What’s The Life Expectancy Of Your Dog?

I know it’s kind of a morbid thing to think about, but honestly before you decide on a dog breed it’s probably a good idea to investigate the average life expectancy of the breed.

Just today I was talking to one of my friends about dogs and how long they usually live. I mentioned that usually smaller dog breeds live longer then larger dog breeds. While this is not always the case it seems to be a general rule of thumb. From what I understand the larger body has to work harder and is stressed more than a smaller body.

I decided to do a little online research to find out average life expectancies of different dog breeds.

Average Life Expectancy Of Dogs By Breed (in years)

Afghan Hound (12.0) Airedale Terrier (11.2) Basset Hound (12.8) Beagle (13.3) Bearded Collie (12.3) Bedlington Terrier (14.3) Bernese Mountain Dog (7.0) Border Collie (13.0) Border Terrier (13.8) Boxer (10.4) Bull Terrier (12.9) Bulldog (6.7) Bullmastiff (8.6) Cairn Terrier (13.2) Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (10.7) Chihuahua (13.0) Chow Chow (13.5) Cocker Spaniel (12.5) Corgi (11.3) Dachshund (12.2) Dalmatian (13.0) Doberman Pinscher (9.8) English Cocker Spaniel (11.8) English Setter (11.2) English Springer Spaniel (13.0) English Toy Spaniel (10.1) Flat-Coated Retriever (9.5) German Shepherd (10.3) German Shorthaired Pointer (12.3) Golden Retriever (12.0) Gordon Setter (11.3) Great Dane (8.4)

Greyhound (13.2) Irish Red and White Setter (12.9) Irish Setter (11.8) Irish Wolfhound (6.2) Jack Russell Terrier (13.6) Labrador Retriever (12.6) Lurcher (12.6) Miniature Dachshund (14.4) Miniature Poodle (14.8) Norfolk Terrier (10.0) Old English Sheepdog (11.8) Pekingese (13.3) Random-bred / Mongrel (13.2) Rhodesian Ridgeback (9.1) Rottweiler (9.8) Rough Collie (12.2) Samoyed (11.0) Scottish Deerhound (9.5) Scottish Terrier (12.0) Shetland Sheepdog (13.3) Shih Tzu (13.4) Staffordshire Bull Terrier (10.0) Standard Poodle (12.0) Tibetan Terrier (14.3) Toy Poodle (14.4) Viszla (12.5) Weimaraner (10.0) Welsh Springer Spaniel (11.5) West Highland White Terrier (12.8) Whippet (14.3) Wire Fox Terrier (13.0) Yorkshire Terrier (12.8)

*This list is from the Pets.ca website.

A Few Surprises

There were three dogs that really stood out on this list. The first one I already knew about and that is the Bernese Mountain Dog. My neighbor just got one and I’ve noticed that the puppies show up on many advertisements in print, on the internet, and on TV. I had heard the average life expectancy for this breed was 6 years…on this list it’s 7 years. Either way this is a short life expectancy for a dog and while on the larger side at 85-110 pounds it’s still not near the size of some of the other breeds on this list.

The second surprise was the life expectancy of the Irish Wolfhound. While you expect a dog that gets to be upwards of 150 pounds to have a shorter life expectancy it’s sad to hear that these guys on average only live to be 6.2 years old. My Aussie mix Linus is already 3 1/2 years old…I couldn’t imagine thinking he was already halfway through his life.

Finally, the biggest surprise to me was the Bulldog. The Bull Dog was on my list of Dogs Good With Children and also on the list of AKC’s Top Dog List. I would consider the Bull Dog a medium size breed at 50 - 55 pounds and you would expect a dog of that size to have a better than average life expectancy. Unfortuantely, according to the list above the Bulldog’s average life expectancy is only 6.7 years.

Life expectancy is something you should definitely consider before choosing a dog breed. As you can see from this list on average the shortest life expectancy is for the Irish Wolfhound at 6.2 years and the longest is the Miniature Dachshund at 14.4 years. That’s a big difference!

Of course any individual dog can definitely live longer or shorter then the numbers on this list.

Have your dogs lived longer or shorter than the numbers on this list? Did your dog surpass his or her average life expectancy?

Orange County Pet Expo 2008

I just wanted to post a reminder that you can visit the Orange County Pet Expo at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa, CA this weekend (April 11-13, 2008). I wrote a short article about the Pet Expo a couple months back. Here’s the link to that article I wrote last January: America’s Family Pet Expo in Orange County, CA

“Almost every kind of companion animal is on display and many are featured in educational demonstrations and seminars. Great shows of dogs, cats, birds, fish & reptiles.”

The Pet Expo is the place where I first started thinking about volunteering as a foster for local dog rescues and also met and talked to some of the guide and assistance dog organizations.

Orange County Pet Expo April 11-13, 2008

Here are the details on this event:

EVENT: Orange County Pet Expo, Parking is Free
WHEN: April 11, 12, and 13, 2008
HOURS: Friday, 10AM - 6PM; Saturday, 10AM - 7PM; Sunday, 10AM - 6PM
WHERE: OC Fair and Event Center
88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Guide Dogs of America

Guide Dogs of America will have a booth at the Pet Expo and I’ve been told that we’ll be located near the Canidae booth. I was planning on helping out with the GDA booth and contacted our puppy program manager, but never received word whether or not they needed my help. Regardless Stetson (my guide dog puppy) and I plan on going to the Pet Expo Friday April 11, 2008. I’ll stop by the GDA booth to see if any of the volunteers need my help. If not I’ll be walking around the fairgrounds with Stetson in his yellow vest guide dog vest. The picture to the right is Stetson and I…if you see us at the Pet Expo please say hello.

Cuddly Canines

Cuddly Canines will also be at the Pet Expo. They will be in the pet adoption tent…look for them in their bright green shirts. Be sure to stop by and say hi to the folks at Cuddly Canines.

This is a great event and if you have the time and are in the area I highly recommend you visit the Orange County Pet Expo.

Wow! Looks Like Pink The Piglet Will Stay With Dachshund Family

I just got word from our friends at the Daily Doxie that KHTV in Little Rock has posted some new information on Pink the piglet and Tink the Dachshund Mom.

Here’s the latest information:

Pink With His Dachshund Sibling

KHTV in Little Rock, Arkansas has two new pictures of and an update on Pink, the piglet who was fostered and nursed by Tink the Dachshund Mom and raised with her puppies:

We emailed Pink’s owner who lives in West Virginia and she emailed us this update:
“Pink is doing great and we had many adoption offers, but none just right for him. I think we are going to keep the little guy. He weighs about 6 or 7 lbs now and his siblings are 50+. My husband built him a stall in our new barn and he is really enjoying being there. He likes rooting around in the wood shavings. He still gets to play with his puppy sister everyday. We kept one of the puppies out of the litter. He is a sweet little pig.”
Johanna
Pink’s Owner

Pink Taking a Break

Gosh that’s amazing that Pink is only 7 pounds while his siblings are already over 50 pounds! I’d be interested to see a picture of Pink next to his piglet siblings. I’m glad to see everything looks well for Pink, TInk, and the rest of the family. For more information on Pink and Tink take a look at some of our past stories:

Piglet and Dachshund Articles

Questions About Crate Training

One of my friends just sent me an email to let me know she just got a new puppy and has started him on his crate training. Unfortunately she’s having some issues with the crate training. It seems that her puppy is having some separation anxiety when left alone.

Here’s the question she sent me this morning:

Crate Training Question

Hope you are well. I got a new puppy and need some advice. My puppy is 5 months, a Standard poodle, very chill and mellow & already potty trained. I just got him on Saturday and so far he has been with people everyday, he follows me where ever I go. He barks when I leave him for only a few minutes so I think he has separation anxiety. I got a crate yesterday and would like to begin the crate training with Monty. I know it is normal for a new puppy in a new environment to have some sadness about being left alone, but eventually he needs to be alone at home. Do you have any suggestions? I have been researching and reading, most people say to slowly leave him in the crate, a few minutes at a time, until he feels comfortable being left alone.

My Response

It’s good to hear from you. Monty looks like very handsome puppy…it looks like you’re going to have fun with his coat.

The ideas on crate training you mentioned sound good to me. Here’s some of my experiences with Stetson and Linus:

Stetson and Linus were both awful with the crate. They cried, whined, howled, barked, and moaned everytime I put them in his crate. Here are a few pointers:

1. Put the crate in your bedroom next to your bed.
2. Try putting one of his favorite toys in the crate with him (one that he won’t ingest).
3. Try feeding him in his crate with the door open.
4. Make sure he’s not barking or whining when you take him out of the crate.
5. Never use the crate as a form of punishment.

Stetson didn’t let me sleep for about 5 weeks, but now he makes absolutely no noise in his crate. One of the most important things is to stay consistent. Don’t let him out unless he’s being calm and quiet (sometimes not too easy to do). Practice putting him in his crate when you’re at home…wait till he stops barking then let him out (not as easy as it sounds…Linus barked for about 3 hours straight before I caught him not barking for about 10 seconds).

Hopefully he gets used to the crate in a hurry, but as I said it took both my dogs about 5 weeks before they got comfortable with the crate.

If anyone else has suggestions for crate training please leave your suggestions in the comments area.

Interview A Guide Dog Puppy Raiser

If you’ve been reading through the service dog blogosphere then you’ve probably come across these Puppy Raiser interview questions in the past week.

Last week I was reading through my list of service dog blogs in google reader and kept coming across this questionnaire put together by Erin. So to keep up with the other bloggers in the service dog group I decided to fill out the questionaire myself as well.

Here are my answers to Erin’s questions.

Stetson And Colby’s Puppy Rasier Interview

1. How many puppies have you raised?
Stetson is my first puppy.

2. Why did you start raising?
I enjoy volunteering my time and before Guide Dogs of America I was volunteering for Habitat for Humanity and Working Wardrobes. I was at the Pet Expo in Costa Mesa about 3 years ago and I saw some of the Guide Dog puppy raisers. At that time I thought puppy raising would be a great way to volunteer time. However, before guide dogs I decided to volunteer as a foster for a local dog and puppy rescue. About 2 years ago I started fostering dogs and litters of puppies for the Cuddly Canines Rescue. In October 2006 I started researching the Guide Dog groups in California. I sent information out to Guide Dogs of America, Guide Dogs For The Blind, and Guide Dogs of The Desert International. In February of 2007 I picked up Stetson from the GDA facility in Sylmar, CA.

3. How long have you been a puppy raiser?
Since January 2007

4. What is one thing you have learned in raising?
One thing you learn real quick as a puppy raiser is consistency. Stay consistent with your commands and all the training you do with your puppies.

5. What have your puppies taught you?
Stetson has taught me to be more social when out in public. Everyone likes to hear about Stetson wherever we are whether it be the grocery store, movie theater, or my office at work.

6. What is the strangest thing someone has asked/said to you about your puppy?
Is it going to be difficult to give him up? Just Kidding…Probably that people read his jacket…”Guide Dog, huh, what’s he gonna do?” “Ummm, he’s going to be a guide dog for the blind.”

7. Do you give your puppies real name out in public?
Never thought about doing that.

8. What is the most embarrassing incident that you’ve had with your puppy?
He didn’t have an accident at the vets office, but as soon as we left the office he pooped on the other side of the door. Kind of embarrasing, but at least he waited until we got outside…good boy Stetson!

9. What is the most proud moment you’ve had with your puppy?
Stetson passed his Canine Good Citizens test in February 2008. We ordered is certificate and also got him a special Canine Good Citizens tag.

10. What advice do you have for newbie puppy raisers?
They may be adorable as little puppies, but the first month has to be the most difficult time. Stetson howled, whined , and cried anytime he was in his crate or riding in my car. It took about a month of staying consistent with him in the crate and car and now he rarely ever makes a sound. Be consistent with your puppy’s training!

Unfortuntately, I’m not the most experienced puppy raiser. I’ll see if I can get some of the other puppy raisers from our group to fill out this questionnaire.

Do you have experience as a service dog puppy raiser?

Too Cute: Dog Who Loves His Sheep

While following some of the back links from Pam’s Blog Carnival I came across an adorable photo of a dog and his sheep. One of the great things about this dog is he’s our favorite breed: the Australian Shepherd Mix. They actually have a little more information on this guy and happen to know that he’s Australian Shepherd mixed with English Shepherd. I love his black and tan markings and from the looks of it he takes good care of his herd.

I’m not sure why I always come into contact with these adorable pictures and feel compelled to post them. For some reason it always happens on Friday when I feel like posting a little humor (or cuteness) to this blog. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this picture of a Dog Who Loves His Sheep.

I like the header they use in their article:

Anybody Need An Experienced Sheep Dryer?

Oh yes, you can find the original article here on the Farmgirl Fare blog. Also, here’s a second post from a couple years ago with more pictures of Bear grooming his sheep.

I hope you enjoyed this picture of a dog who loves his sheep. Have a great weekend and I’ll talk to you on Monday!

Canine Blog Carnival And Stetson’s Puppy Page

I just wanted to give everyone a quick update on some of the things we’ve been working on here at the Puppy In Training blog. First off I submitted one of my articles from this week to a blog carnival. Hopefully we’ll get some new visitors here in the next couple days.

Second, I finally got off my butt and sent some of Stetson’s pictures over to our Orange County Guide Dogs of America web page.

Canine Blog Carnival

Have you ever heard of a Blog Carnival? I had no idea until just recently what a blog carnival actually was. A blog carnival is a collection of posts from different blogs written about a common theme. For instance, in the Canine Blog Carnival we obviously write about dogs.

If you’re interested in finding a blog carnival on a specific topic try visiting the Blog Carnival website that’s where I found the Canine Blog Carnival.

Blog Carnivals are a great way to attract new readers and also find other great blogs about a specific theme. Our post appeared today on t Pamibe’s blog under Canine Carnival 23. Thank you Pam for including our article on Stetson’s Puppy Progress Report in your blog carnival. I encourage you to visit the carnival and check out some of the other great blog articles included on Pam’s blog.

Orange County Guide Dogs Of America Website

Our local group maintains a website for our Guide Dog Puppy Raisers. Fortunately for me they like to maintain an albums page where I get the chance to post pictures of my puppy in training Stetson. Until just recently I’ve slacked badly in getting them pictures. If you go to the Puppy Parade page you’ll see the picture of me and Stetson at our first OCGDA meeting. That was the only picture of us on the website until a couple weeks ago. Now You can see several picture of my boy Stetson at Stetson’s Stepping Stones. Thanks Laurel for getting those pages updated!

That’s the latest updates on a few things I’ve been working on. Remember check out today’s Canine Bog Carnival when you get the chance…you might just find another great blog you’d like to subscribe to.

Have you had success with blog carnivals?

Oprah And The Puppy Mills

Tomorrow, April 4th, 2008 the Oprah Winfrey Show is doing a segment on Puppy Mills. What I’ve heard is that the show will feature special correspondent Lisa Ling investigating puppy mills.

Oprah’s dedicating this show to her late dog Sophie a Cocker Spaniel.

The show must expose some of the horrible things going on at puppy mills as Winfrey has said that “I will never, ever adopt another pet now without going to a shelter to do it. I am a changed woman after seeing this show.”

Oprah Puppy Mills Show From the AP:

CHICAGO (AP) — Oprah Winfrey plans to dedicate a show investigating abuses at puppy mills to her cocker spaniel, Sophie, who died last month from kidney failure.

“Sophie gave me 13 years of unconditional love. She was a true love in my life,” Winfrey says on the broadcast scheduled to air Friday. (Advance remarks from the show were released Tuesday by Harpo Productions.)

The show features special correspondent Lisa Ling investigating puppy mills, which Ling calls “horrific” and “haunting.”

Winfrey says the show is “for anybody anywhere who loves a dog, has ever loved a dog, or just cares about their basic right to humane treatment.”

While Sophie was not a product of a puppy mill, and Winfrey’s three current dogs were adopted from breeders, Winfrey says in the future she would look to adopt from an animal shelter.

“I would never, ever adopt another pet now without going to a shelter to do it. I am a changed woman after seeing this show,” she says.

As far as I know this show will air on KABC channel 7 at 3pm and 12:35am in the Los Angeles area. To check the start time in your area go to this link: Local Listing The Oprah Show.

Here’s a link to a preview of this episode: Preview: Lisa Ling Investigates The Hidden World Of Puppy Mills.

If you’re like me and you have to work at 3 in the afternoon make sure you set your DVR’s to record this show.

Does Your Dog Have Canine Respiratory Infection?

Recently both my dogs caught a Canine Respiratory Infection. Stetson caught the cold first and about 5 days later Linus was showing similar symptoms. It seemed to me like it was just a common cold the same one I’d get as a kid playing with all my friends on the playground. When I look back I think Stetson caught the cold in similar fashion that is playing with a group of his doggy friends. One of his friends must have had the same respiratory infection and past it on the Stetson.

Canine Respiratory Infection Symptoms

A few days after one of Stetson’s play dates he started showing symptoms of a cold. He first started blowing out his nose like there was some kind of blockage. I took a closer look and it appeared that he had a runny nose. He also started wheezing, sneezing, and hyperventilating from time to time. Besides all that Stetson acted as if nothing was wrong…his behavior was normal. I checked in with Guide Dogs of America and they asked me to bring Stetson into the veterinarian.

Veterinarian’s Recommendation

The veterinarian took a look at Stetson and also observed many of the symptoms I mentioned above. After a few minutes she recommended he start taking antibiotics. He was prescribed Doxycyclin and was to take one pill twice a day for ten days. After about seven days I noticed Stetson’s symptoms cleared up.

Antibiotics Vs. No Antibiotics

If you recall when both Stetson and Linus had kennel cough I kept Linus off the antibiotics to see if his symptoms would clear up on their own. Here’s a link to that article:

My Dog’s Got Kennel Cough…Now What?

I tried the same idea of antibiotics vs. no antibiotics with the canine respiratory infection.

Linus had the same symptoms as Stetson, but unlike Stetson I didn’t put Linus on antibiotics. I decided that because Linus did not have a loss of energy or act any differently besides his respiratory infection that I would keep him off antibiotics. I figured Linus would get better on his own after all I don’t run to the doctor at the first sign of a cold. So, I let Linus’s natural immune system fight off his infection and after about 5 days he stopped showing signs of the canine respiratory infection.

Has your dog or puppy had a canine respiratory infection? Did you give your dog antibiotics?

Puppy Adoption - Octavia The Shepherd Mix

If you are considering puppy adoption, I highly recommend visiting one of your local puppy/dog rescues. In past articles I’ve talked to you about the puppy/dog rescue, Cuddly Canines. I want to do my best to help place these puppies by profiling each puppy, litter of puppies, and dogs on this blog.

***Note this dog may already be adopted as I will keep this information in my archive. Please check the Cuddly Canines website for the most recent puppies up for adoption.

Octavia The Shepherd Mix

Octavia

This adorable little girl is a bundle of hugs & kisses rolled into a wonderful fluffy package! Mommy was a very petite 25 pound white Shepherd mix & Daddy was a very handsome mystery man. Octavia is around 10 weeks old & as snuggly as a teddy bear!

Are you interested in adopting?

If you are interested in adopting Octavia please visit the Cuddly Canines website. If you happen to adopt Octavia please remember, it’s never too early or too late to start her on her training. If you are interested in puppy adoption or fostering here are a few other articles you might enjoy:

Puppy Adoption And Fostering
Dedicated To My Dog Linus

Of course, Octavia is not the only dog being fostered by Cuddly Canines. Please visit their website to see the most current pictures of all their dogs and puppies.

I’d love to hear what you have to say about this article. Is puppy adoption in your future? Do you want to try puppy fostering? If so, please visit the Cuddly Canines website.

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