How long do dogs live?

Dogs are often referred to as a man's best friend, and rightly so. They offer companionship and an insurmountable amount of love that tends to warm our hearts and core. Additionally, they also provide much-needed protection from attacks or outside invaders. It is hard not to love them.

In fact, according to the American Society for The Prevention of Cruelty To Animals (ASPC), at least 78% of dogs are owned and kept as pets by the American population. Moreover, a study done by the American Pet Products Association (APPA) between the year 2015-2016, at over 42% of households in America own dogs. The percentage is expected to increase as the years go by.

From the statistics above, it is clear that the Americans love their furry friends. Regardless of how much work it can be to take care of them, most dog owners often worry about one thing: how long their dog will live.

Dogs lifespan

The average lifespan of a dog is often between 11 to 12 years of age. They can also live beyond 14 and 15 years of age as well, though this is unlikely. However, how long a dog lives is tremendously dictated by certain factors. Such factors include their breeding, genetics, nutrition, medical care and so forth.

It is important to note that dog years are different from human years. In other words, 1 dog year is often 7 years to a human being. If you want your dog to live longer, ensure that they follow a nutritious diet to keep them from becoming overweight or lazy and sluggish.

How long do dogs live in the wild?

Dogs are natural scavengers. They are not hunters in the least bit. Hence, their chances of surviving in the wild are near zero since they have no hunting skills whatsoever. If they are released in the wild, they are likely to die from starvation or from an attack from a predator. Additionally, they are likely to die from trauma or even by getting hit by a car.

How long do dogs live in captivity?

Dogs are expected to live longer while in captivity. This is because they are living in a controlled environment where they are cared for in terms of nutrition and medical treatment. Please, note that when dogs live in captivity, they could either be living in an animal shelter or in with a human owner as a pet.

Dog breeds and life expectancy

The life expectancy of dogs mixed breeds can be determined based on their weight and size. Small dogs live longer than larger ones. According to a recent study, results show that dogs under 20 pounds has an average lifespan of 11 years while dogs above 90 pounds live for 8 years. A dogs breed and gender too determines how long a dog can live. Female dogs tend to live longer than male dogs.

Which dog breeds have the longest lifespan?

Small, mixed-breed female dogs have the longest lifespan.

Which dog breeds have the shortest lifespan?

Bulldogs and Irish wolfhound dog breeds are the shortest-lived dog breeds. Their lifespan is 6-7 years. Bernese Mountain dogs, mastiff and Great Dane dog breeds live for an average of 7-8 years.

Related posts: How long do German Shepherds live? | How long do chihuahuas live? | How long do cats live? | How long do rabbits live?

How to take care of a dog?

Dogs don’t need many things to survive, but if you want to help them reach senior years, you will have to take good care of them.

First of all, they need access to fresh water all the time. In addition, their diet should consist of natural, healthy food that meets their nutritional needs.

The environment where they spend most of the day must be free of pests and clean. We should not forget that dogs are emotional creatures. In other words, people should observe their emotional state and make sure that their dogs feel happy and loved. If they are happy they will want to live longer.

Physical activity is important too. Walking with your dog outside your home three times a day should become your daily routine. In addition, buy your dog some toys and other items that they can use to exercise. It is not unusual for modern dogs to suffer from obesity and this is certainly something that reduces their lifespan.

In the end, annual vet checkups are a must. Your dog might not like this, but these checkups don’t last long and they can save your pet’s life or at least expand life expectancy.

Where do dogs live?

Dogs are native to almost every country in the world such as countries in Africa, Australia and even America. However, they are mostly kept as pets, with the highest pet ownership and dog population being in the United States of America.

Hence, dogs often live in the controlled habitat of a human being as a pet. Wild dogs live in dens. The African wild dog live in the woodland areas, mountainous areas and in the wild throughout the savanna.

What do dogs eat?

One of the biggest issues related to dog’s life expectancy is the food they consume. Domestic dogs rely on the food their owners provide and this is the reason why dog owners must be careful. The majority of dog owners usually buy commercial food found in markets, but numerous studies have shown that this food can actually bring more harm than good.

Namely, most of these foods are packed with artificial colors, chemicals, preservatives, GMO, artificial flavors and many other potentially dangerous ingredients. The same studies have confirmed that many of these artificial ingredients are linked to health problems like diarrhea, bladder cancer, kidney failure, blindness, stomach cancer and other serious diseases.

Most of these ingredients can’t be found in human foods because they are poisonous. Dogs eat this food because of the strong flavor and this is the reason why changing their typical diet with commercial food with natural food is sometimes difficult.

The vast majority of veterinarians can confirm that the best idea is to prepare dog food. Luckily, this process is not difficult. There are literally hundreds of dog food recipes found online and in addition, there are many helpful books dedicated to the preparation of dog food.

The better your dogs nutrition, the longer your dog is likely to live. This, however; does not seem to be a problem for dog owners, especially in America. According to a study done by the American Pet Products Association (APPA) in the year 2015, Americans spend over 60 billion when it comes to their dog's diet.

Wild dogs are known to eat meat from prey animals such as rabbits, birds and so forth. Both domestic and wild dogs are also known to consume vegetables on occasion.

How much do dogs measure?

A dog's measurements often depend on the type of dog, its breed, age and body frame as well. All those factors come into play when it comes to a dog's measurements. Some are definitely bigger than others, while others are smaller in size.

For example, Great Danes are usually considered giant sized dogs, while toy poodles are often small-medium sized.  Medium sized dogs such as French bulldogs and Siberian Huskies are often 1-2 feet tall.

The biggest dog ever measured almost 8ft long from nose to tail. The tallest dog that holds the world’s record is the Zeus which measured 44 inches in height.

How much do dogs weigh?

Just like the measurements for any single dog are dependant on a couple of factors, so does the weight. If the dog is a normal medium sized dogs, then the dog should way between 45-65 pounds. Smaller sized dogs such as Beagles should weigh less than that.

The smallest dog weight less than 5 pounds while the largest dog weigh 200 pounds or more but, on average, most dogs weigh between 20-90 pounds.

Ensure that you feed your dog a highly nutritious meal to protect them from becoming overweight. Obesity in dogs can lead to the development of cardiovascular diseases as well as other life-threatening diseases.

Reproduction in dogs and life cycle

Dogs generally have 4 life cycles:

• Puppy
• Adolescent
• Adult
• Senior

How fast a dog develops to the next stage of development depends on their genetics, breed and nutrition. The healthier they are, the faster they develop.

Dogs tend to breed during their heat cycles. They tend to last as long as 2 to 3 weeks. Ovulation, on the other hand, may occur as soon as the heat cycle starts, or when it is about to end. The gestation period of a dog is 58-68 days.

Curiosities and facts about dogs

Dogs are domesticated carnivorous mammals. The first record of keeping dogs as companions dates back to 12.000 BC. The popularity of dogs as pets began after the Second World War when the process of suburbanization began. Another interesting fact is that about 75% of dogs in developing countries live as village, community or feral dogs.

Dog owners consider their canine friends to be more than a pet (they are friends and family members too). There are many reasons why people keep dogs in their homes. According to many studies, these loyal pets can improve the health of their owners in different ways.

For instance, they can improve our immunity, heart health and increase resistance to allergies. In addition, dog owners exercise more and have more active social lives. Dogs always show their gratitude and loyalty which makes people happy.

Dogs and timing

Dogs have a sense of time. They pick up our routines and habits. Dogs know when it’s time for dinner, time for walk and they miss you when you’re gone. A dog can sense how much time has passed.

Dogs and night whiskers

It’s amazing how dogs see at night. They have whiskers which helps them pick up on the understated changes in the air current. A dog can sense the size, speed and shape of things at night and this helps them while approaching prey or danger.

Dogs and sweating

Did you know why a dog cannot afford to wet her feet on a hot day? It’s because their sweat glands are in their paws.

Dogs and sense of smell

Dogs have 125 million to 300 million scent glands while humans has only 5 million scent glands. The part of dog’s brain that control smell is 40 times larger than human’s.

Dogs and hearing

Their ears can pick up sound four times as far as a human ear can.

Dogs and your feelings

A dog picks up subtle changes in a human scent and by smelling your perspirations, a dog can tell how you are feeling. A dog use changes in your scent to tell when you are fearful, nervous and knows when a woman is pregnant.

We hope that this article will help you understand how useful and great it is to have a dog pet and how to extend their life span. With a little luck, your dog might beat the record set by Bluey, the Australian Cattle Dog who lived for 29 years.