Small dogs with pointy noses live longer than other pooches.
Small dogs have the longest lives
An extensive study on canine life expectancy, in which the animals were grouped by size and shape, found that smaller dogs with long and pointy noses had a lifespan of 13.3 years.
However, their flat-faced counterparts only lived for an average of nine years.
The Dogs Trust study collated data from sources including Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, RSPCA and The Kennel Club and discovered that females were more likely to live longer than males.
Analysis revealed that the Lancashire heeler (15.4 years) had the longest lifespan on average while, in contrast, the Caucasian shepherd was the shortest-lived breed at 5.4 years.
Dr. Kristen McMillan, lead author and data manager at Dogs Trust, said: "We found life expectancy varies between breed, body size, face shape and sex - this is the first study where all of these elements have been compared and contrasted alongside evolutionary history.
"Many of these factors interact to compound the issue, for example medium-sized, flat-faced male dogs are nearly three times more likely to have shorter lives than small-sized, long-faced females."