How long can dogs live: factors affecting life expectancy from a year to many years

General characteristics

All dogs have a relatively short lifespan. On average, their biological age is considered to be 12 years. But numerous breeds have a different size, lifestyle, natural features. In this kind of domestic animals, there are breeds that are considered old at 8 years old, and at 10 they die, and there are centenarians. A poodle or a small lapdog will grow old with its owner and live up to 17 – 20 years.

The more natural habitat, the more the owner needs the dog, the greater the emotional connection between them, and the animal will live longer. A long-liver among dogs, about which is written in all reference books shepherd dog Blue. She lived in the mountains of the Caucasus up to 28 years and 11 months. She grazed sheep, breathed alpine mountain air, ate not enough. And here, come on! Longevity! She lived in harmony with nature and did the work for which she was destined. She was loved by her owner and led an active life. How many dogs are so lucky?

Selection and reality

Numerous breeds are bred for specific purposes, and their entire physiology is designed to do just that job. Stress for them is the caring care of the owner and dosed walking. Laika should hunt, and not languish on the balcony of a city apartment. The shepherd dog never realizes the requests laid down in it by the breeders, working as a watchman.

In addition to studying how long dogs live depending on their size, it would be worth comparing the lifespan if the dog performs a function characteristic of the breed. Maybe small lapdogs live a long time, because they were bred as decorative ones, and there are no contradictions in their lifestyle. After all, their heart is proportional to their weight, the skeletal apparatus is corresponding.

Biological indicators of age

In the meantime, it is known that decorative dogs are centenarians. Medium dog species live up to 14 years, and massive animals at the age of 8 are already considered old people. It is believed that breeds with high weight and size begin to have problems with the heart and joints. Therefore, the biological age of dogs in comparison with humans was determined by experts as:

• 2 months puppy – 5 years old child.
• 18 months for a dog – 20 years for a young man.
• 2 years for a pet – 24 years for a person.
• 11 years for a dog is 60 years for a human.
• 14 years – 72 years respectively.

Blue the dog, who died at 28, had an age corresponding to 130 years for a man. However, the indicator of age comparison characterizes the species, and not individual breeds.

How to determine the centenarian in a puppy

Each breed bred by breeders has signs that are also a prediction of future problems with a grown dog. The relative lifespan of dogs can be determined during a visual inspection of the puppy and the breeder. You should carefully look at the seller, as health is laid in the womb. And if the breeder is in doubt, irritable, overly persistent, then it is better to refuse to purchase.

Signs that a dog’s lifespan is shortened are indicators of an unnatural skeleton. It can be pulled shortened at the withers. These are diseases of the skeleton. All frilly breeds age earlier. A natural look is a sign of longevity. In addition, long-livers should not be puppies with:

• flat muzzle;
• round skull;
• huge eyes;
• crooked disproportionate paws.

Dense loose breeds have heart problems, while light and thin breeds are prone to kidney disease.

age signs

If it is decided to purchase a young dog or puppy, then sometimes the owner tries to sell a copy that does not meet the requirements of the buyer. There are physiological signs that characterize age. So, a young dog should have soft, clean, shiny coat. In an older dog, the hair is coarser and takes on a dull tint.

You should try playing with your dog. The young individual will gladly join in the exercise, encouraged by the owner. Her eyes are bright, without discharge. In an aging individual, the abdomen and less elastic muscles descend. The ridge also sags uncharacteristically for the breed.

How old can a dog be identify by teeth. Like humans, puppies have baby teeth that fall out, permanent teeth and the degree of yellowing and abrasion will tell about age:

• dairy – up to 4 months;
• incisors appeared – 4 – 5 months;
• fangs came out – 5 – 6 months;
• permanent teeth – 1 year;
• white unworn teeth – 2 years;
• yellow, with a plaque of tartar up to 5 years;
• the lower hooks are worn out – 7 years;
• teeth fall out – after 9 years.

How to lengthen your pet’s life

It has already been said that the duration is laid down at birth, taking into account all the diseases characteristic of the breed and the conditions in which gestation was carried out. By creating conditions for a pet, you can increase the life expectancy of a dog. It is necessary to fulfill simple requirements from the moment a new family member appears. Puppy must receive adequate nutrition, be always walked in sufficient volume and be in a friendly atmosphere. This requires visits to the veterinarian and the implementation of all recommendations.

Health is established in the first years of life. In the future, you should follow the recommendations of a specialist in content and diet. If the foundations of health are laid at a young age, the life expectancy of a quadruped will increase. However, the old dog should treat with love. He grew old in the service of man, brought many joyful minutes to the family. Each owner decides for himself what to do with an aged dog.

Mutts and their life expectancy

It is said that purebred dogs live longer than purebreds. These animals can exist as ownerless. and then their fate is deplorable. They get sick, die, starve and don’t live long. A dog must have an owner, it is a pet. Outbred individuals constantly receive new genes from various breeds and survive fittest and strongest. Therefore, a purebred domestic dog lives as long as purebred dogs of the same weight and size live.

The mongrel gets sick less, because during selective breeding, diseases are transmitted along with useful properties. On the other hand, purebred dogs from a breeder are not always healthy, in pursuit of profit, he sells offspring from a sick bitch. Outbred dogs do not work for profit and puppies from the owner are taken apart only healthy.

The mixture of genes makes mutts versatile, hardy pets that have proven their usefulness for centuries.