30 Sep What Is The Largest Breed of Dog Known To Man?

The title of “largest breed” has been debated by numerous canine groups and enthusiasts, each with their own version of what largest really means. Is large defined by weight? Is large defined by height? Or is it defined by a combination of the two? For the purposes of record-keeping, the debate has been divided into two categories in order to better organize and eliminate any questions that may come up among the competition. While there are many dog lovers all across the world, there are some canine enthusiasts that have an affinity toward the larger breeds. While other people may feel intimidated by a dog that is taller than them when standing on their rear legs, or outweighs them by 100 pounds, the large breed lovers feel nothing but compassion and warmth when approached by these dogs. Large dogs are majestic, but do not let their massive exterior fool you, most have a friendly personality.

Based on Weight

An English Mastiff named Zorba, now deceased, weighed in at an extraordinary 343 pounds in 1989. St. Bernard’s also top the charts for weight. A St. Bernard, known as Benedictine, was once recorded as weighing 357 pounds.
Though both the English Mastiff and St. Bernard breeds are consistently among the top in the weight class, the Mastiff typically outweighs the St. Bernard. The weight of a fully grown male Mastiff ranges between 180 and 250 pounds, on average; whereas the St. Bernard averages between 150 and 200 pounds.

Based on Height

As of February 15, 2010, a blue Great Dane, named Giant George, held The Guinness World Record for the world’s tallest living dog. In the past, other great Danes have held this title as well; however, the Irish Wolfhound typically stands taller than Danes. Great Danes tend to stand between 28 inches and 32 inches at the shoulder, while Irish Wolfhounds often tower Danes by 2 to 3 inches.

All of the aforementioned dogs are considered large breeds, giants even. Other larger breeds include the Borzoi, Scottish Deerhound, Newfoundland, Great Pyrenees, Neapolitan Mastiff, Leonberger, and the Caucasian Shepherd Dog. Many of these large breed dogs, including the Mastiff, Newfie, and St. Bernard, belong to a group called Molossers. Molossers encompass a great many breeds of large dogs known to have a great amount of mass. Owners of any of these breeds will tell you what wonderful companions they make. They are known for being kind with children, protective of their families, and loyal to a fault. These large dogs are known as “gentle giants”. While they certainly have a giant body, most also have an extremely gentle temperament.