Dog Lifespan: How Long Dogs Live by Breed and Size, and What a Year of Life Costs

The average dog lives about 12 to 13 years, and size is the strongest predictor. A study of more than 13 million dogs found life expectancy at birth of 13.5 years for small dogs and 9.5 years for giant breeds. This guide covers dog lifespan by size and breed, then adds the number nobody else publishes: what a year of life costs.

Photo: Ibby Ali / Pexels

Average dog lifespan by size

The average dog lifespan falls steadily as dogs get bigger. The largest dataset is a 2023 Frontiers in Veterinary Science paper, life expectancy tables for dogs and cats, built from clinical records of more than 13 million dogs. It covered five purebred size groups.

Size group	Life expectancy at birth
Toy	13.36 years
Small	13.53 years
Medium	12.7 years
Large	11.51 years
Giant	9.51 years

Mixed-breed dogs in the same study averaged 12.71 years, close to medium purebreds. Toy dogs came in slightly below small dogs, so the pattern is not a straight line at the very small end. From small to giant, though, each step costs the dog about a year or more.

The American Kennel Club's lifespan guide gives wider ranges. It lists 10 to 15 years for small breeds and 10 to 13 for medium. Large breeds run 8 to 12 years and giant breeds about 8 to 10. It says small dogs consistently outlive large dogs, though scientists are unsure why.

Dog life expectancy by breed: 25 popular breeds

Dog life expectancy by breed varies within each size group, so a breed list helps more than a size average. The table uses the typical lifespan in PetBudget's breed data. It also shows PetBudget's modeled lifetime cost and the cost per year of life, which is lifetime cost divided by typical lifespan.

Breed	Size	Lifespan range	Typical	Lifetime cost	Cost per year of life
Chihuahua	Toy	14-17 years	15	$26,291	$1,753
Miniature Poodle	Small	12-15 years	14	$35,675	$2,548
Dachshund	Small	12-16 years	14	$30,957	$2,211
Pomeranian	Toy	12-16 years	14	$30,894	$2,207
Beagle	Small	12-15 years	13	$25,800	$1,985
Yorkshire Terrier	Toy	12-15 years	13	$26,811	$2,062
Shih Tzu	Small	10-16 years	13	$34,640	$2,665
Pug	Small	12-15 years	13	$30,701	$2,362
Standard Poodle	Large	12-15 years	13	$41,939	$3,226
Siberian Husky	Medium	12-14 years	13	$35,899	$2,761
Australian Shepherd	Medium	12-15 years	13	$35,397	$2,723
Border Collie	Medium	12-15 years	13	$33,247	$2,557
Pembroke Welsh Corgi	Medium	12-14 years	13	$33,845	$2,603
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel	Small	9-14 years	12	$27,515	$2,293
Golden Retriever	Large	10-12 years	11	$35,344	$3,213
Labrador Retriever	Large	10-12 years	11	$33,488	$3,044
German Shepherd Dog	Large	9-13 years	11	$33,608	$3,055
French Bulldog	Small	10-12 years	11	$26,913	$2,447
Boxer	Large	10-12 years	11	$32,739	$2,976
Doberman Pinscher	Large	10-13 years	11	$36,535	$3,321
Bulldog	Medium	8-10 years	9	$25,601	$2,845
Rottweiler	Large	8-11 years	9	$29,472	$3,275
Great Dane	Giant	7-10 years	8	$32,240	$4,030
Bernese Mountain Dog	Giant	7-10 years	8	$30,656	$3,832
Mastiff	Giant	6-10 years	8	$30,944	$3,868

Lifetime cost is a modeled estimate, not a quote. Each figure is derived from the breed's size, food, care, and typical lifespan, as the methodology page explains. Treat the cost per year of life as a way to compare breeds, not as a bill.

Dog breeds with the longest life expectancy

The dog breeds with the longest life expectancy in our data are small and toy breeds. The Chihuahua leads at a typical 15 years and a range of 14 to 17. The Miniature Poodle, Dachshund, and Pomeranian follow at 14 years.

The AKC example ranges agree. It lists Chihuahuas at 15 to 17 years and Pomeranians at 14 to 16. Some long-lived medium breeds also do well. The Siberian Husky, Australian Shepherd, Border Collie, and Pembroke Welsh Corgi all have a typical lifespan of 13 years in our data.

How long do large dogs live?

How long do large dogs live comes down to about 11 years for most popular breeds. The 13-million-dog study put large purebreds at 11.51 years. The AKC range for large breeds is 8 to 12 years.

In our data, the Labrador Retriever, Golden Retriever, German Shepherd Dog, Boxer, and Doberman Pinscher all have a typical lifespan of 11 years. The Rottweiler sits lower at 9, with a range of 8 to 11. The Standard Poodle is a large-size exception at 13 years.

Giant breeds live shortest

Giant breeds have the shortest lives, at about 9.5 years in the large study and about 8 in our data. The Great Dane, Bernese Mountain Dog, and Mastiff all have a typical lifespan of 8 years. The Mastiff's range starts at 6.

Giant breeds also cost the most per year of life. Across the 24 giant breeds in our database, the average is about $3,690 per year of life, against $1,981 for toy breeds. They eat more, and a shorter life leaves less time to spread the first-year costs.

What a year of life costs by size group

Cost per year of life rises with size across our whole database, not just in the 25-breed table. The averages below cover all 236 dog breeds in PetBudget's data.

Size class	Breeds	Typical lifespan	Average lifetime cost	Cost per year of life
Toy	18	13.6 years	$26,992	$1,981
Small	53	13.3 years	$29,637	$2,227
Medium	84	12.7 years	$32,110	$2,536
Large	57	11.7 years	$35,715	$3,063
Giant	24	9.5 years	$34,796	$3,690

The lifetime totals are close, between about $27,000 and $36,000. Giant breeds do not cost much more in total because their lives are shorter. They cost far more per year. A giant-breed owner spends about 86% more each year than a toy-breed owner.

For the full cost of one dog, read our lifetime cost of a dog versus a cat. To see how a breed's costs change by age, open its timeline page.

What you can do to add healthy years

You cannot change a breed's genetics, but weight is the factor owners control. The AKC says obese dogs live about two years less than dogs at a healthy weight. It also reports that about 34% of US adult dogs are overweight or obese.

The Association for Pet Obesity Prevention's 2022 survey found a higher figure, 59% of dogs overweight or obese. Purina's lifespan study gives the clearest proof. In it, Labrador Retrievers fed 25% less food from 8 weeks of age had a median lifespan of 13 years against 11.2 years for their pair mates.

Three habits help most:

1. Measure meals. Our dog calorie calculator shows daily calories by weight.
2. Keep up with vet care. See how often to take a dog to the vet.
3. Plan for the expensive breeds. Read the most expensive dog breeds to own and the cheapest dog breeds to own.

Use lifespan in your budget

Lifespan sets how many years you will pay for food, vet care, and supplies. A 15-year Chihuahua and an 8-year Great Dane differ by 7 years of costs, but not by 7 years of equal costs.

To see your breed's lifetime total, open its page on the breeds list or use the PetBudget calculator. Your own dog may live longer or shorter than the average, so use these numbers to plan a range.