Most common breeds have a median lifespan of roughly 10 to 14 years, and breed, size, and face shape make a real difference. The largest study so far, covering 584,734 dogs in the UK, found a median lifespan of 12.5 years. A study of about 13 million dogs seen at US veterinary hospitals estimated an average life expectancy at birth of 12.7 years.
How long dogs live, by size
Smaller dogs tend to live longer than larger ones. In the US study of Banfield Pet Hospital records, life expectancy at birth fell from about 13.5 years for small dogs to 9.5 years for giant breeds:
| Adult size | Life expectancy at birth |
|---|---|
| Toy (under 5.5 kg / 12 lb) | 13.4 years |
| Small (5.5–11 kg / 12–24 lb) | 13.5 years |
| Medium (11–26 kg / 24–57 lb) | 12.7 years |
| Large (26–45 kg / 57–99 lb) | 11.5 years |
| Giant (45 kg / 99 lb or more) | 9.5 years |
The UK study found the same direction among purebreds: a median of 12.7 years for small breeds, 12.5 for medium, and 11.9 for large.
Face shape matters as much as size
The UK study also grouped purebreds by skull shape. Flat-faced (brachycephalic) breeds had the shortest median lifespan at 11.2 years, compared with 12.8 for breeds with a medium-length face and 12.1 for long-faced breeds. The shortest-lived group of all was medium-size flat-faced breeds, at 9.4 years. The longest-lived was small long-faced breeds, at 13.3 years.
Median lifespan by breed
Median lifespan for common breeds in the UK study, with the 95% confidence interval. A narrow range means many dogs of that breed were included; a wide one means fewer.
| Breed | Median lifespan | 95% range |
|---|---|---|
| Akita | 11.4 years | 11.1–11.6 |
| Australian Shepherd | 13.7 years | 12.8–14.6 |
| Beagle | 12.5 years | 12.3–12.7 |
| Bernese Mountain Dog | 10.1 years | 9.8–10.4 |
| Bichon Frise | 12.5 years | 12.3–12.7 |
| Border Collie | 13.1 years | 13.0–13.2 |
| Border Terrier | 14.2 years | 14.1–14.3 |
| Boston Terrier | 11.8 years | 11.0–12.2 |
| Boxer | 11.3 years | 11.3–11.5 |
| Bulldog (English) | 9.8 years | 9.7–10.0 |
| Cairn Terrier | 14.0 years | 13.8–14.3 |
| Cane Corso | 8.1 years | 6.5–9.5 |
| Cavalier King Charles Spaniel | 11.8 years | 11.7–11.9 |
| Chihuahua | 11.8 years | 11.5–11.9 |
| Chinese Shar Pei | 10.6 years | 10.3–10.9 |
| Crossbreed (all mixed breeds) | 12.0 years | 12.0–12.1 |
| Dachshund | 13.2 years | 13.0–13.5 |
| Dalmatian | 13.2 years | 13.0–13.3 |
| Doberman Pinscher | 11.2 years | 11.0–11.5 |
| English Cocker Spaniel | 13.3 years | 13.2–13.3 |
| English Springer Spaniel | 13.5 years | 13.4–13.6 |
| French Bulldog | 9.8 years | 9.4–10.1 |
| German Shepherd Dog | 11.3 years | 11.3–11.4 |
| German Shorthaired Pointer | 13.4 years | 13.3–13.6 |
| Golden Retriever | 13.2 years | 13.1–13.2 |
| Great Dane | 10.6 years | 10.4–11.0 |
| Greyhound | 11.5 years | 11.4–11.6 |
| Havanese | 14.5 years | 14.1–n/a |
| Jack Russell Terrier | 13.3 years | 13.2–13.3 |
| Labrador Retriever | 13.1 years | 13.0–13.1 |
| Lhasa Apso | 14.0 years | 13.9–14.2 |
| Maltese | 13.1 years | 12.6–13.5 |
| Mastiff | 9.0 years | 8.9–9.2 |
| Miniature Dachshund | 14.0 years | 13.7–14.2 |
| Miniature Schnauzer | 13.3 years | 13.2–13.5 |
| Newfoundland | 11.0 years | 10.9–11.6 |
| Papillon | 14.5 years | 14.1–14.9 |
| Pembroke Welsh Corgi | 13.2 years | 12.7–13.6 |
| Pomeranian | 12.2 years | 12.0–12.5 |
| Poodle (sizes not split) | 14.0 years | 13.8–14.1 |
| Pug | 11.6 years | 11.4–11.8 |
| Rottweiler | 10.6 years | 10.4–10.7 |
| Shetland Sheepdog | 13.4 years | 13.1–13.6 |
| Shiba Inu | 14.6 years | 14.0–15.1 |
| Shih Tzu | 12.8 years | 12.6–12.9 |
| Siberian Husky | 11.9 years | 11.7–12.0 |
| St Bernard | 9.3 years | 9.0–9.8 |
| Staffordshire Bull Terrier | 12.0 years | 12.0–12.1 |
| Vizsla | 13.5 years | 13.2–13.9 |
| Weimaraner | 12.8 years | 12.6–13.0 |
| West Highland White Terrier | 13.4 years | 13.3–13.5 |
| Whippet | 13.4 years | 13.2–13.7 |
| Yorkshire Terrier | 13.3 years | 13.3–13.4 |
The Poodle figure combines all three sizes, because the study did not split them. Popular crosses such as Cockapoos and Labradoodles are counted within crossbreeds rather than listed separately.
Do mixed-breed dogs live longer?
The evidence is mixed. In the large 2024 UK study, crossbreeds had a slightly lower median lifespan (12.0 years) than purebreds overall (12.7). An earlier UK study of dogs seen at 86 veterinary practices found the opposite, with crossbreeds at 13.1 years against 11.9 for purebreds. The US study found mixed-breed dogs close to the overall average.
Weight is one factor you can influence
In the US study, dogs recorded as obese had a lower estimated life expectancy at birth (11.7 years) than dogs at an ideal body condition (13.2 years). That is an association across millions of records, not proof that weight alone changed how long each dog lived, but keeping a healthy weight is one of the few factors owners control day to day. The body condition check and the dog calorie calculator are good places to start.
How to read these numbers
- A median is the middle, not a limit. Half of the dogs in a breed lived longer than the median and some lived well beyond it.
- Population matters. The breed table comes from UK dogs. Breeding lines, lifestyle, and veterinary care differ between countries.
- Your dog is an individual. These figures describe large groups. They cannot predict how long one dog will live.
Lifespan is also tied to how fast dogs age. Our dog age calculator converts dog years to human years by size, and the guide to signs of aging in dogs covers what to watch for as your dog gets older.