Large dog breeds

All you need to know about big dogs

Interested in buying large dog breeds? Here are descriptions and facts about many different big dogs that will make the task of choosing a dog breed easier.

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Big dogs are popular with people who want a gentle giant - and who don't mind paying a larger food bill! Surprisingly though, just because they are big, many of these dogs don't often eat that much or need much exercise. Some are simply not very active dogs.

Don't forget to check out our Medium Sized Dogs page, Small Dog Breeds page or Toy Dog Breeds page if you decide you would like something smaller!

On this page:

Definition of a large dog

List of large dog breeds

Definition of a large dog

Large dogs are generally over 60 cm (26 inches) at the shoulder. They would generally weigh more than 25kg (50 pounds).

There's no hard and fast rule, though, as there is no official kennel council or club group for these breeds.

Some of the dogs listed below might also fall into the medium sized category - particularly the females. So do check the breed descriptions if you want to be sure how large a puppy will grow.

If you're going for mixed breed dogs or crossbreeds, make sure you know what different breeds have gone into your puppy because crossing some large dogs with a smaller breed could result in a smaller dog than you were expecting!

But it might go the other way too - crossing two very large breed dogs could result in a dog too big to handle. Or it could have health problems associated with its size.

Buying a puppy? Other useful pages

Large dog breeds generally don't live as long as smaller dogs so if you want a companion who will be around for more than 10 years, you might want to check out a smaller breed (see Medium Sized Dogs, Small Dog Breeds or Toy Dog Breeds.)

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