Big Dog Breeds: 20 Large and Giant Breeds Compared by Size

The Mastiff is the heaviest of the big dog breeds and the Irish Wolfhound is the tallest, but “big” covers a wide range. A 65-lb Labrador Retriever and a 200-lb Boerboel are both big dogs, but only one belongs to the group the AKC warns may end up outweighing its owner. Below are 20 large and giant breeds side by side, with every height, weight and life-expectancy figure taken from the breed’s official American Kennel Club (AKC) page or breed standard.

Big dog breeds compared: height, weight, lifespan and energy

Figures are male / female as published by the AKC (checked October 2026). Energy is the AKC’s 1-5 rating, from “couch potato” (1) to “high energy” (5). “Best for” notes draw on the AKC’s other 1-5 trait ratings.

Breed	Height (M / F)	Weight (M / F)	Life expectancy	Energy	Best for
Mastiff	30+ / 27.5+ in	160-230 / 120-170 lb	6-10 yrs	3	Calm homes; 5/5 with kids, drool 4/5
Boerboel	24-27 / 22-25 in	150-200 lb	9-11 yrs	3	Experienced owners; AKC says not for novices
Saint Bernard	28-30 / 26-28 in	140-180 / 120-140 lb	8-10 yrs	3	Families; 5/5 with kids, drool 5/5
Great Dane	30-32 / 28-30 in	140-175 / 110-140 lb	7-10 yrs	4	Height lovers; friendly, patient temperament
Leonberger	28-31.5 / 25.5-29.5 in	110-170 / 90-140 lb	7 yrs	3	Social families; 5/5 with kids and strangers
Newfoundland	28 / 26 in (average)	130-150 / 100-120 lb	9-10 yrs	3	Families; sweet and patient, drool 5/5
Neapolitan Mastiff	26-31 / 24-29 in	150 / 110 lb	7-9 yrs	2	Low-activity homes; drool 5/5
Anatolian Shepherd Dog	29 / 27 in	110-150 / 80-120 lb	11-13 yrs	3	Experienced owners; reserved with strangers (1/5)
Tibetan Mastiff	26+ / 24+ in	90-150 / 70-120 lb	10-12 yrs	3	Experienced owners; independent, reserved (1/5)
Greater Swiss Mountain Dog	25.5-28.5 / 23.7-27 in	115-140 / 85-110 lb	8-11 yrs	4	Active families; 5/5 with kids and strangers
Rottweiler	24-27 / 22-25 in	95-135 / 80-100 lb	9-10 yrs	3	Owners who will train daily; trainability 5/5
Bullmastiff	25-27 / 24-26 in	110-130 / 100-120 lb	7-9 yrs	4	A quiet watchdog; barking 1/5
Black Russian Terrier	27-30 / 26-29 in	80-130 lb	10-12 yrs	4	Active, experienced owners; wary of strangers (2/5)
Irish Wolfhound	32+ / 30+ in (minimum)	120+ / 105+ lb (minimum)	6-8 yrs	3	The tallest dog; calm, rarely barks (1/5)
Bernese Mountain Dog	25-27.5 / 23-26 in	80-115 / 70-95 lb	7-10 yrs	4	Families; 5/5 with kids, shedding 5/5
Scottish Deerhound	30-32 / 28+ in	85-110 / 75-95 lb	8-11 yrs	3	Tall without bulk; drool 1/5
Great Pyrenees	27-32 / 25-29 in	100+ / 85+ lb	10-12 yrs	3	A patient, calm guardian with a longer life
Cane Corso	25-27.5 / 23.5-26 in	In proportion to height (no AKC figure)	9-12 yrs	4	Owners ready to socialize early; shedding 2/5
German Shepherd Dog	24-26 / 22-24 in	65-90 / 50-70 lb	12-14 yrs	5	Active families; 5/5 with kids
Labrador Retriever	22.5-24.5 / 21.5-23.5 in	65-80 / 55-70 lb	11-13 yrs	5	First big dog; 5/5 with kids and strangers

Size and lifespan move in opposite directions: 10 of the 18 giant and near-giant breeds above top out at 10 years or less, while the German Shepherd (12-14) and Lab (11-13) last longer. Energy is not tied to size. The Neapolitan Mastiff is rated 2, the German Shepherd 5.

The biggest dog breed, by height and by weight

“Biggest” means two different things, and the answer changes with each.

Really tall dogs

• Irish Wolfhound. The AKC’s tallest breed. Its standard sets minimums of 32 inches (males) and 30 (females) and aims for males averaging 32-34 inches.
• Great Dane. Males must be at least 30 inches at the shoulder, and the standard prefers 32 inches or more.
• Scottish Deerhound. Males 30-32 inches, females 28 inches and up, at a much lighter 75-110 lb.
• Great Pyrenees, Leonberger, Neapolitan Mastiff. Males reach up to 32, 31.5 and 31 inches.

Big, huge, heavy dogs

By weight, the Mastiff leads (160-230 lb for males), ahead of the Boerboel (150-200 lb), Saint Bernard (140-180 lb) and Great Dane (140-175 lb). A tall dog is not automatically a heavy one. The AKC minimum for a male Irish Wolfhound is 32 inches and 120 lb; a male Mastiff’s range starts at 30 inches and 160 lb. Sighthounds are built lean.

Large vs. giant dog breeds: where the line is

There is no official line; pet food rules come closest. Since 2016, AAFCO labeling rules require a puppy food that claims to support growth to say whether that includes “large-size dogs (70 lbs or more as an adult),” as Tufts veterinary nutritionist Deborah Linder explains. She notes some vets prefer a more cautious 50-lb cutoff. “Giant” is the everyday term for breeds that can top 100 lb.

In practice, the Labrador, German Shepherd, Golden Retriever (AKC: 65-75 lb males) and Alaskan Malamute (85 lb males) are large breeds. Most of the table above is giant.

What owning a giant dog really involves

Space, gear and logistics

The AKC’s guide to the largest breeds spells out the practical side. Crates, beds, bowls and collars must be sized up. Many apartments, rentals and hotels set weight limits that giant breeds exceed. Fewer pet sitters, walkers and boarding kennels are comfortable handling a dog that weighs as much as an adult. Some clinics, especially in cities, may lack equipment safe for giant dogs during X-rays or surgery. Before you pick a puppy, confirm that your lease, your car and your nearest vet can all handle a 150-lb adult.

Food: why cost does not rise one-for-one with weight

One formula vets use for a dog’s resting energy requirement (RER) is 70 × (body weight in kg)^0.75, which dvm360 gives for larger patients. Because of that ¾ power, calories climb more slowly than body weight:

Adult weight	Resting calories per day (RER)	Compared with a 50-lb dog
50 lb (22.7 kg)	about 727 kcal	1x
100 lb (45.4 kg)	about 1,223 kcal	1.7x
150 lb (68 kg)	about 1,658 kcal	2.3x
200 lb (90.7 kg)	about 2,058 kcal	2.8x

So a 150-lb dog weighs three times as much as a 50-lb dog but needs about 2.3 times the resting calories. RER is only the baseline; your vet multiplies it by a factor for age, activity and neuter status. To budget without guessing, divide that daily calorie target by the kcal per cup printed on the bag, multiply by 30, and price that many cups at what you actually pay.

Medication is different: the AKC notes that vets often dose drugs by body weight, so preventives and prescriptions cost more for a bigger dog.

A shorter life

The Irish Wolfhound is listed at 6-8 years and the Leonberger at 7. The Dogue de Bordeaux, not in the table, is listed at 5-8. Compare the German Shepherd at 12-14. For a longer-lived big dog, look at the Anatolian Shepherd Dog (11-13), Great Pyrenees, Tibetan Mastiff or Black Russian Terrier (10-12 each).

Joints: hip and elbow dysplasia

The American College of Veterinary Surgeons (ACVS) says hip dysplasia “occurs most commonly in large breed dogs.” Genetics is “the biggest single risk factor,” and “rapid weight gain and growth through excessive nutritional intake” can make it worse. Loose hips can show up in puppies as young as 10 weeks, and the ACVS advises keeping dogs “very slim from the outset.” AKC health notes for the Bernese, Bullmastiff, Great Pyrenees and Mastiff name hip dysplasia among the conditions breeders screen for, so ask to see the parents’ hip and elbow results.

Bloat (GDV) in deep-chested breeds

In gastric dilatation-volvulus, the stomach fills with gas, food or fluid and then twists. The Cornell Riney Canine Health Center says “large, deep-chested dogs are most at risk.” The ACVS lists Great Danes and Saint Bernards among the breeds reported most often. The AKC’s Great Dane page goes further: bloat “is the number-one killer of Danes.”

Risk factors Cornell lists:

• older age
• eating fast
• one large meal a day
• a raised food bowl
• exercise soon after eating
• a parent or sibling that had GDV
• a nervous temperament
• dry food with oils among the first four ingredients

With treatment, Cornell puts survival above 80 percent. The ACVS puts mortality at about 15 percent, higher when signs have lasted more than 6 hours.

Prevention you can control:

• Feed two or more smaller meals a day instead of one big one.
• Skip the raised bowl.
• Keep the dog quiet after meals.
• Ask your vet about a prophylactic gastropexy, which tacks the stomach to the body wall. Many surgeons recommend it for at-risk breeds, and it can be done during a spay or neuter. It does not stop bloating, but it is meant to stop the twist. After a GDV episode, Cornell reports it cuts recurrence to as low as 3-5 percent, versus up to 80 percent without it.

Raising a giant-breed puppy

VCA Animal Hospitals lays out the basics:

• Pick the right label. Choose a growth food that states it covers large-size dogs (70 lb or more as adults). Tufts warns about a look-alike “except for” version.
• Do not add calcium. Puppies absorb calcium they don’t need, and VCA warns that excess can cause skeletal malformations. Skip supplements unless your vet prescribes them.
• Measure by weight. Feed several small meals a day and weigh portions on a gram scale, which VCA calls far more accurate than a measuring cup.
• Keep treats under 10 percent of daily calories.
• Aim for lean, not fast. VCA warns that fast growth stresses developing bones and joints, and the ACVS wants dogs kept slim from puppyhood on. Ask your vet to track your puppy on a growth curve.
• Plan for a long puppyhood. Large and giant breeds can take up to two years to reach adult weight, so they may stay on puppy food that long.

The AKC adds that young giants are especially prone to joint injuries, so manage their exercise during the growth phase.

Training cannot wait

Jumping up, leash pulling and counter-surfing are minor in a small dog. In one that weighs “well over 100 pounds,” as the AKC puts it, they become hard to manage. Start training and socializing in puppyhood.

Which big breed fits you?

Use the AKC ratings from the table to narrow your list, then meet adult dogs of the breed before you choose a puppy.

If you want…	Start with	Think twice about
A family dog with young kids	Labrador Retriever, Newfoundland, Leonberger, Greater Swiss (5/5 with kids)	Anatolian Shepherd, Tibetan Mastiff (1/5 with strangers)
The tallest dog possible	Irish Wolfhound, Great Dane, Scottish Deerhound	Their 6-11 year life expectancies
Maximum size and mass	Mastiff, Boerboel, Saint Bernard	Lease weight limits; drool (Mastiff 4/5, Saint Bernard 5/5)
A calmer, quieter dog	Neapolitan Mastiff (energy 2/5), Mastiff, Newfoundland (barking 1/5)	German Shepherd, Labrador (energy 5/5)
Little drool	Scottish Deerhound, Anatolian Shepherd (1/5)	Newfoundland, Saint Bernard, Neapolitan Mastiff (5/5)
The longest life	German Shepherd (12-14), Anatolian Shepherd, Labrador (11-13)	Irish Wolfhound (6-8), Leonberger (7)
A guardian, and you have training experience	Rottweiler (trainability 5/5), Cane Corso, Boerboel	Anatolian Shepherd (AKC: no guard-dog training), Tibetan Mastiff (AKC: no reliable recall)

Landed on a giant breed? Talk to your vet about gastropexy and a growth-feeding plan before the puppy comes home.