In my experience, small dogs live longer. I had a yorkie that made it to 16, I currently have a peke that is 15 1/2.
When I was a kid we had a shepherd/collie that lived to be 18, he got 1 can of Calo (similar to Alpo) a day, roamed free and received minimal vaccinations.
My corgi that had the best diet, exercise, minimal vaccinations, passed from hemangiosarcoma at age 9.
I think of age 10 for a dog as comparable to age 50 for a human, some are in good shape, some are not. I find the age related ailments start around that time. Hope this helps.
PS: I agree, that age 12-13-14 seems to be the average, that’s not a bad deal.
