How long do doodles live on average?

[al haskins]

It would be of interest to see if there is a difference between sizes as well.

al

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

I pretty much think this is an impossible question to answer with any confidence.  The thing that I always heard/read when researching was 15 years (I was researching standards).  However, now that I've been around the Doodle world for about 7 years, my answer would be you get what you get and you take what you get and you love them each and every single day because you really don't know what you got until you don't have it any longer.  I know that sounds strange, but in this day and age of the internet you see so many sad stories of the ones that go too soon.  I will be honest in that I personally do not believe I know of a 15 year old doodle.  I don't think that I would base my decision on size on length of life expectancy.  We previously had a little toy poodle that we lost just short of her 16th birthday.  We also had a standard size golden doodle that we lost to cancer once week after her 5th birthday.  Cancer is a biggie for GoldenDoodles.  66% of Goldens die from some form of cancer.  That isn't to say they all die young, but if you are on these boards long enough you will see it over and over again.  When I saw this statistic I didn't think I wanted to go the GD route again.  However, my love of them is just so strong, that when researching other breeds/mixes, I just kept coming back to the GD.  I did my research and I chose the best possible breeder I thought was out there so that I could have the best possible chance of a long life for our new GD.  However, even with all of that it is a roll of the dice.  

[F, Calla & Luca]

Great answer.

[Lucy , Alex and Madison]

My vet just told me that females should be spayed at 6 months because once they start a bleeding cycle their risk of breast cancer is much higher. My doodle just turned 6 months so I am making an appt to spay her.

[AndySharon BoomerShaynaMariner]

Interesting discussion and I think it is hard to answer.

Intentional Doodle mixes have not been around all that long.  There is also a wide variety of Doodles - Goldendoodles, Labradoodles, "Multimix Doodles" , etc. and in many different generations F1, F2, F1b, etc.  Then you throw in different sizes. 

Below is something that I copied from the internet that may help:

For mixed breed dogs, owners can use an individual’s weight to help determine how long he or she would be expected to live. In general, small dogs enjoy longer lives than do their larger counterparts. A recent analysis of veterinary records revealed that dogs under 20 pounds had an average lifespan of 11 years while those over 90 pounds typically lived for only 8 years. Medium and large dogs fell in the middle at around 11 years. (State of Pet Health 2013 Report, Banfield Pet Hospital).

The same article gives the average life of Poodles, Golden Retrievers and Labador Retreivers as 12 years.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

In Poodles, there's a definite difference in life span related to size, with the Toy Poodles living the longest, followed by the Miniatures and the Standards having the shortest life span. In general, the bigger the breed, the shorter the life span; Irish Wolfhounds have an average life span of 6-7 years. But there are always exceptions. 

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

Yes, I agree with the previous comments too.  I pray I have an exception though and can top the longevity chart!

[Lynda Kamrath]

Good question.  I would say that smaller dogs tend to have longer lives, but 12 years is a long life for a labradoodle and probably 10 years for a goldendoodle.  My labradoodle died at 7 years from liver disease and my goldendoodle at 8 years of cancer.  Bocker, a famous labradoodle is about 10 years old and now has cancer which they are treating with chemo.  So, all kinds of medical problems can come up with any dog and what you elect to do about them is totally up to you.  Insurance?  Also, up to you.  But remember, they are dogs and their life spans are much shorter that ours.  If you haven't read "The Art of Racing in the Rain" you might find it interesting.  I just read it again.

[Karen & Maple]

Thanks for the recommendation! Looking for a good read :0)

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

Lynda: one of the reasons Enzo's name is " Enzo"

[Carol and Banjo]

Oh gosh, just reading the replies here makes me sad. : ( We do enjoy each and everyday with our little guy. Can't even imagine life without him.

[Lonnie & Libby Lu]

Me too Carol, I actually did not read most of them.  I do NOT even want to think of that day.

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

Both my husband and I grew up with Standard Poodles. His lived to 12, mine, 14. All our Golden Retrievers and we had 5 Generations: earliest was 12 yrs and latest was 15. I'm hoping Enzo can reach those high standards set by her earlier predecessors.