How long do Shih Tzus live?
Published breed median
A breed statistic describes a population. It does not tell you how long an individual dog will live.
Read McMillan et al. (2024)
What the evidence supports
Supplementary Table S3 lists 17,901 Shih Tzu records, including 5,894 recorded deaths and 12,007 censored observations. These are breed-specific counts, not the study-wide total.
- Median lifespan
- 12.8 years
- 95% confidence interval
- 12.6-12.9 years
- Study population
- UK companion dogs
A population survival estimate, not a guaranteed or average age for your dog.
Uncertainty around the median, not individual minimum and maximum lifespans.
McMillan and colleagues combined multiple data sources. The population and collection methods limit transfer to other countries and individual dogs.
The full study included 584,734 dogs from multiple UK sources. It is not a dataset consisting only of RVC VetCompass primary-care records. The breed match and Table S3 values on this page were reviewed on 20 October 2026.
This page does not establish a breed longevity record, a cause of death, or the effects of a particular care routine. Those need separate evidence.
An educational human-age comparison
The Wang et al. (2020) equation was derived from 104 Labrador Retrievers. It does not measure your dog’s DNA or predict lifespan, and selecting another breed does not validate that equation for it.
Wang et al. (2020) Labrador-based mapping, not a DNA test. The full calculator shows a separate size-based reference; it does not adjust this equation for breed.
Shih Tzu lifespan questions
What does the Shih Tzu lifespan figure mean?
The 12.8-year figure is a population median estimated in McMillan et al. (2024), not an arithmetic average, minimum or maximum. The study combined several UK sources and included living dogs as censored observations.
Is the confidence interval the shortest and longest a dog can live?
No. A confidence interval describes uncertainty around the population median estimate. It is not the range of individual lifespans, a maximum age, or a predicted interval for your dog.
Can I subtract my dog's age to find years remaining?
No. Subtracting current age from a breed median does not estimate conditional remaining lifespan. Dogs older than the median do not have zero years left by definition. Discuss individual health questions with your veterinarian.