Life Cycle

Typically a dog life span is between 10 and 14 years, however some breeds average lifespan is around 6 years, whilst others average life span is around 16 years. The longest verified record states one dog living to the ripe old age of 24 years. Sexual maturity starts in domesticated dogs at between the age of 6 to 12 months. For some larger breeds however, this can sometimes be up to 2 years.

 
The average litter of a dog consists of 6 puppies, although this number varies depending on the size or breed of the parent dogs. Some smaller dogs have litters as small as 2 or 3, whilst some, larger breeds may have over 10 puppies. 
Like humans dogs are susceptible to disease. Some of the diseases more commonly associated with dogs are rabies, distemper and pavovirus. Dogs however can contract many diseases a human can, like heart disease or cancer.