lifespan of doodles

[Lorraine Bromley]

I was wondering what the average life span of the doodle is. I have heard that they do live longer than some other breeds. Who has the oldest doodle here so far?

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Everything I've read consistently says about 15 years on average.

[Adina P]

I think we are sorely lacking in data on this because there just haven't been that many around to really say.

Most likely whoever is saying this is theorizing...based on the idea of hybrid vigor but it's not useful unless both parent dogs were truly healthy. Just my thoughts.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

If I had to make an educated guess, I'd say 12-14 years for really well-bred standards from health tested parents, and a bit longer for similarly well-bred minis maybe. Standard poodles and retrievers rarely live past 13 or 14 years old. Mini poodles can live to 16 or 17 under optimum conditions, but if you're starting out with puppy mill or BYB stock, all bets are off.

[AndySharon BoomerShaynaMariner]

Although I have heard 15 years, there are so many different types, this must have some bearing on it. The ALD is different then a GD or LD and then the different generations (F1, F1b, F2, Multigen, etc.). Also the size of the dog - mini, standard, etc. will have a bearing.

[Lorraine Bromley]

I was told by one owner that thier f1 goldendoodle was 20yrs old. It was their first.

[LuvMyAbby&Kaela]

I would definitely question that! I dont believe that. Not for a "large breed" dog.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I agree.

[Mandy&Bailee]

well...I would question it too, but my girlfriend had a doberman that passed away earlier this year at 17 - documented 17 years old, he was akc papered! so I guess it CAN happen, rarely....
my parent's labrador is 12 and still going strong, so I hope my labradoodle can at least match or exceed that!

[Adina P]

I think that is reasonable to expect a doodle to live as long as the range allotted for the parent breeds in its mix. More than that probably not likely for the average doodle...not for a large breed dog anyway. But just like most people don't live to be 104 doesn't mean nobody lives to be 104. Exceptions happen.

[LuvMyAbby&Kaela]

But 20 .... thats like 140.

[HANNAH 8/2/07 & HONEY 7/2/08]

I'm not certain but in the one GoldenDoodle book, I think they reference the age span of their doodles around 15 to 16 years of age. My poodles lived from 13 to 15 years, and my sisters Goldens averaged around 15 to 16 years old. I would think it would vary highly due to food, diseases, and their lineage.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Nature vs. Nurture. We can be thankful that we have a lot of great information available to us now in the information technology era. . JUST LOOK WHAT THE FOOD GROUP HAS DONE FOR US in how we feed our dogs and keep them healthy versus what we feed them ten years ago.

My Mastiff/Lab Mix lived to be almost 15. His life expectancy was 8-10 years. Mastiffs average lifespan is eight years. He almost double his life expectancy. It just depends. I think happiness, good food, and nurturing issues come in the play on occasion. Because of the education we receive on the internet with places like DK, our dogs just might surprise us with longer happier lives than the generations before them.