Average Life Expectancy for Dobermans - Doberman Forum : Doberman Breed Dog Forums

Gressa · 06-14-2010, 07:05 PM

I am interested in hearing from some of you with long lived Dobies. I just love dobermans. I am heartbroken as I just received confirmation that my beautiful doberman has lymphoma. She turned 5 years old just last week. My family had a doberman when I was a kid that also died of lymphoma at age 7.

I hope to have another dobie in the future but am not sure I can take the emotional toll if they often die young. Please give some good news and convince me another dobie will be mine someday

dragonflyz · 06-14-2010, 08:10 PM

Sorry to hear about your dog, Dobes just don't live long enough! No age is a good age to loose your best friend!

**melbrod** · 06-14-2010, 08:46 PM

My first dobe was my longest lived--almost 14 years old. My next had DCM--diagnosed at almost 8 and lived to be almost 10. I do wonder if dobes' life spans are getting shorter--I have an oldish book that says dobes are a long-lived breed at 13 to 14 years--now I think most people would say they are short lived to an average of 9 years.

feverone · 06-14-2010, 10:14 PM

I would say 7 to 9 anything over is a real blessing.. BUT they give you the best of thier lives no matter how long it may be? Thats why their so addictive... whether thier 3 or 12 when they leave Us it still hurts all the same.

MaryAndDobes · 06-14-2010, 10:31 PM

A study conducted several years ago with a reply rate of over 800 Dobermans found the average longevity to be about 9 1/4 for males and about 9 1/2 for females. That study was the basis for the DPCA's longevity program setting inclusion in the program at 10 because if they lived to 10 and beyond, it was further than the average as evidenced by the study.

The oldest ones I've lost personally have been 12, 11 and 11. I currently own two 11 year old sisters (going pretty strong, knock on wood) who are the daughters of the one 11 year old I lost previously and half sisters of the 12 year old I mentioned. But I've had my share of losses at 7, 8, 9, etc too.

Kalecho · 06-14-2010, 10:57 PM

My Girl L.E. (pronounced Elly) will be 12 years old in Sept, and she runs and plays ball with the best of em. Bless her heart, she's just terrific!

the_discowhore · 06-14-2010, 11:03 PM

We lost our first girl at 13 (I was really little and don't remember her well). It wasn't one of the big Dobie diseases, just general old age... blind, deaf, a bit arthritic, totally incontinent...

Lost Poppy just a few days after her 8th birthday to liver and kidney failure

Lost Cricket at 9 years 3 months to mammary cancer

R2reddobes · 06-14-2010, 11:55 PM

Our girl was 11 years 8 months old. (It was very sudden - just a couple of hours between onset and her death at the clinic. The vet ruled out DCM).
Our boy was 10 years 4 months old. Also unexpected.

dock54 · 06-15-2010, 12:01 AM

My boy is 9 and still going strong... never had any health issues... and still out runs and plays all the young pups! He still acts like a puppy himself!!

Crow · 06-15-2010, 02:21 AM

Charlie was about 13 when I lost him. His back legs gradually failed, due to degenerative myelopathy.

Shortly before that, my friend Frances lost his Dobe bitch Elsa to DCM (we think). She was only 5.

It seems that if you're lucky, a Dobe can live to 10+ but a much too big proportion die way too young with this breed.

**dax0402** · 06-15-2010, 11:10 AM

Our first Dobes was 5 1/2-DCM; second was 14-prostrate cancer; and our third was 11 1/2-she had lymphoma.

dobebug · 06-15-2010, 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by melbrod

My first dobe was my longest lived--almost 14 years old. My next had DCM--diagnosed at almost 8 and lived to be almost 10. I do wonder if dobes' life spans are getting shorter--I have an oldish book that says dobes are a long-lived breed at 13 to 14 years--now I think most people would say they are short lived to an average of 9 years.

There is a website around which has a totally erroneous age estimation for Dobes--they are NOT a long lived breed. I got my first Doberman in 1959--at that time the estimate of the average life span for a male was just over 9 years and for a bitch it was just under 10 years. This has not changed appreciably since then. The average life span is slightly longer now--just under 10 for males and just over 10 for bitches.

I know of at least one book and one website who have what is probably a mistranslation of some information that was originally published in German. One of them says Dobes used to live to be 15 to 20 years. This was never the case.

And it's worth remembering also that average life spans don't tell you when you'll get lucky and have a dog who lives to be 14 or unlucky and have one who dies at 5.

**melbrod** · 06-15-2010, 05:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dobebug

There is a website around which has a totally erroneous age estimation for Dobes--they are NOT a long lived breed. I got my first Doberman in 1959--at that time the estimate of the average life span for a male was just over 9 years and for a bitch it was just under 10 years. This has not changed appreciably since then. The average life span is slightly longer now--just under 10 for males and just over 10 for bitches.

I know of at least one book and one website who have what is probably a mistranslation of some information that was originally published in German. One of them says Dobes used to live to be 15 to 20 years. This was never the case.

And it's worth remembering also that average life spans don't tell you when you'll get lucky and have a dog who lives to be 14 or unlucky and have one who dies at 5.

I was quoting Simon and Schuster's Guide to Dogs, published 1980, originally in Italy, I think. It actually says, "It is rather a long-lived dog and may reach fifteen or even twenty years of age." !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm always shocked when I read that--I have no idea where they got their information.

Aside from that, what the book says seems reasonably fair, considering it is a book which describes over 320 dog breeds and can only hit the high and low points of each:
"Males and females have different temperaments. The bitch is tranquil, sensitive, affectionate with family, but suspicious of strangers. The dog is extremely intelligent, but impetuous and must be ruled by an energetic master. It has been said that there are no bad dobermans, just bad owners."

Though I'm not sure I'd describe either of my females as tranquil!! LOL

**dobegal** · 06-15-2010, 06:04 PM

my first girl lived 7 yrs and had with lymphoma. My second girl lived 9 yrs and had DCM. Roxy is now 4 yrs

2-charming · 06-15-2010, 06:31 PM

So sorry to hear about your baby, it hurts so much. I lost one girl at 5 years to DCM, playing one minute gone the next. My last girl was 13 1/2 her brother was just over 12 years. We were so heart broken by our last girls loss we waited 4 years before we got Lollie. I'm sorry we waited so long, a house isn't a home without a Doberman.

Tricia · 06-15-2010, 10:58 PM

My oldest was Shadow--died at 16 and Angel died six months later at age 12I also remember reading they were supposed to be long lived and mine were.

Q734 · 06-16-2010, 02:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by melbrod

I was quoting Simon and Schuster's Guide to Dogs, published 1980, originally in Italy, I think. It actually says, "It is rather a long-lived dog and may reach fifteen or even twenty years of age." !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm always shocked when I read that--I have no idea where they got their information.

Aside from that, what the book says seems reasonably fair, considering it is a book which describes over 320 dog breeds and can only hit the high and low points of each:
"Males and females have different temperaments. The bitch is tranquil, sensitive, affectionate with family, but suspicious of strangers. The dog is extremely intelligent, but impetuous and must be ruled by an energetic master. It has been said that there are no bad dobermans, just bad owners."

Though I'm not sure I'd describe either of my females as tranquil!! LOL

re: age There's all kinds of wrong stuff out there apparently. I put more stock in someone like Bug than a lot of books.
After pouring over this forum & figuring out who knows what they're talking about the Dogs 101 came on and there were things on it after having read here that made me pause, as in it was very superficial and had some inaccuracies in it.

Sometimes if i think about it too hard it saddens me, all the books I thought I'd read about dobermans, trusting veterinarians words, and to come on here and see a lot of concurrence with the long time doberman people on matters and how I would have loved to have a fraction of the information with my first.

/stream of consciousness rambling

//wish Dobebug would write a doberman book

Dobelove · 06-16-2010, 02:41 AM

We lost Anna and she was just over a month shy of 6. I'm sure if I am remembering this right it was just lucky, but when I was younger I remember a 15 year old running around the property like he was 5.

Sage · 06-16-2010, 05:17 AM

I asked my vet this same question. In his practice he is seeing dobes live until 12 to 13 years of age.

tomsdobe · 06-16-2010, 05:48 AM

Lost my India at 11 due to a liver problem, and my beloved Phoenix at a bit over 13 when her heart just gave out. I would also note she was a double cancer survivor. Those were horrible days and I am so sorry for what you are going through.

**ellenm** · 06-16-2010, 07:06 AM

I've only owned 2 who lived past 10 yrs of age. I would say 7-9 is most likely the average life span.

LuvMyDobes · 06-16-2010, 07:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by feverone

I would say 7 to 9 anything over is a real blessing.. BUT they give you the best of thier lives no matter how long it may be? Thats why their so addictive... whether thier 3 or 12 when they leave Us it still hurts all the same.

I totally agree - 7 to 9 years - is the norm. I have never had one make it to 10. ;o( Guess that is why the longevity program age is 10.

feverone · 06-16-2010, 07:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LuvMyDobes

I totally agree - 7 to 9 years - is the norm. I have never had one make it to 10. ;o( Guess that is why the longevity program age is 10.

Yep I know someone who has had 8 dobes and only one lived to 9 1/2.. when they hit 7 she starts to worry of when the shoes gonna drop.so sad really but she continues to have them and accepts it because she loves them so much dispite the health problems. And all these dogs she has owned have all been from differant breeders and bloodlines.

**ellenm** · 06-16-2010, 07:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by feverone

Yep I know someone who has had 8 dobes and only one lived to 9 1/2.. when they hit 7 she starts to worry of when the shoes gonna drop.so sad really but she continues to have them and accepts it because she loves them so much dispite the health problems. And all these dogs she has owned have all been from differant breeders and bloodlines.

That sounds like me...except I get sad celebrating every birthday after age 5.

tater28115 · 06-16-2010, 07:29 AM

My old man Logan is 11 years old and still runs like the wind, even though he is a little sore after playing with his sister all day. Logan's brother Travis passed away at 9 from lymphnoma.

Here is a picture of the old man chasing after his sister: