Facts on Large Dog Breeds

For the Pug readers and people who think that toy dogs are not an appealing option, the large dog breeds could be a better option. In terms of large dog breeds, we at Pug, need to mention the Great Dane that holds the 42,2 inch record (measured at the shoulder) with that size you could not complain about not having a pretty “decent” sized dog that can make other dogs look very small. It is very important to understand that large dog breeds will demand more space, a bigger dog house, larger amounts of food and more of pretty much everything else a dog needs. The word to be emphasized here is more. In this article Pug will talk about the 5 largest breeds of dogs in the world. The Irish Wolfhound, the Saint Bernard, the Great Dane, the English Mastiff, the Anatolian Shepherd, and the Borzoi.

The Irish Wolfhound are usually thought of as the tallest dog breed, reaching heights between 31 to 34 inches and depending on gender factors, they weigh from 110 to 180 pounds. These dogs were first bred by the Celts as war dogs, evolving later as hunt dogs specialized in hunting wolves and boars. If you are not thinking about making war or hunting for wolves, we can rely on these dogs to be gentle and great for children.

Now Pug will talk about the Saint Bernard, this huge dog can be as tall as 35 inches and weight an outstanding 240 pounds as adults. It has been said that larger specimens have reached an incredible 357 pound mark. These dogs, just like any other large dogs are likely to develop hip and elbow dysplasia. An interesting fact about this large dog is the fact that according to the St. Bernard Hospice monks have repeatedly said that the dog pictures of a Saint Bernard carrying a brandy cask to rescue people caught in snowstorms never happened.

Also, we at Pug cannot talk about large dogs without mentioning the Great Dane. As it was mentioned before, according to the Guinness Book it is a Great Dane that holds the record of the tallest dogs of the world. (42,2 inches). The origins are thought to be in Germany rather than in Denmark.

The English Mastiff is a massive dog that weighs anywhere from 130 to 200+ pounds, standing at 30 inches at their withers. This breed has a violent past, having been bred for bear and bull baiting. It is hard to believe that these gentle dogs that are characterized by being so gentle had such a violent beginnings. Pug recommends this breed as a great family dog.

Last but not least, we have the Anatolian Shepherd. This could be the least common of our list, we can trace its origins back to Turkey where they were bred to protect sheep flocks for wolves and bears. They measure 28 to 30 inches at the withers and can reach the 150 pounds.