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Longest-Living Dog Breeds- Which One Should You Go For?
Wondering what are the longest-living dog breeds? We love dogs and we know that as compared to our life span, their life span is pretty short. When we talk about a dog’s lifespan we assume it to be somewhere near 13 or less. It is seen that smaller breeds of dogs live longer than larger ones or Longest-living dog breeds are usually the ones having small height and stature.
Some breeds like Dachshunds, Toy poodles, Yorkshire terriers, Lhasa apsos, and chihuahuas are smaller and they live longer. These are longest-living dog breeds and their lifespan is higher than the average life span of dogs which is generally 10 to 13 years. We all have some breeds of dogs that we often like more than other breeds. Before we purchase a dog, there is a lot of thinking and thoughts that come to our mind with a lot of arrangements we make.
Some of the longest-living dog breeds have lived more than 20 years which is a great number when we speak of dog’s life span. A 20-year-old dog in our life span means 140 years, isn’t that extraordinary? Such incredible life-spans are very rare to find, however, you may find the longest-living dog breeds that can live up to 15 or 17 years.
Below given are the top 20 Longest-living dog breeds that you may consider.
Longest-Living Dog Breeds
1. Yorkie
These small dogs have big personalities. Why would we say so? The Yorkshire terriers are definitely one of the favorite breeds of many dog owners for their amazing and friendly demeanor. Not to forget, they are extremely cute and furry which makes them hard to ignore for anyone.
Maintaining the dogs is not an easy task to perform. There are a lot of expenses from feeding them to grooming them. These dogs are known to develop some issues in their stomach when they are not fed the right food. make sure you are feeding high-quality food that aids in their prolonged life.
These digs are curious, lively, and attention-seeking which makes them really fun to be around. They are also great watchdogs and can live anywhere between 16 years to 20 years, which makes them top the list of longest-living dog breeds.
2. Chihuahua
Chihuahuas definitely fall under the category of longest-living dog breeds. You will notice that all the dogs mentioned in this article or anywhere you reach out to find the answer are short and small. These are also known as the longest-living dog breeds and the smallest too. You might have seen famous television personalities and movie stars carrying chihuahuas in their handbags. These are super cute and sassy.
They are usually very sweet but sometimes they act territorial within your inside due to which it is a little bit tricky to keep them if you have children. Because of their very small size, they do not require too much exercise or remaining active. Due to less exercising, they could be prone to some health issues. If you invest time in their proper care, you can expect them to live for 14 to 20 years.
3. Toy Poodle
Toy poodle as the name suggests is really cute. They are not only the longest-living dog breeds, they are also one of the smartest. and easy to train. If your family has some allergy issues, you can definitely go for the toy poodle breed as they don’t shed much.
Also, toy poodles are great with your kids and do not need many mental and physical exercises to get ready. Due to their small size, you can expect these dogs to live a little bit longer than the usual life span of a dog. Once they are taken good care of, they live longer for 14 years to 20 years making them one of the longest-living dog breeds.
4. Dachshund
You might also remember these as sausage dogs. Their affectionate name is due to their sausage-like body. These are one of the longest-living dog breeds and the smallest in the hound family of dogs. Being extremely lively characters, they are often more prone to injuries in their back due to their long sausage-like build. Risk of injury increases if your dogs become overweight.
You need to feed them a high-quality diet and take care of the dogs to make sure they do not jump off from couches, beds, or other high surfaces in your house. These are often playful but to unknown guests, they might become quite aggressive. You may expect dachshunds or sausage dogs to live anywhere between 14 years to 20 years.
5. Lhasa Apso
If you are fond of goofy dogs, the Lhasa breed is the one you may choose. These are longhaired, bold, and slightly goofy-looking dogs. They can bed easily stubborn at times but overall you can expect them to get trained easily. They also have a religious significance, in ancient times it was believed that Lhasa dogs used to look after the Buddhist temples. You may find some statues of these dogs in Buddhist temples, isn’t that amazing?
As they were famous for watching over temples, they make great watchdogs and may alert you if an intruder enters your home. The best thing about these longest-living dog breeds is that they are extremely loyal to their owners and makes a great companion. After all, what do we expect from our lovely BFFs?
Talking about diseases or allergies attached, Lhasa Apsos might suffer from some skin problems at times but if you constantly feed them a great quality diet, their chances of getting skin problems will reduce and they will live longer for 14 years to 20 years.
6. Papillion
Papillions are friendly, dainty, affectionate, and loves attention. These are often filled with so much energy that they light up the house making you feel active too. Papillions originated in the 17th century in France. They are often recognized for their amazing intelligence but they are prone to some health problems including dental problems, knee issues, and low blood sugar.
These are undoubtedly one of the longest-living dog breeds but you need to take care they do not have any health issues. A great way of making sure that they do not have dental problems or low blood sugar problems is feeding them a high-quality diet full of essential components a dog requires.
You should also take some time to visit the vet regularly to make sure they are not having any sort of issues with their teeth and their knees are in a good place. Once taken care of, you can expect papillons to live for 15 years to 17 years.
7. Cockapoo
Here comes one of the original breeds of designer dogs. Curly-haired cockapoo dogs are a result of cross-breeding between poodle and cocker spaniel as the name suggests. These dogs have a huge personality. They are easy to train and intelligent.
Not only one of the longest-living dog breeds, but cockapoos are also literally going to follow you all around no matter where you are heading in your house as these are extremely affectionate and active. They are also friendly to all humans. Overall we can say that cockapoos are amazing with a lifespan of 12 years to 18 years.
8. Toy Manchester Terrier
To Manchester Terrier was initially once bred for hunting rats and rabbits. These are agile, lively, and loyal to their owners. With their amazing loyal and loving nature, these are ideal for all families. They are also very small in size making them the longest-living dog breeds. Being extremely smart and observant, they are always easy to get pieces of training. But you should never leave them alone for any purpose for too long.
This breed can become overweight and obese if they are not active and energetic. You should try to play with them which will make them active enough as they love playing and exercises. By giving them an amazing quality diet and exercise, you can increase their life span. Their usual life span is 12 years to 18 years.
9. Beagle
Their name comes from the french word “Bee Guile”, it is translated as “loudmouth”. They are known for howling along with having an active lifestyle and docile nature. They have such beautiful and floppy ears and they are just the ideal breeds for their sturdiness, temperament, and size.
You can find some difficulties in training them as they are a little hard to train but they are extremely friendly and they would love you to take them on a walk. Do you know that the longest-living Beagle lived for 27 long years, his name was BUTCH. Isn’t that astonishing? You can expect your beagle to live for 12 years to 17 years on average.
10. Pomeranian
Do you know where the name Pomeranian comes from? These cute little fluff balls are named Pomeranians after a place called Pomerania located between Germany and Poland.
These cute pups are full of personality and extremely playful. Pomeranians belong to the Spitz family due to which all the dog lovers can easily make out that they need ample stimulation such as playing indoors, taking them for a walk. If you live alone and need a pet you can go for them but having a huge family and no time for dogs, you are not recommended these dogs as they need attention.
They are often fun and are alert to any changes in their surrounding which makes them bark often even at the slightest changes or noises. You can expect their life span to last between 12 years of age to 16 years.
11. Scottish Collie
Scottish Collie dogs usually vary in their appearance. These are medium-sized to larger herding dogs and are very sweet, loyal, loving, and great with other pets you have and your children.
If you are looking for some longest-living dog breeds that are great fr your family, you should have some research on Scottish Collie. These dogs often love to stay around other people and very protective and loyal towards their family.
As these are herding dogs, they have known to show herding behavior with other pets. You can expect Scottish collies to live between 12 years to 16 years with a great diet and exercise.
12. Shih Tzu
You can easily make out that this name comes from their Chinese origin. Earlier, this ancient dog breed was tamed as pets by the royalties in china for centuries. Their name translated from the Chinese name Shih Tzu which means Lion.
They are not as fierce and scary as the Lions and are friendly, lively, and obedient dogs. It is easy to maintain these dogs and they are very easy to live with as they often need minimal levels of exercise. Although, you need grooming for your dogs regularly because of their luscious locks. Once they start aging and getting older, they might develop some issues with their vision. You can expect them to live for 10 years to 16 years.
13. Jack Russell
Jack Ruseel origintaed in England. These dogs are medium-sized and they often have amazing playful energy throughout. These dogs are independent and clever pooches. You might have difficulty in training them as these traditional fox hunters are better for experienced dog owners. If you have prior experience in training dogs and handling them, you may go for this breed.
Many dog owners believe that the high energy and playfulness of these dogs keep them young and their life span higher making them one of the longest-living dog breeds to exist.
If you do not own a huge space for these dogs to simply run around, they are not a good choice for you as you don’t want your dogs to stay depressed in one corner or getting issues stuck in someplace. Jack Russell dogs might be prone to some issues with their eyes and ears while they get older. Make sure that you take them to a vet for regular checkups. With a great diet and seeing a vet regularly, you can expect them to stay for 10 years to 16 years.
14. Maltese
The Mediterranean Maltese dogs are extremely agile. affectionate, and playful. They often love to spend their days and time around their beloved owners. These dogs have often used for therapies and these tiny dogs are very gentle and small but they can also turn fearless and lively when they are called upon.
Historic breeds of Maltese have known to live longer. They are amazing with kids and super smart. You can expect these dogs to live between 12 years and 12 years of age.
15. Pug
Pug is as small as the name. These are the cutest creatures in the world, all dog lovers would agree on this. One of the most amazing and most popular longest-living dog breeds on Instagram and social media. These belong to the ancient Chinese family that is always in the mood of playing.
Pugs love to spend most of their time playing with humans and despite oh having that smushed cute nose, live quite a long life. The loving and loyal nature of pugs makes them an amazing companion, especially for your child.
Talking about the risk of diseases if there are nay, you might have heard of Pug Dog Encephalitis, it is quite common in pugs as the name suggests. In this condition the pug gets seizure and their brain turns inflamed. The typical or average life span of a pug is between 12 years of age till 15 years.
16. Miniature Schnauzer
These extroverted breeds are not just among the longest-living dog breeds, they are also one of the most outgoing and extroverted dogs out there. They love being around people and often follow the people in the house everywhere in their house non-stop. Can’t say anything about humans but these dogs are never getting tired of you.
These dogs radiate beams of amazing personality and are super energetic and active. These characteristics make them perfect for children who love to enjoy and are fond of dogs.
Talking about the diseases in these longest-living dog breeds, they are prone to having pancreatitis. This is usually a result of a diet given to them which has a lot of fat content that leads to obesity. If you are planning to have this breed, make sure you focus on having a great and balanced diet to prevent obesity and diseases. You can expect your fun-loving cutie to stay with you for 12 years to 15 years.
17. Australian Shepherd
All the dogs mentioned above have been smaller in size as compared to an Australian shepherd. This large breed is historically a herding dog that was used for driving the livestock. These dogs are super energetic and they love being active.
They are found to be very intelligent but they also become bored very easily, sounds similar to humans? Pretty much! They are great for active families as they are very good-natured.
They turned extremely affectionate and protective for children. You can expect your Australian Shepherd to stay with you for 12 years to 15 years. This makes them one of the longest-living dog breeds.
18. Corgi
Corgi is also known as Queen’s Breed. You will love corgi’s in your house as they are extremely affectionate, smart, and loyal.
Do you know that These longest living dog breeds have existed for more than 3000 years and they were used as cattle dogs for many centuries? They are great with children. If you are thinking where does the name corgi come from? Their name simply means “dwarf dogs”. You can easily make out why they were named so looking at them.
Due to their size and shape, they are more prone to having back and hip issues. If you are planning to get one for your kiddo or yourself, make sure you look after them when they are walking as they might jump from the high surfaces causing injuries in their back.
19. Australian Cattle Dog
Among the large dogs, these are common longest-living dog breeds. You can expect them to love between 12 years to 15 years. Currently, the longest living breed that has held the Guinness world record for longest-living dog breeds is the Australian Cattle dog who lived for 29 years. The name of this dog was Bluey.
These dogs are smart, intelligent, and energetic which makes them easy to train. They possess great love, affection, and attachment for their owners which want many people to have one. They are quite stubborn at times so having them can be slightly difficult at times, but otherwise, they are among the longest-living dog breeds and extremely cute to have.
20. Shiba Inu
If you want a medium-sized dog, Shiba Inu can be the one for you. These longest-living dog breeds have a long lifespan that may reach 16 years of age or even older when they are given a high-quality diet and kept active through exercises.
They tend to be very strong-willed and aloof. They are quite clean, calm, and loyal breeds to have as your first dog. Generally, these dogs are healthy but they might be prone to some allergies that you need to check before getting one.
These were the 20 longest-living dog breeds that you can get home. Most of the breeds mentioned above are extremely friendly, active, and loving towards their owner. You may choose anyone out of these longest-living dog breeds. If you are still not able to make your mind on how to bring your first dog home and what are expenses you need to keep in check, follow this guide and decide using the tips given.
