Most dog breeds have about the same life expectancy, around 10-13 healthy and happy years. But some breeds are not included on this list due to their abnormally long life expectancy. There are many documented cases of dogs well beyond their 20th birthday.
Although the Australian Cattle Dog is not on the list, the official record for the oldest dog belongs to it, or an Australian dog named Bluey, who died at the age of 29 in 1939! An amazing fact, and if you think about it, you'll probably want all your dogs to live just as long. If you're interested in seeing what other breeds have records, then check out the gallery below!
1. Yorkshire Terrier
Yorkie is one of the most popular breeds in the whole world, and, in addition, one of the luckiest - the life expectancy of Yorkies is on average 17-20 years!
This is a tiny toy breed, and it is no wonder that it has so many fans around the world. The world's oldest Yorkshire terrier, Jack, died in 2016 at the age of 25, which in human years is at least 117 years!
2. Chihuahua
Chihuahuas are one of the longest living dog breeds, and this is likely due to their size - the breed is also one of the smallest. With an average lifespan of 15 to 20 years, these dogs will provide you with long and interesting adventures. The world's oldest Chihuahua died in 2014 at the age of 20 years and 265 days.
3. Pomeranian
These fluffy little dogs have an average lifespan of 12-16 years. Pomeranians are loved in many countries around the world for their pleasant, active and friendly nature. The oldest Pomeranian on record lived to be 21 years, 8 months and 12 days.
4. Dachshund
Another small breed, the dachshund, also has a fairly long life span of 14 to 17 years. However, the oldest dachshund in the world, named Chanel, lived for more than 21 years!
5. Toy poodle
Toy poodles may look different from their larger counterparts, but they are still very intelligent and easy to train. These little guys tend to live longer, averaging 12 to 16 years. But the oldest Toy poodle, Seamus, lived to be 20 years old!
6. Lhasa apso (Lhasa apso)
Lhasa Apsos are wonderful small-sized dogs that live an average of 12 to 15 years. They were bred to help Buddhist monks in their temple service.
7. Maltese
Another small and pleasant breed in all respects is the Maltese, which has an average life expectancy of 12-15 years. The Maltese is one of the oldest breeds that originated on the Mediterranean island of Malta.
8. Beagle
Beagles are considered one of the best dogs for children, with their loyal and obedient nature, yet active lifestyle. Beagles also live an average of 12 to 15 years. The oldest beagle, Butch, died in 2003 at the astonishing age of 27 years.
9. Pug
One of the most popular breeds in the world, Pugs live for about 12-15 years, but their personality likely outlives them. Pugs are one of the oldest breeds that originated in China, and have maintained and increased their popularity over several centuries. The oldest pug in the world, King Tug, lives today in the USA and as of June 2017, his age is 18 years and 8 months.
10. Miniature Schnauzer
This assertive breed has the same enormous amount of energy as its larger counterpart. Miniature Schnauzers live an average of 12 to 15 years, which will give you plenty of time to get involved in the various dog sports they can participate in.
Dogs are our faithful friends. They come to us for a very short time, and for them we are their whole life. That is why we love and take care of them, and in return we receive devotion, sincere joy, fun and inspiration. No one rejoices more when his owner comes home than a faithful dog. There is even a joke on this topic: “Lock your wife and dog in the closet for an hour. Open it in an hour and find out who is more happy to see you.” In this article we will tell you about long-lived dogs, as well as representatives of the canine world who hold records for height, length and weight.
Long-lived breeds
They have different life expectancies, which ranges from 10 to 18 years (for comparison, a hamster lives only 3 years). The following breeds can be classified as long-lived:
If you look at this list, you can conclude that in small dogs the earthly age lasts longer, 2-4 years longer than in large dogs. And indeed it is.
There are quite a few long-livers among dogs, some of them even made it into the Guinness Book of Records. In 1910, Bluey, an Australian cattle dog, was born. This breed was developed in the 19th century by mixing the blood of many other breeds, including collies, Dalmatians, and Australian kelpies. The most interesting genes were inherited from the wild Australian Cattle Dog. Bluey lived exactly 30 years and died in 1940. This is documented. Her name is included in the Guinness Book of Records.
Another record-breaking dog is Pasuke from Japan. Pasuke was not purebred. She was born in 1985. In 2009, she was hit by a car... The dog was seriously injured, but was able to recover and lived for another 3 (!!!) years, and then died of old age. She delighted her owners for 23 years.
Another long-liver is the dog Max from Louisiana. The dog lived 29 years and 245 days. Max was a cross between a terrier and a mongrel. He was born in 1983 and died in 2013. An amazing fact - on May 15, 2013, Max was listed in the Guinness Book of Records, and 3 days later he was gone.
Many dog food promoters speculated on Max's name, declaring that he ate their food, which is why he reached such a respectable age. The dog's owner claimed that Max did not eat food from the table. She allegedly always fed him the Kibbles and Bits brand of food. How true this is, of course, is unknown. Perhaps she was paid to report this. If we calculate that a dog’s life year is equal to seven human years, then Max, by human standards, was already 210 years old. Until his old age, the dog loved to run, jump, and fetch a small ball.
Longevity depends on many factors: food, living conditions, and the emotional state of the owners. Some factors are inherent in nature. For example, dogs with long muzzles please us longer than those with flat muzzles. If a bitch has never given birth and has never walked with male dogs, then she will live longer than a bitch who has already given birth. Spayed females - even more. Mixed breeds are more likely to reach old age than purebred dogs.
The largest dogs in the world
There are a lot of breeds in the world that amaze us with their growth. If we remember that the ancestor of all canines is the wolf, then the selection should be given a standing ovation. It is worth comparing the fragile little 15-centimeter Chihuahua and the huge, hardy Caucasian Shepherd Dog.
So, the list of giant breeds:
Another giant is listed in the Guinness Book, the English mastiff Ikama Zorba. He is currently considered the largest dog in the world. His weight is 156 kg and his height is 94 cm.
The longest dog
not a dachshund at all, but a Landseer named Boomer from the USA. Its length is 213 cm, and its height is 80 cm. Taxis, despite their reputation as sausage dogs, are not even in the top ten. By the way, they say that dachshunds have a complex character. You need to constantly gain their trust and show them who is boss in the house. They are considered to be the most cunning and evil dogs.
How much does the fattest dog in the world weigh?
The fattest dog in the world lives in England. Her name is Cassie. Her breed is called Border Collie. The weight of these dogs usually does not exceed 18 kg. Cassie weighs 58 kg. Cassie's owner fed her food from the table and gave her a huge amount of food. As a result, she became ill and had difficulty moving.
Cassie was rescued by veterinarians. A special strict diet, physical training, and walks brought the dog back to reality. The dog lost weight and its character changed. She became more cheerful. All of Britain was watching her fate. With bated breath, the British watched on television the popular favorite when she underwent surgery to remove bedsores and folds. Cassie survived and is making her family happy.
Attention, TODAY only!
Yesterday the dog, which is now the oldest in the world, celebrated its 21st birthday.
Despite her advanced age, Chanel came with her owner to New York from Rhode Island to take part in a television show in her honor on one of the central American television channels. One of the main gifts on this significant day was the presenter of the program presenting her with a certificate certifying that she was included in the 2010 Guinness Book of Records.
Chanel's red-framed sunglasses and bright yellow sweater made her a real star and a favorite of TV viewers. However, as the owner noted, her pet looks this way every day, as her health requires it. The fact is that at such an old age, which is equivalent to 147 years in human measurements, she developed cataracts typical of older people and she is forced to wear glasses with dark lenses that protect her eyes from light, as well as warm clothes that do not allow her to feel the cold .
In honor of the record holder, the dog food company threw a party at a Manhattan hotel, where she was presented with a huge dog birthday cake. At the same time, Chanel, according to the owner, is quite picky about food and prefers boiled chicken and, oddly enough, pasta dishes to dog food.
The dog's owner, American Denise Shaughnessy, adopted Chanel from a dog shelter when she was 6 weeks old. According to the owner, at that moment she was going through a difficult period, being left without work with a small child in her arms, and Chanel managed to significantly brighten up her life.
This age is not the limit for dogs. An even greater record was set in 1939 by a dog from Australia, having lived for 29 and a half years, ITAR-TASS reports.
Oh, these records and constant competitions. It is human nature to set standards that others then try to overcome. Even the age of a pet can be another reason to open the Book of Records. Currently, several pets of different breeds have claimed the title of oldest dog. Each owner is confident in the uniqueness and invincibility of his pet. All we can do is wish them health and be happy for the years they have lived.
The oldest dogs in the world
One of the contenders for the title of the oldest dog in the world was the dog Rumble from Somerset, England. The age of the animal in 2008 by human standards reached 180 years. The dog’s owner claimed that a good and proper diet, as well as timely visits to the veterinarian, helped his pet survive to this age. This dog is included in the Book of Records and today he should be about 30 years old, unfortunately there is no information about the fate of the dog.
In 2013, a dog named Max turned thirty years old! According to the specialist’s notes, the animal was in good condition at that time and its owner really took care of the pet. If you convert the dog's age into human standards, it turns out to be approximately 210 years. Unfortunately, the dog died shortly after the celebration.
One of the oldest dogs and Max’s competitor is considered to be Chanel, who celebrated her 20th anniversary in 2010 and was also included in the Book of Records, but in 2012 she passed away. The pet was remembered for her dark glasses and stylish yellow sweater.
In 2013, news spread around the world about the 22nd birthday of Dacey, a Jack Russell Terrier. Surprisingly, one of the contenders for the title of the oldest dog had never known special dog food and ate from the owners’ table. She has every chance to receive the title of long-liver.
One of the oldest dogs was also the mongrel Puske, who lived for approximately twenty-seven years. According to the vaccination records, the dog was born in 1985 and died in 2011. So the oldest dog in the world is not always the most well-groomed or the largest. Much is decided by the lifestyle and love of the owner.
In order to decide on the prize for longevity, you first need to understand how many years do dogs generally live? Dog experts say a pet's lifespan depends on many factors, including:
- breed;
- genetic predisposition;
- health and physical condition of the pet;
- conditions of detention;
- nutrition and care.
Although the care of modern animals has become much better, and most importantly more scientific, the record for life expectancy does not belong to the current generation of canines. So the oldest dog in the world who lived to be almost 29 years old! was born at the beginning of the last century (in 1910), when neither special food nor vitamins for pets were yet produced, and the development of veterinary services was only at its initial stage. So it's probably not just a matter of care.
Who lives and how long?
When a small puppy is brought into the house, literally in a matter of days he becomes a full member of the family and losing a dog is sometimes no less painful than losing a loved one. Therefore, probably one of the main questions that potential dog breeders ask themselves is what is the average life expectancy of the breed of their four-legged friend.
In principle, if we take the average indicator, then the pet lives 12-13 years. There are exceptions, both smaller and larger. Fortunately, modern veterinary medicine can significantly extend the life of pets, and also significantly reduces the mortality of animals in childhood.
Even its size can affect a pet's lifespan. So, according to statistics, big dogs live less than small dogs and there are a number of objective reasons for this. Firstly, large dogs are more likely to die in fights and street fights. Secondly, from a purely physiological point of view, the heart of a large dog works more actively than that of its small relative, and accordingly wears out much faster. The internal organs of large dogs also work more actively and fail earlier than those of small breeds. And, oddly enough, large dogs are more susceptible to stressful situations, which cannot affect their life expectancy. Speaking in terms of numbers, for example, a Pekingese will live 15 or even 16 years, while a German Shepherd can live a maximum of 12 years, and most often only lives up to 9.
Nobles today are not the same
If in the last century the noble breeds of dogs that only members of the nobility had the right to own included hounds and greyhounds, lap dogs and those brought from overseas countries, today the definition of “nobles” is given to animals that live on their own, that is, on the street. Of course, the definition of mongrel has nothing to do with noble origin and, to be precise, comes from the word “yard”. In addition to the fact that the fate of such animals is full of dangers, it is also short-lived. So, due to hunger, disease, and attacks from other dogs, few mongrels have a chance to live to old age. The diet of such animals is not only bad, but completely unacceptable for a dog. And temperature changes, precipitation and wind do not have the best effect on the endurance and health of street dogs. In addition, the lack of vaccination leads to the fact that mongrels very often become victims of distemper or other equally deadly diseases.
As for the more specific numerical determination of the life expectancy of a stray dog, it very much depends on the gene pool. After all, a mongrel is most often a mestizo (a mixture of different breeds) and the number of years the animal can live depends on which or rather whose blood it contains more. Some experts also insist on the opposite theory, according to which mongrels are more adapted and hardened by harsh conditions and are able to live much longer than a spoiled pet toy. But, looking at the eternally hungry street dogs, it’s hard to believe.
Hit parade of old timers
Before choosing a dog breed that will become a pet, some owners pay considerable attention not only to its appearance and purpose, character and characteristics, but also to its genetic predisposition to a long and quiet life.
The first place among dogs in terms of life expectancy is occupied by the Chihuahua breed. So a representative of this miniature breed can easily live up to 15, or even 16 years. There have been cases when Chihuahuas lived to be 20 years old and still felt not old at all. You can extend the life of your pet if you monitor its nutrition, physical activity and, of course, its emotional and psychological state. Tasty and healthy food, optimal physical activity and a calm atmosphere in the house - and your pet, even if it doesn’t outlive you, will delight you with its love for decades.
In second place in the hit parade of the most tenacious is the Akita Inu. By the way, for cinema lovers, the Akita Inu is associated with the famous Hachiko. In addition to the fact that representatives of this breed are immensely devoted to their owner, they are also ready to demonstrate their devotion for 12-14 years.
In third place in terms of life expectancy is that terrier. These toy dogs live an average of 15 years, although history knows more than one terrier who has crossed the 20-year mark and still remains playful and energetic.
The Chinese Crested takes no less honorable place among dogs that can live quite a long time. These animals are distinguished not only by their original appearance, but also by their good health. The Chinese Crested usually lives up to 12 years. As for a dog, this is decent, although the owners of these beauties consider this insufficient.
It’s not easy for a husky to live up to 20 years, but it still doesn’t lose its endurance and functionality. So a 14-year-old husky runs in a sled along with young animals, and with the necessary care she can easily live until 2023.
The fact that sport can prolong life is clearly demonstrated by boxers, both those in the ring and those on the couch. It is regular physical activity that will allow your Boxer pet to live up to 11 years.
Regardless of the breed and size of the dog, it is necessary to observe such things as:
- properly selected diet;
- regular training and physical activity;
- polite attitude from the owner;
- carrying out a preventive examination by a veterinarian;
- vaccinations;
Breeds and numbers
If we speak specifically in the language of mathematics, then depending on the chosen breed, a dog can live to:
- 8-10 years if it is an English bulldog;
- 10-14 years if it is a spaniel;
- up to 15 years if it is a Dogo Argentino;
- Bassets live up to 11 years;
- Boxers live up to 12 years;
- lap dogs live up to 20 years;
- A large poodle will live 17 years;
- The handsome Bordeaux and Great Dane breeds will live no more than 8 years (that’s what it means to be big and tall);
- The West Siberian Laika can live 14 years;
- A nimble Yorkie can live 15 years;
- Caucasians live up to 11 years;
- a pug will live at least 13, or even 15 years;
- German shepherds and dachshunds live for 14 years;
- On average, Rottweilers live up to 12 years;
- Airedale Terriers will live 13 years without problems;
- A Chihuahua lives 17-20 years.
All data are averages and can change both in the “minus” and “plus” directions. By the way, do not forget that the age of a dog and a person is a big difference. If a person at 14 years old is a teenager, then a dog at 14 years old is similar in its physiological parameters to an 84-year-old man. So before you yell at your 14-year-old toy terrier for being slow, remember that he is at least 84 years old!
There is only one record so far
Getting back to the old-timer dog, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, the oldest dog in the world died when she was 29 years old. The record holder was an Australian cattle dog (Australian heeler) named Bluey, who was born in 1910 in the USA.
The brothers and sisters of the oldest dog, Bluey, did not even live to be 13 years old, while the record holder, even at the ripe old age of twenty, actively performed his functions and herded cattle. The owner of the animal is sure that the secret of such active longevity lies in:
- in working capacity;
- in proper nutrition;
- in the fresh air;
- in a calm atmosphere.
In addition to the fact that Bluey lived for 29 years, he also never went to the veterinarians and did not suffer from any of the diseases inherent in his relatives. Bluey died of old age, and despite the fact that the animal became blind a year before his death, he did not lose either his cheerfulness or energy until his last breath. So Bluey is not only the oldest, but also the healthiest dog in the world. To date, no four-legged pet has been able to survive Bluey.
