The World's 8 Largest Dog Breeds: Adorable Puppies Guaranteed to Melt Your Heart

When it comes to dogs, size does matter—especially when it comes to puppies. While these furry cuties are little balls of love no matter what their weight, the size of a dog breed has an impact on both his health and the amount of room he needs to run around. If you’re looking to adopt or buy a large dog breed that will do well with kids, play fetch all day long, and give you lots of cuddles, check out our list of the world’s largest dog breeds below!

👉 Great Dane
One of the largest dog breeds, Great Danes are well-known for their enormous size and long tongue. The average male weighs about 120 pounds and measures about 7 feet from nose to tail. Don’t let their intimidating appearance fool you; these dogs are known for being gentle giants. They also love water, which means they’re probably great at playing fetch!

👉 Irish Wolfhound
The Irish Wolfhound is an impressive sight on any street, towering over most other dogs. As far as large dog breeds go, these friendly pups are about as big as they come. The average male stands at 34 inches tall and weighs 120 pounds—and a few may even reach 7 feet tall and weigh 200 pounds or more! This gentle giant loves nothing more than lazing around with family members.

👉 St. Bernard
This friendly, gentle giant can grow up to 32 inches tall and weigh up to 220 pounds. Typically with deep brown eyes and a black nose, they have long floppy ears that reach down near their jawline. The St. Bernard was bred in Switzerland by monks as a rescue dog for assisting travelers during avalanches. They have an excellent sense of smell and can locate people buried under several feet of snow or any other situation where victims are trapped under rubble.

👉 English Mastiff
The English Mastiff is one of Britain’s oldest canine breeds, dating back at least 500 years. Despite their intimidating size, they are incredibly gentle dogs that adore children and get along well with other pets. The current world record holder for tallest dog, Gibson, was an English Mastiff who measured 43 inches from paw to shoulder and weighed 203 pounds! (source)

👉 Newfoundland
One of the world’s largest dog breeds, Newfoundlands are gentle giants who love their humans and make great family pets. Originally bred as a working dog for fishermen in Newfoundland, these canines were affectionately nicknamed Nature’s Babysitter. With an expected lifespan of about 10 years, Newfoundlands are relatively long-lived dogs that need daily exercise like swimming or walking.

👉 Scottish Deerhound
Once kept as a hunting dog, today’s Scottish Deerhound is usually a family pet. With a powerful yet elegant build, and long legs, these dogs can reach up to 34 inches in height and weigh up to 100 pounds. As friendly as they are big—perfect for an energetic owner looking for a large breed with lots of personality. If you’re thinking about adopting a Scottish Deerhound, don’t miss these facts about their characteristics!

👉 Leonberger
The Leonberger (German for lion-bearer) is a giant dog breed. The average male weighs up to 150 kg (331 lb) and measures 87–106 cm (34–42 in) at the withers, while females weigh 120–150 kg (264–331 lb). Both genders have very strong bodies with relatively thin necks, and have similar, somewhat blunt muzzles.

👉 Tibetan Mastiff
The Tibetan Mastiff is an ancient breed of giant dog that originated in China. The breed’s massive size is thought to have been developed by breeding a Tibetan wolf (Canis lupus chanco) with large mastiff-type dogs that were brought to Tibet by humans thousands of years ago. The breed has been used as a guard dog, a shepherd and even a draught animal because of its great strength.