What Breed of Dog Has the Longest Lifespan?

The dog that has reportedly lived the longest was named Bluey. He was an Australian Cattle Dog that lived until he was 29.5 years old. He was born in 1910 in Australia, and died in the year 1939. This age was quite an achievement for the breed as 11 - 13 years is now the average life expectancy. Leading causes of death are cancer or stroke.

These dogs are also named as the Blue Heeler, Red Heeler, and Queensland Heeler. The Australian Cattle dog is of medium size usually weighing 25 - 50 pounds with a height on average of 17 - 20 inches. These dogs were first bred to herd cattle as their name suggests. A healthy dog is usually muscular and athletic in looks. Blue and red are the normal colors of their coat with often striking markings throughout the coat. They do shed once or twice a year, but their short coat is easy to take care of grooming wise.

These are intelligent dogs, if you own one it is helpful to the dog to keep its mind active. You can achieve this through learning the dog new tricks, or entering into sporting events with your dog. If their minds are not channeled in the proper direction they can become bored. As a result of their boredom they misbehave, and can be very destructive.

The Australian Cattle Dog prefers change in their daily routine, a lot of exercises, and as many new challenges as possible. Although they enjoy dog competitions the majority of the breed find the repetitive tasks boring. If you are thinking of getting a toy for this dog then be sure it is of a robust design, these dogs have been known to destroy a tennis ball in a matter of seconds.

A common health issue in the breed is Progressive Retinal Atrophy. Usually this eye problem is noticeable before the dog is 2 years of age, but can develop later in the dogs life too. They are also prone to hip displasia and deafness.

Normally the Australian Cattle Dog will tend to be a one person dog. This isn't really unusual as a lot of breeds seem to choose one person in the household as their master. Due to their willingness to herd it can be a problem when they nip at the heels of people. They are a good guard dog. They are wary of strangers and dogs they don't know. They don't get on well with children unless they have been brought up with them since they were a puppy.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Cattle_Dog