Cross Breeds - Cross breed dog age life span?

Cross breed dog age life span?

I have a border collie cross and a Jack russel cross. If the two were pure breeds they would have an average life span of 13 or 14. I know that crossbreeds can live longer but how much longer will mine be? Is it possible to find out? I know this because i had a cairn terrier cross and he died at 18 when there average life span is 13. My collie cross is 11 now and finding out the average life span im worried :(

Public Comments

It's really hard to tell with a cross breed, especially with a BC x JR.. it depends how healthy your dog is. I wouldn't worry too much, just enjoy your dog. :) My dog Whisky lived until she was 17 and she was a Border Collie x. I don't remember much of her though because I was a kid.
just quit worrying about it some dogs live way past those life span estimates anyway enjoy life with your wonderful companion!
No one knows the answer to this question, just like there is no way to tell how long YOU will live, there is no way to tell how long your dog will live. You can work out an average by looking at how long similar dogs have lived, but this average can be increased or decreased by accidents, disease, diet, exercise, environment, medical attention etc etc. All you can do is care for your dog in the best way possible and enjoy him now.
they havnt got a self distruct button when they reach a certain age, keep enjoying your best loyal buddy, you can get another 3-4 maybe even up to 6 years out of him, keep him fit with regular excersise and not to many treats to keep his weight down,
Not a question I think about, but my mixed collie lived to be 18. And, yes you should stop worrying and enjoy your collie.
According to my copy of The Guinness Book of Records", the record for longest-living English dog is held by a Welsh Collie who died in the West Midlands aged 27 years 313 days. The World record is held by an Autralian cattle-dog called "Bluey" who was 29 years and 5 months when he was put to sleep
heya, well i have a dog which is crossed with Lab and Staf both dogs life expectancy is around 9 years, however my dog is still going very very strong and healthy and is 14 years old hes never been given any kind of magic health pills, hes been fed on dry food from tesco which is really cheap, he never stops eating and loves chocolate which people say is very bad for dogs but hey... my duke is 14! full of chocolate and i expect he has a few more years! :) hope this helps
Absolutely *nothing* can be predicted about any sort of mutt/mongrel...nothing...ever. &...guess-timated "life spans" are ***averages***;means just as many live longer as shorter. 11 is pretty old for any/every dog.
Border collies and Jack russels both tend to be relatively healthy breeds without many major genetic issues, so there is no reason to believe that your mix will have a shorter lifespan than a dog of either breed. I'd say 13-14 years is probably average for the type of mix you have...just like the average for a cairn terrier mix is about 13 years or so. How much longer your dog will live, no one knows that. She could live only to average or she could live longer, knowing the "average" lifespan won't help you narrow it down any. An average is just that, an average. It means some individuals die significantly sooner and some live significantly longer. And it is a myth that mixed breed dogs live longer than purebreds. The average life of a mixed breed dog is not longer than the average life of a purebred. Your cairn terrier cross lived so long because you took good care of him and he was a terrier mix (most terriers and terrier mixes live very long lives if well cared for).
Your question is a how long is a piece of string one. Cross breeds tend to live longer than pedigree dogs. Small dogs can expect a longer life than large dogs but this is just generalising. Giving your dog regular exercise and proper feeding will help your dog live longer. Overweight dogs die young(er) than trim dogs. Don't feed your dog non-doggy foods such as biscuits, cake, sweets, and NEVER chocolate, which can kill you pet. (except that which is made especially for dogs)
The breed, or combination of breeds, has nothing to do with the lifespan of a dog. The health issues--be they natural or a result of bad breeding--that the dog experiences during it's life, the care given to it during it's life, etc, are factors. The mere fact that a dog is cross bred alone has nothing to do with it's health or how long it will live.