Ten of the largest dog breeds
Largest dog breeds:
Throughout the world, dogs are bred to suit the climate and country that they are living in. This can therefore effect a number of their key features such as their fur, paws and size.
Compare pet insuranceHere we look at some of the largest dog breeds in the world.
The breed of Akita dogs are the largest breed of Japanese dogs, they also known as the Japanese Akita. The first breed of Akita dogs was during the 1600s, they were first bred in order to help the Japanese hunting and they were also bred for dog fighting. Up until the 1930s the Akita breed of dogs became virtually extinct, this was when the Society for the Preservation of Japanese Breeds worked in order to save the dogs.
In today’s society the Akita breed is seen as an active, intelligent, mild-mannered and cautious dog. They have also proven to be a very dedicated pet and show high devotion to their owners, Akita have become trusted companions through-out different circumstances from playing to acting as a security dog for their owners.
Akita dogs have a very specific look; with small brown eyes, a big black nose and small triangular ears – their ears are also always standing up. Male Akita’s tend to weigh in from 95lbs to 130lbs at the largest and at the tallest height they reach to 28 inches, female Akita’s are just that bit smaller at the tallest reaching a height of 26 inches and weighing from 70lbs to 110lbs.
Akita’s don’t tend to be one particular colour and can go from some being black to others being white. However the colour of the breed does seem to depend on the country in which they are breed, for example Akita dogs bred in Japan tend to be orange or white and those bred in Europe tend to have a black muzzle with a black or brown coat.
Anatolian Shepherd dogs are originally from Turkey, and are from Turkish descent, with them looking very familiar to Turkish Sheepdogs. They are also known as the Karabash, Kangal dogs and Coban Kopengi dogs; they were first bred around the middle ages in order to project sheep from bears, wolves and jackals.
The Anatolian Shepherd it a particular strong dog which are both natural and loyal protectors, not only are they very powerfully willed dogs they are extremely independent and are very protective of their territory. The breed can be used as family dogs that can be trusted to be used as both protection and security, however due to their strong protective nature owners have to be sure to introduce strangers who may visit their home to their Anatolian Shepherd or they may find they won’t let them past the front door!
These dogs are still used widely as sheep dogs as their stamina and intelligence make them one of the best sheep dogs. Not only this but they are an extremely alert and observant bred that ensure the flocks are safe.
Anatolian Shepherds tend to be muscular, with a robust neck – this adds to their powerful and strong presence. Male dogs tend to weigh in around 125 pounds and be about 29 inches tall. Female Anatolian shepherds weight about 100 pounds and are about 27 inches tall. These dogs tend to be of a fawn colour with a black mask or pinto, brindle or white.
Great Danes were first bred in Germany and are a very well known and popular breed, first bred in the Middle Ages to be used for hunting and were also seen as war dogs. Great Dane also come under the names of German Mastiff and have also been give the nickname the ‘Apollo’ of dogs due to their ability of being able to take on large and powerful dogs, not only are they able to take them on but they also gave the ability to bring them down.
Great Danes are extremely elegant and stunning dogs due to their stunning looks and features. They have a short dense coat and a long tail; their eyes tend to be of a medium size, dark and deep-set. Their ears tend to fold forward though they are high set, with a normally black snout – however if they are blue it tends to be black and blue spotted.
However Great Danes can come in a number of colours from black to brindle, blue, harlequin and fawn to name a few. Black Danes have particularly polished coats, brindle Danes tend to have brindle stripes through their coats with a gold base colour to them. Harlequin Danes have a white base with black spots on them, whilst mantle Danes are black with both a white muzzle and white patches. Female Danes tend to be around 30 inches tall and weigh about 120 lbs, whilst male Danes are on average 32 inches tall and 160lbs.
Great Danes are one of the most loving and gentle breed of dogs, and for this reason are an extremely popular family pet. Danes are very trust worthy companion dogs and are very good around children, as they are friendly and affectionate dogs. Danes are extremely reliable and are favoured also by families for its skill of guarding, these dogs very rarely bark and when they do it is only to alert someone – which makes it obvious to see why they are particularly good for security.
Irish wolfhounds were first bred in the 1800s in Ireland to be used as hunting dogs, not only this but they are one of the tallest bred of dogs in the world.
Today the Irish wolfhound is used for family dogs, they may have been bred for wolf hunting but they are one of the most kindest and loving breeds of dogs in the world – which surprises many people when they first see them due to the size of them. They are extremely good with good with children due to their sweet and kind loving nature. They are very good with stranglers and take well to guests within their home and are extremely loyal to their owners.
The first thing that you will notice about the Irish wolfhound is its height standing tall at around 32 inches for male wolfhounds and 30 inches tall for female wolfhounds. Wolfhounds are also notable for their rough and heavy fur, which also tends to look scruffy. Wolfhounds can be a number of colours such as black, grey, white or red. They also tend to have particularly large heads, with small ears and a large muzzle.
Both genders of wolfhound have muscular and strong legs, which along with its height add to their strong and powerful presences. Irish wolfhounds are a particularly fast growing breed and tend to be very clumsy during their puppy age.
Also known as the English Mastiff, they were first bred as a military fighting dog in England, however they are now kept as loving family pets used to guard the family.
They are particularly large dogs, with males weighing about 190 pounds and being about 32 inches tall, female Mastiff’s weigh about 150 pounds and stand about 27 inches. Their eyes small and dark but set widely apart, their noses tend to be flat and have a short, board dark muzzle, their fur is short and the colour varies from apricot, fawn and brindle.
Mastiff’s are extremely good with children, this is down to their playful nature, this makes them a very popular family pet as they are very caring and enjoy playing games with their owners. They are also easy going dogs that are very gentle, which again is why they are so popular with families. However due to their loving nature Mastiff’s become extremely protective of their owners and tend to bark quite easily if they believe their family could be in danger. This can therefore mean they require obedience training; this is something that is best to start from a young age in order to get them used to both people and other animals.
Saint Bernard’s get their name as they were originally raised by Bernadine Monks in Switzerland since the 1600s where they were used as rescue dogs; they are also called Alpine Mastiff. They are now however kept for both companionship and family pets.
Saint Bernard’s love children and are patient, loving and kind, this is also a reason as to why they are favoured by owners as companions. They are also intelligent dogs which mean they are easy to train, however it is advised that they are trained from a young age so that they grow up with the training. Though their attitude is very easy going and loving Saint Bernard’s will protect their family if and when they need to.
Saint Bernard’s can be both short haired and long haired, with the shorter haired coat tending to be very soft and smooth whereas longer haired coasts tend to be rougher, they often have a natural wave to them too. They tend to have white patched on their coat around their feet, tail, chest, forehead nose and collar; however they can be white with red shades to them or brindle with white patches to them. Even though they are largest dogs they aren’t particularly tall with males reaching on average 28 inches and weighing 175 lbs, however female Bernard’s stand taller at 36 inches and weigh 130 lbs.
They are a bred which tends to have large heads and above their eyes they have winkles their muzzles tend to be short and wide and they have black lips. They also have strong and muscular legs and a long straight tail.
Also known as the Do-Khyi, they originate from Tibet and were used to herd and guard. Today they are still used as a guard dog; people also choose to have them as a companion.
They are an extremely independent dog which means they tend to do what they want and can therefore be difficult to train, however if trained from a very young age they can be managed a lot better. They are very intelligent dogs that become both protective of its surroundings and its family, which means they have to be kept under a watchful eye when they are around strangers. It is also important to social this breed of dogs from a young age but it is important to do this because of their strong instinct to guard.
Tibetan Mastiff’s have a double coat with its outer layer being very long and thick with a natural wave to it, its undercoat is a lot shorter and heavy, this is particularly useful to them as it keeps them warm in the winter months. They tend to vary in colour from black, grey, sable and brindle.
Though they have a tendency to drool they are gorgeous dogs with medium sized dark eyes with v-shaped ears which become raised when they are alerted, their noses tend to be wide and back.
This bred originates from Switzerland in the early 1900s and were used as a daft dog by farmers, which is why they are also known as the Greater Swiss Cattle dog. They are now kept in homes all over the world.
They have a short haired coat, their coat is tri-coloured with the top coat being black with white and rust markings ad their undercoat being a mixture of tawny and grey shades. They also have a number of rust markings on their coat around their chest and eyes, whereas they have white patches on their neck, muzzle and sometimes on their paws.
Swiss Mountain Dogs are extremely energetic caring and lovable. They are great family pets as they are great around children and enjoy being around their owners as much as they can be, for this reason they tend to bark a lot if strangers are near as they become very protective of their family.
They have lovely brown circular eyes, with a flat black nose and triangular ears, male Swiss Mountain dogs tend to be around 140 pounds and 28 inches tall, whereas females tend to weigh 110 pounds and be 26 inches tall.
Are widely used as companion dogs, they are originally bred in Hungary and so are known as Hungarian Kuvasz used as guard dogs.
Due to their background they are extremely protective of their family; they are however a very courageous dog which means they don’t ever really fully let their guard down. Kuvasz are extremely intelligent and so take very well to training and are hard working dogs which are able to work for a very long period of time before they become tried. Even though they are a courageous dog they are very sensitive and they love nothing more than being around their family, and so if they are left for long periods of time without their family they can become destructive.
Though they are a strong and powerful dog they aren’t at the large end of the dog scale with male Kuvasz being an at the tallest 28 inches tall and weighing at the most 115 pounds, female Kuvasz tend to be the same height and can weigh at the most 90 pounds.
They are also known for their ‘cat-like’ paws as they are very small in comparison to the rest of their body, they have a double coat with the top being rough and wavy or straight and the undercoat tends to be smooth and thin, they also tend to be white but can have patches of grey or black. They also have v-shaped ears and almond shaped brown eyes.
Caucasian Mountain dogs were first used as a guard dog, however this changed in 1960s to them being used as a border petrol dog in East Germany. They are now used a guard dogs and are the most popular mountain dog in Russia.
As the name states these are mountain dogs and so they are suited for cold weather, which is obvious in their appearance as they have an extremely thick coat of fur. They have large paws, along with strong legs – which helps them in the mountains, they can be a number of colours however the majority of Caucasian’s tend to be tan, brindle, fawn and pied.
Caucasians, also known as the Caucasian Ovtcharka aren’t at all family dogs, and should never be left around children. This is due to them being very courageous and independent dog, which are also suspicious of strangers. These are also dogs that need to be trained – and from a young age as if they aren’t then they can become extremely aggressive and uncontrollable.
Male Caucasians tend to be about 150 pounds and stand around 30 inches tall, whereas the females weigh about 120 pounds and stand at 27 inches.