Dog Life Expectancy by Breed: What the Study Says
Pick a breed to see the life expectancy published in a large UK veterinary study, with the range the authors give and the source. It is an average for groups of dogs, not a prediction for your dog
Choose a Breed
The list has the 18 breeds and the crossbred group that the study published results for. There is no estimate here for other breeds.
Dot: published estimate. Colored bar: 95% confidence interval. Vertical line: all dogs in the study (11.23 years). Scale: 0 to 14 years.
Estimate published by the VetCompass study (Teng et al., Scientific Reports, 2022) for Labrador Retriever. It is an average for dogs under veterinary care in the UK, not a prediction for any single dog.
An Estimate from a Study, Not a Prediction
The figures on this page are averages published by a veterinary study for groups of dogs in the United Kingdom. They cannot say how long your dog will live: individual dogs live much shorter or longer lives. Questions about your dog’s health, check-ups or care belong with your veterinarian. Your choices stay in your browser.
How to use this tool
- Choose the breed from the list. It has only the breeds and the crossbred group that the study published results for.
- Read the published estimate, its 95% range and the number of dogs behind it. Fewer dogs mean a wider range.
- To compare, choose a second breed. Read the difference and whether the ranges overlap, then press Copy Result.
Worked example
Labrador Retriever: the study published 11.77 years (95% CI 11.67 to 11.89) from 2,500 dogs, 0.54 years above the 11.23 years of all dogs in the study. French Bulldog: 4.53 years (95% CI 4.14 to 5.01) from 232 dogs, with a wider range because the group is smaller. The paper notes that four brachycephalic (short-faced) breeds, French Bulldog, English Bulldog, Pug and American Bulldog, had the shortest life expectancy at age 0 among the 18 breeds. Comparing the two breeds, the ranges do not overlap.
Why this tool exists and where its numbers come from
Owners often ask how long a breed lives, and many sites give round numbers without saying where they come from. This tool shows only figures published in one study, with the range the authors give: 30,563 dogs that died in the UK between 2016 and 2020, from the VetCompass program of the Royal Veterinary College. The study covers 18 breeds and crossbred dogs, only dogs attending veterinary clinics in the UK, and its authors note that some breeds have small samples.
Sources
- Teng et al. (2022), Scientific Reports: the study (journal page)
- Teng et al. (2022): free full text on PubMed Central
- Royal Veterinary College: news page about the study
For the full method, see the Methodology section just below.
Methodology
The numbers come from one study: Teng et al., “Life tables of annual life expectancy and mortality for companion dogs in the United Kingdom”, Scientific Reports 12, 6415 (2022), from the VetCompass program of the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) with National Taiwan University. It used the records of 30,563 dogs attending veterinary clinics in the UK that died between January 1, 2016 and July 31, 2020 and built a hypothetical cohort life table. The study reports life expectancy at age 0, which the paper says equals the mean age at death of dogs across all ages, for 18 breeds and for crossbred dogs as one group, each with a 95% confidence interval. This tool estimates nothing itself: it shows the published figures and, for comparisons, subtracts two of them. For all dogs in the study together, life expectancy at age 0 is 11.23 years (95% CI 11.19 – 11.27 years).
Four terms you will see in the study
These terms appear in the study and on this page. Here they are in plain words.
- Life expectancy at age 0
- In this study it equals the mean age at death of the dogs across all ages. It is an average of many dogs, not the age a dog is expected to reach.
- 95% confidence interval
- A range that shows how uncertain an estimate is. With fewer dogs in a group the range is wider, which means less certainty.
- Hypothetical cohort life table
- A table built from the deaths seen at each age in the same period, as if a single group of dogs lived through them. It is the method the paper names.
- Crossbred
- The study counts all crossbred dogs as one group (6,511 dogs, 21.3% of the dogs in the study) and does not separate different mixes.
With these terms in mind, two common mistakes are easy to avoid: reading an average as a promise, and reading a small difference between two breeds as a real gap.
Everyday Dog-Care Items
A bed, a dental care kit and a slow feeder bowl. They are general dog-care items and have no connection with the estimates above.
EHEYCIGA Orthopedic Extra Large Dog Bed, Waterproof Washable XL Pet Bed 44 in, Non-Slip Bottom and Egg-Crate Polyurethane Foam Big Dog Couch Bed with Washable Removable Cover, Gray
Orthopedic dog bed, listed as extra large (44 in) with egg-crate polyurethane foam, a non-slip bottom and a waterproof, washable removable cover, in gray. Check the listing for the exact size and compare it with your dog.
Vet’s Best dog dental kit with enzymatic toothpaste and brushes
Dog dental care kit with an enzymatic toothpaste (3.5 oz), a toothbrush and a finger brush, listed as vet formulated. The claims about plaque and breath come from the seller’s listing; ask your veterinarian about your dog’s dental care.
Outward Hound Fun Feeder slow feeder bowl (blue)
Slow feeder bowl (8.8 in), listed as holding 2 cups of dry or wet food, with a non-slip base and no BPA, for small to medium dogs and cats. The listing says it can aid digestion; for feeding questions, ask your veterinarian.
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Frequently asked questions
How long does each breed live according to this tool? ▼
The tool shows what one UK study published: the life expectancy at age 0 for 18 breeds and for crossbred dogs, with a 95% range. For example, Labrador Retriever 11.77 years (11.67 to 11.89) and French Bulldog 4.53 years (4.14 to 5.01). Breeds that are not in the study have no figure here.
Is life expectancy the same as how long my dog will live? ▼
No. In this study life expectancy at age 0 equals the mean age at death of the dogs in the data. It is an average of many dogs: some lived much shorter lives and some longer. It cannot predict the life of one dog.
Why are only 18 breeds and crossbreds listed? ▼
Because those are the groups the study published life tables for; they make up 50.6% of the dogs in the study. For other breeds, ask your veterinarian instead of assuming a number.
Do these numbers apply outside the United Kingdom? ▼
The study covers dogs under veterinary care in the UK, mostly in England. Its authors note that differing cultures around euthanasia between countries might influence national life tables, so do not assume the same figures elsewhere.
Why do some breeds have a much wider range? ▼
The range shows uncertainty, and it is wider when fewer dogs are in a group. Beagle, Husky, Pug and American Bulldog have fewer than 200 dogs each in the life tables, while crossbred has 6,511. The authors say the sample sizes of some of the 18 breeds are small.
What does the study say about short-faced breeds? ▼
It reports that four brachycephalic (short-faced) breeds, French Bulldog, English Bulldog, Pug and American Bulldog, had the shortest life expectancy at age 0 among the 18 breeds. This tool does not explain why. If you have questions about your own dog, ask your veterinarian.
How many years does an older dog have left? ▼
The study also gives life expectancy at older ages, but only for all dogs together, not by breed: 10.41 years at age 1, 7.02 at age 5, 4.61 at age 8, 3.28 at age 10, 2.23 at age 12 and 1.19 at age 15. These are averages for a large group. The breed life tables by age are in the study’s supplementary files, which this tool does not reproduce.
Can the tool tell me how long my dog will live? ▼
No. It shows published group averages with their ranges. Many things differ between dogs, and no average describes one dog. A veterinarian who knows your dog is the right person for questions about its health and care.
Is anything I choose uploaded? ▼
No. The page runs in your browser, so your choices stay on your device and nothing is saved. If you reload or close the page, it returns to the default breed.