breed

How long a dog lives depends a lot on size and breed. This page uses two large studies of real dogs: a US study of veterinary records for over 13 million dogs, which gives averages by adult size, and a UK study of 584,734 dogs, which gives a median lifespan for each of 155 breeds (143 of them with at least 100 dogs, listed below).

Life expectancy by size (US)

Montoya and colleagues (2023) built life tables from Banfield Pet Hospital records in the US. Life expectancy at birth was 12.69 years for all dogs (12.76 for females, 12.63 for males). For purebred dogs it fell with adult weight:

Adult size (purebred)	Adult weight	All	Female	Male
Toy	under 12 lb (5.5 kg)	13.4	13.3	13.4
Small	12–24 lb (5.5–11 kg)	13.5	13.6	13.5
Medium	24–57 lb (11–26 kg)	12.7	12.8	12.6
Large	57–99 lb (26–45 kg)	11.5	11.7	11.3
Giant	99 lb (45 kg) and over	9.5	9.8	9.3
Mixed breed	any	12.7	12.8	12.6

Years, rounded to one decimal. The study defines the classes in kilograms; pounds are approximate.

Giant dogs had about four fewer years than small dogs on average. Most dogs in the US data were spayed or neutered, and the study didn’t compare neutered and intact dogs.

Median lifespan by breed (UK)

McMillan and colleagues (2024) pooled records from 18 UK sources (breed registry, veterinary groups, insurers, charities and universities). The median lifespan of all dogs was 12.5 years: half the dogs lived longer, half shorter. Purebreds had a median of 12.7 years and crossbreeds 12.0.

The authors also grouped breeds by size and face shape. Small breeds with long noses lived longest (median 13.3 years). Flat-faced (brachycephalic) breeds had a median of 11.2 years, and medium-sized flat-faced breeds such as the Bulldog only 9.4.

They caution that the results describe the UK dog population and shouldn’t be used to judge dogs in other countries. We show them because no US study of this size reports lifespans breed by breed.

Worked examples

Example 1: a 70 lb male purebred dog, breed not known. 70 lb is in the large class (57–99 lb). US life expectancy for large purebred males: 11.3 years.

Example 2: a female Labrador Retriever. UK breed median: 13.1 years (95% CI 13.0–13.1; 43,428 dogs). For comparison, the US average for large purebred females is 11.7 years: different study, different method.

Example 3: a French Bulldog. UK breed median: 9.8 years (95% CI 9.4–10.1; 11,821 dogs), among the shortest of the popular breeds and 2.7 years below the 12.5-year median of all dogs.

All breeds in the UK study

Breed	Median (years)	95% CI	Dogs
Affenpinscher	9.3	7.4–10.8	338
Afghan Hound	11.1	10.5–11.8	380
Airedale Terrier	12.0	11.8–12.3	1,270
Akita	11.4	11.1–11.6	3,828
Alaskan Malamute	11.3	11.1–11.8	1,980
American Cocker Spaniel	13.3	13.0–13.7	657
American Staffordshire Terrier	12.5	11.4–13.1	142
Australian Cattle Dog	14.0	13.2–15.1	117
Australian Shepherd	13.7	12.8–14.6	224
Basset Hound	12.5	12.2–12.7	2,013
Beagle	12.5	12.3–12.7	4,678
Bearded Collie	13.9	13.7–14.0	1,165
Bedlington Terrier	13.7	13.4–14.0	1,294
Belgian Malenois	12.0	11.5–12.6	606
Belgian Tervuren	13.8	12.7–14.8	208
Bernese Mountain Dog	10.1	9.8–10.4	1,116
Bichon Frise	12.5	12.3–12.7	5,902
Black Russian Terrier	10.9	10.2–12.3	163
Bloodhound	9.3	8.6–11.0	134
Bolognese	14.9	14.0–n/e	182
Border Collie	13.1	13.0–13.2	12,917
Border Terrier	14.2	14.1–14.3	9,387
Borzoi	12.0	10.8–n/e	142
Boston Terrier	11.8	11.0–12.2	1,984
Bouvier des Flandres	11.3	10.4–11.9	151
Boxer	11.3	11.3–11.5	11,294
Bracco Italiano	13.8	11.8–n/e	106
Briard	12.6	11.3–13.4	201
Brittany	11.1	10.9–11.3	991
Brussels Griffon	13.3	12.7–13.9	315
Bull Terrier	12.0	11.9–12.2	4,503
Bulldog	9.8	9.7–10.0	11,065
Bullmastiff	10.2	9.9–10.5	2,188
Cairn Terrier	14.0	13.8–14.3	2,585
Cane Corso	8.1	6.5–9.5	202
Cardigan Welsh Corgi	13.1	12.5–14.4	203
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel	11.8	11.7–11.9	13,782
Chesapeake Bay Retriever	11.6	10.5–n/e	126
Chihuahua	11.8	11.5–11.9	10,788
Chinese Crested	13.4	13.0–13.8	928
Chinese Shar Pei	10.6	10.3–10.9	4,326
Chow Chow	12.1	11.7–12.5	940
Clumber Spaniel	12.3	11.7–13.9	300
Collie	13.3	13.3–13.6	2,171
Coton de Tulear	14.2	13.1–n/e	319
Curly Coated Retriever	12.2	11.2–12.8	152
Dachshund	13.2	13.0–13.5	2,305
Dalmatian	13.2	13.0–13.3	3,126
Dandie Dinmont Terrier	12.8	12.2–14.6	179
Doberman Pinscher	11.2	11.0–11.5	3,531
Dogue de Bordeaux	11.1	10.6–11.7	3,427
English Cocker Spaniel	13.3	13.2–13.3	26,303
English Setter	13.1	12.7–13.6	596
English Springer Spaniel	13.5	13.4–13.6	17,905
Field Spaniel	13.1	12.5–13.4	242
Finnish Lapphund	13.8	13.5–n/e	105
Flat Coated Retriever	11.7	11.5–11.9	2,148
French Bulldog	9.8	9.4–10.1	11,821
German Shepherd Dog	11.3	11.3–11.4	19,908
German Shorthaired Pointer	13.4	13.3–13.6	3,313
German Spitz Mittel	14.0	13.3–14.6	211
German Wirehaired Pointer	13.0	12.5–13.6	562
Giant Schnauzer	12.1	11.5–12.8	369
Glen Of Imaal Terrier	12.1	11.6–13.5	113
Golden Retriever	13.2	13.1–13.2	11,506
Gordon Setter	12.4	12.1–12.8	393
Great Dane	10.6	10.4–11.0	1,986
Great Pyrenees	10.9	10.5–11.3	260
Greyhound	11.5	11.4–11.6	3,964
Havanese	14.5	14.1–n/e	381
Irish Setter	12.9	12.6–13.1	1,487
Irish Terrier	13.5	13.1–14.0	535
Irish Water Spaniel	10.8	10.4–11.9	174
Irish Wolfhound	9.9	9.2–11.0	509
Italian Greyhound	14.0	13.2–15.1	389
Jack Russell Terrier	13.3	13.2–13.3	19,166
Japanese Chin	12.5	12.2–13.3	373
Japanese Spitz	13.0	12.3–13.7	336
Keeshond	12.3	11.6–13.8	171
Kerry Blue Terrier	12.4	11.9–13.0	368
Labrador Retriever	13.1	13.0–13.1	43,428
Lakeland Terrier	14.2	13.9–14.5	1,068
Lancashire Heeler	15.4	14.7–15.9	241
Large Munsterlander	14.1	13.5–n/e	139
Leonberger	10.0	9.5–10.3	676
Lhasa Apso	14.0	13.9–14.2	7,216
Lowchen	13.9	13.3–15.7	143
Maltese	13.1	12.6–13.5	2,021
Mastiff	9.0	8.9–9.2	1,840
Miniature Bull Terrier	12.2	11.0–13.8	268
Miniature Dachshund	14.0	13.7–14.2	7,342
Miniature Pinscher	13.7	13.1–14.2	660
Miniature Schnauzer	13.3	13.2–13.5	7,693
Neapolitan Mastiff	9.3	8.8–10.2	367
Newfoundland	11.0	10.9–11.6	1,529
Norfolk Terrier	13.5	13.1–13.8	905
Norwegian Elkhound	12.9	12.4–14.1	145
Norwich Terrier	14.0	13.5–15.1	190
Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever	13.2	12.2–n/e	286
Old English Sheepdog	12.1	11.9–12.5	1,210
Papillon	14.5	14.1–14.9	1,115
Parson Russell Terrier	13.8	13.5–14.0	2,600
Pekingese	13.3	13.0–13.8	695
Pembroke Welsh Corgi	13.2	12.7–13.6	643
Petite Basset Griffon Vendeen	13.7	13.2–14.0	496
Pomeranian	12.2	12.0–12.5	2,941
Poodle	14.0	13.8–14.1	6,427
Portuguese Water Dog	13.0	11.5–14.9	179
Presa Canario	7.7	7.0–9.5	144
Pug	11.6	11.4–11.8	10,026
Puli	13.3	12.8–14.4	122
Rhodesian Ridgeback	12.0	11.9–12.2	2,108
Rottweiler	10.6	10.4–10.7	6,275
Saluki	13.3	12.3–14.0	428
Samoyed	13.1	12.7–13.5	723
Scottish Deerhound	10.5	9.7–11.3	426
Scottish Terrier	12.7	12.5–12.9	1,747
Sealyham Terrier	13.1	12.3–16.0	125
Shetland Sheepdog	13.4	13.1–13.6	1,905
Shiba Inu	14.6	14.0–15.1	423
Shih Tzu	12.8	12.6–12.9	12,007
Siberian Husky	11.9	11.7–12.0	4,453
Silky Terrier	13.3	11.7–14.2	105
Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier	13.7	13.2–14.4	620
Spanish Water Dog	13.7	13.3–n/e	265
Spinone Italiano	11.9	11.6–12.4	693
St Bernard	9.3	9.0–9.8	1,129
Staffordshire Bull Terrier	12.0	12.0–12.1	36,216
Standard Schnauzer	13.0	12.7–13.2	826
Sussex Spaniel	13.5	12.6–15.1	108
Tibetan Mastiff	13.3	10.9–n/e	117
Tibetan Spaniel	15.2	14.8–15.7	351
Tibetan Terrier	13.8	13.5–14.2	1,947
Toy Fox Terrier	12.9	12.3–13.8	163
Toy Manchester Terrier	13.0	12.0–13.6	339
Vizsla	13.5	13.2–13.9	2,965
Weimaraner	12.8	12.6–13.0	2,990
Welsh Springer Spaniel	14.0	13.3–14.3	572
Welsh Terrier	13.8	13.5–14.6	570
West Highland White Terrier	13.4	13.3–13.5	11,932
Whippet	13.4	13.2–13.7	4,971
Wire Fox Terrier	13.5	13.3–13.7	1,413
Yorkshire Terrier	13.3	13.3–13.4	14,579

Source: McMillan et al. 2024, Table S3. Breeds with at least 100 dogs, names as published. “n/e”: upper limit not estimable.

What the numbers can’t tell you

• They are group averages. A median of 12 years means half the dogs of that group lived longer. Your dog may live much longer or shorter.
• The two studies use different methods. The US figures are life expectancy at birth from life tables; the UK figures are median survival. Don’t subtract one from the other.
• Breed figures are from the UK. Breeding lines, diet, climate and vet care differ between countries.
• Fast-growing breeds can look short-lived. The UK authors note that when a breed has become popular recently, many of its dogs are still young, which can push its figure down.
• Euthanasia and unknown causes. Neither study reports why the dogs died. Many lives end with euthanasia, a decision shaped by illness and by the owner’s circumstances.

To see how your dog’s age compares with a person’s, try the dog age calculator.