19 World’s Largest Dog Breeds You Wish You Owned

If you think that you have a big dog at home then you haven’t seen anything yet. Some of these dog breeds that we’re about to break down are heavier than 100 pounds (45 kg) and be quite tall too. There is no set specification that determines if your dog is considered to be quite large but some of these take the cake. On the contrary though, most of the largest dog breeds are not violent and scary, they’re actually mild tempered and relaxed, making them an excellent addition to the family. Just take a look at the 19 world’s largest dog breeds you wish you owned.

English mastiff

Astonishingly, the English mastiff is one of the largest dog breeds in the world. In terms of its body mass. The English mastiff was first mentioned dating back as early as the 6th century BC.
During the Roman conquest of England, Caesar was impressed by the loyalty and strength of the mastiff and rightly so. Typically a male can weigh up to 250 pounds (113 kg), but the heaviest mastiff ever recorded was a jaw-dropping 343-pound (156 kg) dog called Zorba who was the world´s heaviest and longest dog during its time.

St. Bernard

The St. Bernard was famously used to star in the Beethoven movies, often portrayed as the large, drool, food obsessed machine. Which isn’t far off! This breed is from the western Alps in Switzerland, Italy and France, originally bred at the Great and Little St Bernard Pass for rescue. The breed is well known for its search and rescue work, as well as for its obvious enormous size.

Neapolitan mastiff

This large and ancient dog breed is that of the Neapolitan mastiff. This massive breed is often used as a guard and defender of family and property due to the fact that they have protective instincts and of course, they have a fearsome appearance. Males can usually measure 26–31 inches (66–79 cm) at the withers, weigh 130–155 pounds (60-70 kg), while the females measure about 24–29 inches (61–74 cm) and weigh 110–130 pounds (50–60 kg). What’s also cool is that its body length should be around 10–15% greater than height.

Russian black terrier

Often times, the Russian black terrier is abbreviated as BRT and its also known as the Tchiorny Terrier (tchiorny being Russian for black). This breed was created in USSR in Red Star (Krasnaya Zvezda) Kennel during the late 1940s and the early 1950s for use as military/working dogs. The contemporary Black Russian Terrier is known as a working dog, guarding dog, sporting and companion dog.

Newfoundland

This adorable, furry pup is actually a large working dog. They are typically either black, brown, or white-and-black (called Landseer) and they originate from good ol’ Canada. Originally the fisherman in the Dominion of Newfoundland (now Canada) bred the Newfoundland to assist them. This large breed is known for its giant size, intelligence, tremendous strength, calm dispositions, and loyalty. Newfoundland dogs excel greatly at water rescue/lifesaving because of they have a very muscular build, thick double coat, webbed feet, and innate swimming abilities.

Great Dane

Now a list like this could never be complete without including the Great Dane. This breed is a large German breed of domestic dog known for its giant size. No kidding, eh? It’s actually known as the tallest dog breed. Actually, the record holder for tallest dog was a Great Dane named Zeus (who sadly died in September 2014 at the age of 5), that measured 111.8 cm (44.0 in) from paw to shoulder. Crazy, right?

Greater Swiss Mountain Dog

Talk about cute and talk about a large breed! The Greater Swiss Mountain Dog was “developed” in the Swiss Alps and is considered to be the most popular dog breed in Switzerland. This breed is large and heavy-boned with incredible physical strength, but it’s still agile enough to perform the all-purpose farm duties it was originally used for. Just because they’re large doesn’t mean they aren’t sociable, active, calm, and dignified, and loves being part of the family because that’s exactly what thy are. Among the four Sennenhunde, or Swiss mountain dogs, this breed is considered the oldest, and is also the largest.

Komondor

The Komondor large dog breed is also known as the Hungarian sheepdog. As you can see, it is a large, white-colored guardian dog with a long, corded coat. Often people refer to them as “mop dog”..hmm, wonder why? The Komondor has a long history of being a powerful dog breed with a natural guardian instinct to guard livestock and other property. This pup was brought to Europe by the Cumans and was even mentioned first in 1544 in a Hungarian codex. Fun fact, The Komondor breed has been declared one of Hungary’s national treasures, to be preserved and protected from modification.

Kuvasz

This cutie is an ancient Hungarian dog that was originally used for guarding livestock. It is obviously a large dog with a dense double coat which is white in color and can range from wavy to straight in texture. The Kuvasz are not as robust and bulky as the Swiss mountain dogs but still large and agile enough to help the shepherds protect their herds. They are a smart and intelligent dog and is often described as even having a clownish sense of humor. Doesn’t get better than that.

Leonberger

Clearly, the Leonberger is a giant dog breed! The name comes from the city of Leonberg in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. According to town legend, the Leonberger was bred as a ‘symbolic dog’ that would mimic the lion in the town crest. Very interesting. This breed is also well socialized and trained, making it a great family dog.

Scottish deerhound

The Scottish Deerhound, or simply known as the Deerhound, is a tall breed of hound once bred to hunt the red deer. Tracing back to the Scots and Picts (tribal people living in today U.K.), and were used to help hunt for hoofed game. Males can usually be over 32 inches (80 cm) tall, and can weigh up to 110 pounds (50 kg). A females´ height is usually around 28 inches (70 cm), and its weight ranges from 75 to 95 pounds (35–43 kg).

Bernese mountain dog

The Bernese mountain dog is a mountain dog that was originally kept as a general farm dog. In the past, large Sennenhunde were also used as draft animals, pulling carts. The breed was officially established in 1907 and in 1937, the American Kennel Club recognized it. Today, the club classifies it as a member of the Working Group. It can get up to heights up to 24–28 in (61–71 cm) for males, while females are about 22–26 in (56–66 cm) in height. The weight of this breed can actually get up to 80–120 lb (35–55 kg) for males, and 70–110 lb (30–50 kg) for females.

Tibetan mastiff

Look at this adorable, fluffy bred! The Tibetan mastiff is typically found in Tibet, China, Nepal, and Central Asia. This breed is an ancient large, muscular dog with a thick, usually dark coat. Males can reach up to heights of up to 83 cm (33 inches) and weigh between 45–72 kg (100-160 pounds) but overweight dogs are quite common. That makes them even more cute. They’re known as a flock guardian dog in Tibet, and it is capable of confronting predators the size of wolves and leopards.

Landseer

This large breed is closely related to the Neapolitan mastiff, the Cane Corso is another Italian breed valued as an incredible hunter and guardian. It is well muscled but less bulky than most other mastiff breeds. It is also a bit smaller than the Neapolitan mastiff, reaching a height of about 70 cm (28 inches) at the withers and weighing anywhere from 40 to 50 kg (88 to 110 pounds). The average life expectancy of the breed is 10 to 12 years.

Dogue de Bordeaux

You can call this dog breed many names actually, why we don’t know, but here they are, the Dogue de Bordeaux, Bordeaux Mastiff, French Mastiff or Bordeauxdog. They are a large French Mastiff breed and are actually one of the most ancient French dog breeds. This is a very powerful dog, with a very muscular body. They often do work ranging from pulling carts and hauling heavy objects, to guarding flocks and, historically, the castles of the European elite.

The Irish wolfhound

This adorable breed is that of domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris), specifically a very large sighthound from Ireland. The name comes from its purpose—wolf hunting with dogs and not from its appearance. The Irish wolfhound was originally developed from war hounds to one used for hunting and guarding, they can often be an imposing sight due to their formidable size.

Anatolian shepherd

The Anatolian shepherd is a dog breed coming to us from the Anatolia region of central Turkey. This breed is known for its rugged, large and very strong demeanor, with good sight and hearing that allows it to protect livestock. It also has crazy high speed and agility so it is can run down a predator with great efficiency. Males can be up to 660 to 790 mm (26 to 31 inches) tall, and females are between 680 and 760 mm (27 to 30 inches). They weigh between about 40 and 70 kg (90 and 150 pounds), with females on the smaller side and males on the larger side.

Tosa Inu

The Tosa Inu was bred in Japan as a fighting dog and is considered a rare, robust breed. They often vary in size, as it generally weighs between 80 and 135 pounds (36 and 61 kg), while the non-Japanese breeders have focused on dogs that weigh from 130 to 200 pounds (60 to 100 kg) and stand up to 32 inches (82 cm) at the withers. It is rather sad that this breed is banned in many countries due to the fact that it was bred up to be a fighting dog.

Caucasian shepherd dog

Right then, the Caucasian shepherd dog is definitely not a lap dog! Females can measure up to 70 centimeters (28 inches) while males get up to 75 centimeters (30 inches). Whoa. This breed is highly popular in Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Northern Caucasian areas.