A new study was released earlier this week that examines the average lifespan of different dog breeds.
Smaller dogs and dogs with longer snouts tend to live longer than larger dogs with flat faces, a new study found, according to The New York Times. The study also found that female dogs live a bit longer than male dogs.
The new study was published Thursday in the journal Scientific Reports.
Top 10 breeds, average lifespans
- Lancashire Heeler - 15.4 years.
- Tibetan Spaniel - 15.2 years.
- Bolognese - 14.9 years.
- Shiba Inu - 14.6 years.
- Papillon - 14.5 years.
- Havanese - 14.5 years.
- Lakeland Terrier - 14.2 years.
- Coton de Tulear - 14.2 years.
- Border Terrier - 14.2 years.
- Schipperke - 14.2 years.
You can find the full list on the Times’ website. The study included about 600,000 British dogs that come from more than 150 different dog breeds.
There are exceptions, however, that include breeding practices.
There are other factors that contribute to shorter lives, like genetics and health conditions. Some are also breed-related like behavior, lifestyle, diet, where they live, their environment and other factors.
More research is expected to dig deeper into the breeds to answer questions about why some dogs are more at risk of dying than others.
“Now that we have identified these populations that are at risk of early death, we can start looking into why that is,” said Kirsten McMillan, an author of the new study and the data manager at Dogs Trust, according to the Times. “This provides an opportunity for us to improve the lives of our dogs.”