Research reveals longest and shortest-lived dogs

Everybody wants their beloved pooch to live a long and healthy life, and major new research out of the UK could help owners and breeders maximise their dog's years on earth.

A study of more than 580,000 individual dogs, from more than 150 different breeds, aimed to establish which dog breeds had the most longevity - and which the least.

Kirsten M McMillan, from Dogs Trust UK, led the research, which was published in Scientific Reports.

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It found that small, long-nosed dog breeds such as whippets and daschunds had the longest life expectancies in the UK, with a median maximum age of 13.3 years.

And medium-sized flat-faced breeds, such as English bulldogs, had the lowest life median life expectancy of 9.1 years for males and 9.6 years for females.

Amongst the 12 most popular breeds, which accounted for more than 50 per cent of all recorded pure breeds in the database, labradors had a median life expectancy of 13.1 years, Jack Russell terriers had a median life expectancy of 13.3 years, and cavalier King Charles spaniels had a median life expectancy of 11.8 years.

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Pure breeds had a higher median life expectancy than crossbreeds (12.7 years compared to 12 years), while female dogs had a slightly higher median life expectancy than males (12.7 years compared to 12.4 years).

"This information provides evidence to inform discussions regarding pedigree health, whilst helping current/prospective owners, breeders, policymakers, funding bodies and welfare organisations improve decision making regarding canine welfare," the study authors said.