A study of Golden Retriever Lifespans
This study is presently based on 2343 lifespans of Golden Retrievers. The mean lifespan for
the entire dataset was 11.3 years. However, as will be shown below, mean lifespans have
probably been increasing decade by decade during the 20th century. There is sufficient scatter
in the data to cloud the issue but we see no way in which these data can be construed to
indicate a decrease in lifespans.
The figure (below) displays the mean lifespan by decade. There is an increase from the
1940s through the 1980s.

Data for the 1990s are not plotted as the longest lived dogs born in the 1990s are not yet
dead.

All the Goldens in this study lived long enough to attain at least 1 major title.

Dataset detail
16 were born prior to the 1940s                
36 were born in the 1940s                        
57 were born in the 1950s
112 were born in the 1960s
335 were born in the 1970s
803 were born in the 1980s
956 were born in the 1990s

Most recent update - November 2008
The following image is a Box-and-Whiskers plot of the data decade by decade. The red
median value. The blue bars outside the red box are the maximum and minimum values.
The following figure displays a histogram of  lifespans for the entire dataset.
The following also includes the mean age at which a specific title is attained. It
must be noted that this database does not contain all title dates. Moreover, some
dates were only given to the month and not the day. Any corrections are welcome.

List of Goldens with Major Titles who lived more than 15 years.
Youngest and Oldest CHs

Youngest and Oldest UDs

Youngest and Oldest UDXs

Youngest and Oldest OTCHs

Youngest and Oldest REs

Youngest and Oldest RAEs

Youngest and Oldest TDXs

Youngest and Oldest VSTs

Youngest and Oldest CTs

Youngest and Oldest MHs

Younest and Oldest All-Ages

Youngest and Oldest AFCs

Youngest and Oldest FCs

Youngest and Oldest AXs

Youngest and Oldest MXs

Youngest and Oldest Machs
Youngest and Oldest XFs

Youngest and Oldest MXFs