New research from the Royal Veterinary College’s (RVC) VetCompass programme now enables owners to predict the remaining life expectancy of their dog from different ages, with results broken down by breed and gender to make these as useful as possible for owners of many breeds in the UK. The findings also identify breeds with the greatest and lowest life expectancies of the 18 breeds in the study, highlighting wide differences in life expectancy amongst popular breeds.

Using analysis from a random sample of 30,563 dogs that died between 1st January 2016 and 31st July 2020, from 18 different breeds and crossbreeds, the results revealed the overall average life expectancy at age 0 for UK companion dogs was 11.2 years.

Conducted in collaboration with researchers from the National Taiwan University (NTU) in Taiwan, the study identified Jack Russell Terriers had the greatest life expectancy from age 0 at 12.7 years, followed by Border Collies (12.1 years) and Springer Spaniels (11.92 years). In comparison, four flat-faced (brachycephalic) breeds were found to have the shortest life expectancy with French Bulldogs only expected to live 4.5 years from age 0, followed by English Bulldogs at 7.4 years, Pugs at 7.7 years and American Bulldogs 7.8 years.

The flat-faced breeds identified as having the shortest life expectancies are heavily associated with several life-limiting disorders such as breathing problems, spinal disease, and dystocia. The latest information on life expectancy from this study supports the wider work by the RVC and partners on addressing the many health and welfare issues of flat-faced breeds, such as French Bulldog, English Bulldog and Pug, which have been reported previously in VetCompass studies.

Given that breeds with shorter lives many have generally lower health, the life expectancy information in this new study can also promote a greater consideration of a dog’s expected quality of life by potential dog owners when deciding which breed to purchase.

Other key findings from the study include:

  • The average life expectancy at age 0 for male dogs is 11.1 years, this is 4 months shorter than female dogs
  • Amongst the Kennel Club breed groups, Terrier had the longest life expectancy at age 0 at 12.0 years, followed by Gundog (7 years), Pastoral (11.2 years), Hound (10.7 years), Toy (10.7 years), and Utility (10.1 years)
  • In both male and female dogs, neutered dogs were found to have a longer life expectancy at age 0 in comparison to their non-neutered counterparts (Females: 11.98 vs. 10.50, Males: 11.49 vs. 10.58)