KathyM Posted October 29, 2003 Share Posted October 29, 2003 Following on from the Dachshund thread (did I spell that right? I doubt it, sorry!), I was wondering for those who have pedigree dogs, what is their life expectancy? I was shocked to learn that the Boxer's life expectancy was only 9-10 years, and I know many Giant breeds have an even lower life expectancy (I believe Great Danes' average life expectancy is about 6-9 years?). Having had a mix of pedigrees (a rescue Beardie that made it to 16 and two foster greys) and crossbreeds (Floyd a little corgi cross GSD - yes it can happen - who lived to 15 and Spike a collie cross greyhound), I was wondering if the price we pay for pedigree dogs is less time with them? What do you think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathyM Posted October 29, 2003 Author Share Posted October 29, 2003 I know K - it was scary for us when we found out Ruby is already 6, to find out a Boxers life expectancy is only 9 or 10. I'm used to dogs making a grand age (the youngest we've lost was 15). I sound really morbid now dont I? :cry: :-? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imported_Cassie Posted October 29, 2003 Share Posted October 29, 2003 I think alot has to do with care of the dog and not over vaccinating your pooch. A Newfoundland is only supposed to have a life span (average) of 9-10...my Newf's (except the one with bone cancer) lived to be around 14-15...My Newf with bone cancer only lived to be 9 years of age. My pldest female at home now is 8 years old and just as spry as a puppy...she looks great and is very healthy..I have not vaccinated her since she was 6 years old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellieangel Posted October 29, 2003 Share Posted October 29, 2003 Springers have a pretty good life span 12 to 14 years but I often wonder about Rio because he is big whether he will go first even though Ellie is a year older,both of the breeds in him suffer with HD and his breeders were in it for money nothing else :roll: Also with Rio he has a diluted coat (he is blue)and I have often wondered what the big deal is with this as most breeds are considered inferior if they are born with a blue coat (with the exception of danes),anyone know ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imported_Kat Posted October 29, 2003 Share Posted October 29, 2003 An interesting fact for you all: Excluding dogs small animals live less time than larger animals. i.e mouse = 3 years ish and elephant= 60+. Now look at dog breeds. Small breeds live longer than large breeds. Makes you think doesn't it? We haven't attempted selective breeding in these animals to the same extent as we have dogs. In fact dogs are the most manipulated species on the planet that have been subject to selective breeding. Yes selective breed has produced outstanding traits in dogs for physical and phenotypical characteristics, but one thing that has been compromised in the process is life span. Cross breeds generally live longer as they have hybrid vigour and usually outlive their breed counterparts that they are comprised of. On this thread the oldest small breed I know of was a 25 year old Pekingese that we eventually had to put to sleep in work, next oldest would have been a 21 year old JRT. As far as large breeds go, the largest we had in was a 19 year old Border Collie who was healthy with slight arthritis until his life was snipped when he was involved in a tractor accident. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pei obssessed Posted October 29, 2003 Share Posted October 29, 2003 [quote name='ellieangel']Also with Rio he has a diluted coat (he is blue)and I have often wondered what the big deal is with this as most breeds are considered inferior if they are born with a blue coat (with the exception of danes),anyone know ?[/quote] Ellie, for Shar-pei, a blue Pei is a money-making machine right now. From what I've been reading, many breeders are trying to breed blue puppies--it's the latest fashion :roll: . But I have no idea if the dilute coats are at any health risk... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taurus and Jada Posted October 29, 2003 Share Posted October 29, 2003 The life span of an APBT and AMstaff is 12 years, sp I have quite a while left with both of my angels. The life expectancy of a presa is 9-11 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3ofakind Posted October 29, 2003 Share Posted October 29, 2003 A good case study for you would be the JRT. For their history they have been a hunting breed and therefore selectively bred for different qualities than registered breeds. However, with the new addition of the breed to the AKC it will be interesting to see how AKC JRT's end up different than the REAL!!! JRTCA JRT's. JRT's currently have a life expectancy around 15 years. They often live much longer. They are great healthy dogs with working backgrounds. Can't say I would ever get a AKC dog again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathyM Posted October 29, 2003 Author Share Posted October 29, 2003 Ellie - there a few breeds of dog where blue is very much a plus - greyhounds being one too. I've seen a rise in the amount of blue dogs about (and cats strangely enough *lol*). K - hadnt thought of it that way before - it IS strange how dogs are different than other mammals for life expectancy. 3ofakind - It'll certainly be interesting to see what a JRT looks like over there in say 30 years. Many breeds have been changed so much over the years for aesthetic reasons only (look at brachycephalic dogs for example), and then there are less "historic" breeds that were created purely for the way they look. Us humans have a lot to answer for :-? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosebud Posted October 29, 2003 Share Posted October 29, 2003 :-? My mom's GSD lived to be 13. RR's have an average life span of 10 years, although I am hearing more and more reports of them living to be 13 plus years and a few as old as 15 years. Sally and Rocket come from long-lived lines. :angel: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanvean Posted October 29, 2003 Share Posted October 29, 2003 Maltese generally live about 15 years...I've heard of them as old as 17 or 18. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black GSD Posted October 29, 2003 Share Posted October 29, 2003 I know someone that had a Malinios that lived to be 18. We have an ACD that is 14. Though she doesn't act like it. To see her run aroun like a maniac, you would NEVER guess she is that old. I have heard of ACDs living a LONG time. (For a dog.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imported_Cassie Posted October 29, 2003 Share Posted October 29, 2003 Kat, [quote]Cross breeds generally live longer as they have hybrid vigour and usually outlive their breed counterparts [/quote] I completely agree, I have discussed hybrid vigour before...and never in the history of the dog have we ever been so obcessed with purebreds as we are today. I do beleive there are some "orginal" dog breeds for instance those hounds you see running around villages in Africa which are domestic dogs, but, do not belong to any one...they keep basically the same look without the help of man...I beleive for different areas of the world there are certain "types" of orginal dogs which evolved to suit their environment. But it's when man starts manupulating dogs and trying to keep a "type" true to conformation and looks and starts breeding for freakish looks that we start having big problems...I have always believed cross-breeding is the best thing for some purebreds stuck in a genetic trap...most old type working dogs where just that cross breds....it would have been impossible for people of long ago to keep their working dogs from mating with every dog in each village they passed through...especially when doing the sheep migrations. We actually have a cross bred dog which comes in for grooming which is 21 going on 22...it has been fed table scraps all of its life and no health issues that usually go along with old age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DogPaddle Posted October 29, 2003 Share Posted October 29, 2003 Average life span for a BC is 11-14 years. I figure with good care Kavik should see 15 barring any accidents. He is almost 2 now. (13 years left) Chows average life expectancy is 8-11 years and Labs is 10-12, so with good care I'm hoping Zaphod will see 12. He is a year old now. (11 years left) My cats are 12 years old and their life expectancy is 15-19 years although their have been siamese as old as 33 :o from what I've read, so I figure I'm pretty safe hoping for 24? (12 years left) That being said, I am not looking forward to 2014-2017, could be quite a period of loss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bk_blue Posted October 30, 2003 Share Posted October 30, 2003 Black GSD- I believe the oldest-lived dog (or at least one of the oldest) was a [color=blue]blue heeler[/color] who died at the age of 27. :o My friend Devon had a cat, Purdie, who died at 23. I think she was just a moggie who got very lucky genes. :) Same with Rinny- our mostly GSD X who died earlier this year aged 16. :angel: I am dreading the time when BK will pass on, I think he's got about 5 years or so left, considering he's 8 already (though he doesn't act like it). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imported_Cassie Posted October 31, 2003 Share Posted October 31, 2003 It's kinda weird how long our pet horses live compared to our feline and canine companions. A friend of mine just bought a horse which is 23 years old....and a few other horses at the barn are in their late 20's and a couple in their 30's. the horse which I co-lease is 17 (still in her prime). :wink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted October 31, 2003 Share Posted October 31, 2003 [quote name='Cassie']Kat, [quote]Cross breeds generally live longer as they have hybrid vigour and usually outlive their breed counterparts [/quote] I completely agree, I have discussed hybrid vigour before...and never in the history of the dog have we ever been so obcessed with purebreds as we are today.[/quote] not quite true. mixed breed dogs are [b]not[/b] hybrids but crosses, therefore no hybrid vigor. congenital problems are passed on, so a mixed breed of for example pug and bulldog is still going to be predisposed tot he same health problems as both parent breeds. unless you specifically pick healthy parents to create a mixed breed dog, it's not likely to be any healthier than the product of an unsupervised breeding that hapens on a street corner. the whole hybrid vigor thing just doesn't make any sense when it comes to dogs, who are all members of the same species - canis familiaris. it's just a buzzword that some unethical breeders of "designer mutts" have borrowed from agriculture and horticulture, where it does apply in certain circumstances. [url]http://www.petprospects.com/Care/Dogs/003/21.htm[/url] people have also been "obsessed" with purebreds for much longer than just te past 100 years or so. just think about the pekingese, which is a very old breed but was not even known for the longest time to anyone outside of the walls of the forbidden city, the home of the chinese emperors in bejing. the maltese, jealously protected by nobility and "commoners" were not allowed to own (or rather could not afford) for a very long time. a lot of sighthound breeds have been bred for hundreds of years. i could cite many more. i think the one thing that sets today's breeders apart is that most of them tend to breed for looks or even moreso for money, but not for the betterment of the breed and good health, as it has been done in the hundreds and sometimes thousands of years, when breeds were developed for a purpose and that purpose mattered more than looks or money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
courtnek Posted October 31, 2003 Share Posted October 31, 2003 well, I have to agree that mixes tend to live longer, having had a bunch of them, but my purebred Golden's LE was 9-11 years, and he lived till 13. My malamute mix at 110 lbs. lived to 12.... The odd thing is that ENGLISH foxhounds (Laurel) have a LE of 10 years, but AMERICAN foxhounds have a LE of 11-12? wazzup with that??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carolk9s Posted October 31, 2003 Share Posted October 31, 2003 I believe the average life span of the Belgian Sheepdog is 12-14 years. Jesse is just past 12, both his sire and dam were into or very close to their 14th years when they died. A note on perspective, I of course see the age in Jesse's eyes and the slower step, so many people though upon being told he is 12 are amazed, say he does not look and certainly not act that old! Does make me wonder how do they think a 12 year old dog SHOULD look and act. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imported_Kat Posted October 31, 2003 Share Posted October 31, 2003 In response to Guest: I believe that the term "hybrid" is too tightly classified. Red wolves which carry the same number of chromosomes as Grey wolves and Coyotes are the result of a hybridisation, yet are classified as a separate species. Additionally mitochondrial DNA which is only derived maternally is identical in both Coyotes and red wolves, and to a lesser extent in Grey wolves. This IS classified as hybridisation even though both parents had the same number of chromosomes. It should also be pointed out that most species were created before the invention of chromosome mapping techniques like FISH, and therefore the word hybrid came later in evolution. Yes they are from a common ancestor but where does it stop and how can we really judge to classify separate species? It is an intriguing subject, but I believe that the term "hybrid" will in the future be re-classified. All members of the Canidae family diverged along different lines and the genetic constitution of these animals has only changed ever so slightly, with the exception of the new world [i]vulpes[/i]. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted October 31, 2003 Share Posted October 31, 2003 I have a male who is 14, be 15 in 3 months. Have 2 other males that are 13. A bitch at 12, almost 13 and another bitch at 11. They are the oldest dogs I have and all are very healthy dogs. The oldest I ever had was 16. Every one of them is a full blooded, registered APBT. I dont really think it matters if they are full blooded or mutts. If both parents are healthy and their genetics are "healthy" they will have healthy pups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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