The lifespan of your furry friend depends on size and breed. Small dogs, like Chihuahuas, Yorkies, Maltese or Shih Tzus typically live between 14-16 years. Medium-sized dogs, including golden retrievers, French bulldogs and cocker spaniels, live closer to 10-12 years. Large or giant breed dogs – think Great Danes, Irish wolfhounds, Saint Bernards – usually only live between seven and 10 years. There is some evidence that suggests mixed-breed dogs live longer than purebred dogs, according to a 2019 study, but the difference in lifespan decreases if the mixed-breed dogs are bigger. It depends on the genetic lottery, meaning a mixed-breed dog could miss out on the genetic conditions associated with the breeds they’re mixed with. Sometimes the opposite is true and mixed breed dogs actually get multiple problems from their initial genetics, and sometimes they actually do a lot better because some of those recessive genes are bred out of them.