Mary Allen
Large dog breeds often command enormous respect. We find: There is more space to cuddle. We show you 8 particularly large dogs.
Large Dog Breeds: Which Dog Breed Is The Largest In The World?
Large dog breeds are real giants and always eye-catcher on the daily walk. Some even get bigger than a pony! But which dogs are really the tallest in the world? Dogue de Bordeaux? The Bernese Mountain Dog? Maybe a German Shepherd? Nearly!
Large dog breeds like to take it easy. And who can blame them? With a shoulder height of more than 100 centimeters, these dogs (such as mastiffs) are larger than some miniature horses. So many dogs have to be moved first. And the diet? Yes, it also costs “a mark”!
But it is precisely this mightiness that makes large dog breeds so popular beyond the Bernese Mountain Dog, Golden Retriever, or Rottweiler.
We reveal which dog breeds are the largest and what makes big dogs. In our ranking, we sort by a combination of height and weight, based on the usual maximum values for males.
These are the top 8!
The Great Pyrenees
The Pyrenean Mountain Dog is a breed of French origin. Its real name is therefore Chien de Montagne des Pyrénées or Patou.
The males of this impressive breed reach a height of up to 82 centimeters and weigh up to 54 kilos. The bitches are up to 74 centimeters tall and weigh 41 kilograms. His talents lie in the tasks of a guard, livestock guard, or herding dog. It is therefore often used as a shepherd dog. Accordingly, Pyrenean mountain dogs are very alert, courageous, and also intelligent.
If the dog with its stately weight has nothing to guard or protect, sufficient other activities must be provided, for example with intelligence games. Large breeds are usually less suitable for dog sports due to their mass. They prefer to leave that to some nimble terriers or eager retrievers. Many large dogs willingly take part – but you are not doing the dogs a favor by doing so.
Anatolian Shepherd Dog
What an Anatolian Shepherd Dog is not clearly defined everywhere. Some include the Kangal and the Akbaş, others make a strict distinction between the dogs.
However, all three representatives are very similar in character: They are extremely alert, courageous, and suspicious. In addition, they were bred to make independent decisions as livestock guardian dogs. This can quickly become a problem in posture. The Anatolian Shepherd Dog, therefore, needs early, consistent training from experienced dog owners.
If this does not happen, keeping the animals, which are up to 81 centimeters (bitches up to 79 centimeters) and weigh up to 65 kilos (bitches up to 55 kilos), can become torture for the dog and owner. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon to see this big dog in the numerous animal shelters in Germany.
Irish Wolfhound
Why is the Irish Wolfhound one of the largest dog breeds in the world? Well, probably because the dog’s breed standard does not specify a maximum, but a minimum size. Bitches of this breed must be at least 71 centimeters tall, male dogs are even required to be at least 79 centimeters tall. On average, males are about 90 centimeters tall. However, as individual specimens of this gentle breed grow to well over 100 centimeters, the Irish Wolfhound is often considered the largest dog of all.
But he is extremely slim: Males weigh about 59 kilos, bitches about 45 kilos. Since we also take weight into account in this ranking, the Irish Wolfhound is the undisputed leader in terms of body size, but not at the top in the overall picture.
This wiry giant with an impressive size finds happiness when running, which you should definitely keep in mind when keeping it. This isn’t a retriever happy retrieving things, nor a sheepdog that’s herding or guarding a flock. This dog wants to stretch!
Landseer
Anyone who likes fluffy things like a Bernese Mountain Dog will love the Landseer. This dog originally descended from Newfoundland and got its name from the English painter Edwin Landseer, who was particularly fond of immortalizing black and white representatives of this large dog breed in his paintings.
Today, the dog, with its stately height and weight, is recognized as a separate breed, independent of the Newfoundland dog, and now also differs significantly in appearance. Due to the abundant undercoat, Landseers are small water rats and passionate swimmers in all weathers, so they are often used as sea rescue dogs.
Males of this impressive breed grow up to 80 centimeters tall and weigh 75 kilograms, bitches reach up to 72 centimeters and 55 kilograms.
Leonberger
The Leonberger brings the best of three different dog breeds. After all, this breed was created by crossing Saint Bernards, Pyrenean Mountain Dogs, and Newfoundlands. Dogs of this breed are correspondingly large: Males can reach a shoulder height of up to 80 centimeters and weigh up to 75 kilograms. Bitches reach a height of up to 75 centimeters and weigh up to 59 kilograms.
The Leonberger is one of the calm dogs. He is insensitive to noise and balanced as well as willing to learn and work. This makes him a pleasant companion and an ideal large family dog.
St. Bernard
Perhaps the most cuddly dog breed in the world is Saint Bernard. He is no less than the Swiss national dog. The dogs, which originated with the monks of the hospice on the “Großer St. Bernhard” alpine pass, were used as avalanche search dogs for a long time. However, the development of the dog breed over the years has made them too heavy for this task, so that today they are mainly used as “real size” companion dogs.
The furry colossuses are big and bring a lot of weight (males up to 82 kg, females up to 64 kg), but they are very sensitive and above all gentle. The stubbornness typical of the breed cannot be denied, but St. Bernard is an ideal family dog that bravely puts in an effort for its human pack in an emergency.
Bitches grow up to 80 centimeters tall, males even reach a truly impressive height of 90 centimeters.
Great Dane
Great Danes are truly what people call gentle giants. With a shoulder height of up to 90 centimeters for males and up to 81 centimeters for females, they are of impressive size. Males weigh up to 90 kg and females up to 59 kg. The Great Dane is therefore a real portion of a dog! At the same time, however, she is so friendly, open-minded, and, above all, compatible with people and dogs that she is not only one of the greatest but also one of the most pleasant companions.
Particularly practical: the Great Dane is one of the dogs that shed little. And due to the many coat markings that conform to the breed standard, they may even make the better pony for some children.
The male “Zeus” is considered to be the largest representative of this breed to date. He measured almost 112 centimeters from the paws to the shoulders and thus secured himself a place in the “Guinness Book of Records”! Apart from this real giant – Great Danes are not the largest of all dog breeds.
English Mastiff
The biggest behemoth in our line of big four-legged friends is the English Mastiff. With males and females measuring up to 91 centimeters, he is clearly the leader among the largest dogs in the world!
In the past, the massive dogs were used for hunting, in war, and as guard dogs. They are said to have taken on bears, wild boars, and even lions! So they are not small or big cowards.
If you try to put a mastiff on the scales, they will first groan and then show a value of up to 100 kilograms for males (bitches up to 77 kilograms). By the way, this huge mountain dog is not only one of the largest, but also clearly one of the heaviest dogs in the world.