Have you ever take the time out to sit and wonder how long do poodles live? It doesn’t matter if it’s standard, miniature or toy sized, they all tend to have their average lifespan. The average life expectancy for poodles is 11-15 years and it tends to varies base on their size and overall health.
In this article, we are going to explain everything that plays a role in poodle’s lifespan as well as what you can do to improve their health so that they can live as long as possible.
How Long Do Poodles Live?
As mentioned above, poodles have a life expectancy of 11-15 years. It’s best to keep in mind that their lifespan has a lot to do with their size. As you may already know, there are different types of poodles: The Standard poodle, Toy poodle and Miniature poodle.
Base on studies, it is safe to say that the larger breeds tend to live the shortest, while the dogs who are medium or smaller in size do have a longer lifespan. The reason for this is because larger dogs age faster than small dogs.
Standard Poodle Lifespan
When it comes to standard poodles they tend to live for around 12 years. While there are some dogs who may pass away at 10 years old, while there are a lucky few who may live to be 13 to 14 years. As you can see, standard poodles are the largest of the breed and is capable of reaching up to 70 pounds.
Miniature Poodle Lifespan
On the other hand, miniature poodles has the ability to live up to 15 years, with the potential to live up to 17 years. Miniature poodles are considered to be the medium size out of the three. These breeds is capable of weighing up to 10 to 15 pounds.
It is safe to say that there smaller size plays a role in how long they live compared to the standard poodle.
Toy Poodle Lifespan
When compared to the three, toy poodles have an average life expectancy of 16 years and once taken care of the right way, then can live as long as 18 years. The fact that they are small in size, helps a lot with their life expectancy. Majority of the times these small dog breeds are very healthy and they actually enjoy doing their daily exercise even in their old age.
Leading Cause of Death
An in-depth research have been done by the University of Georgia which took the time to examined the causes of death of over 74 thousand dogs of all breeds.
Heart Disease and Cancer
When it comes to poodles the two leading cause of deaths are heart disease and cancer it is pretty much the same for us humans as well. Similar to other dog breeds, poodle tend to develop these health problems as they grow older and often pass away whenever they get out of control.
It can be a difficult task to prevent your little friend from having cancer or heart disease, but providing them with a healthy lifestyle, daily exercise, regular vet checkups can help in a huge way when it comes to increasing their overall health.
Genetics
The genetics of the dog is also very important since it has to do with temperament, color, health and life expectancy. So, whenever you are getting a poodle make sure to check with the breeder on how long the dog’s relative normally lived. Having these information will give you an idea on what life expectancy you can expect from your poodle.
Caring For Your Poodle
One of the most effective thing you can do right now to extend your Poodle’s lifespan is to take proper care of your dog by ensuring that they are at a healthy weight through diet and exercise.
Even though compare to other dog breeds, they are not prone to experience any form of obesity. However, though it rarely happens, you should take their weight into consideration.
If you have a standard poodle then they are more likely to weigh around 40 and 70 pounds which varies base on the gender. Miniature poodle on the other hand comes in at a weight of 10 and 15 pounds, while toy poodles should weigh roughly 4 and 6 months. We highly recommend that you feed your poodle only quality diet that is perfect for its size and age.
Standard poodle are more prone to bloat and reason being is because of their deep and narrow chest. Take the time out to speak with your vet about the best way to actually feed your dog. By doing so you will help reduce the risk of your poodle having bloat which is very well known to be life threatening.
Bear in mind that poodles needs to have their regular exercise. They are also bred as a water dog, which means that they enjoy swimming as well. You can take s hike or play fetch with your poodle in order to keep them active.
Make sure that you properly groom your poodle to keep their hygiene on peak. Also, you should take your poodle to the vet for dental checkups and cleaning. Keep in mind that tooth and gum can eventually lead to your poodle facing serious infections that can spread to other part of the body.
Poodles are prone to have ear infections and this is due to the fact that they have floppy furry ears, so cleaning the ear should be a regular thing to practice.
Conclusion
The good news is that poodles are known to be a healthy breed. However, there size plays an important role when it comes to their life expectancy. The sad part is that most poodles will eventually die from having heart disease or cancer which is pretty similar to us humans. It can be a bit difficult to prevent this from happening, but what you can do is provide your poodle with regular vet checkups and a healthy lifestyle which will improve their overall health.