How Long do Golden Retrievers Live? Golden Retrievers are larger dogs, so that fact automatically shortens their time with us. Their average lifespan is between 10 and 12 years. Therefore, a five-year old Golden would be at the same spot in life as a 40-year-old human. Of course, many factors play into this scenario. Goldens have been known to live as long as 19 years, but its rare.