DonW: What is (was) the largest dog breed?
I had a book that listed the Russian Ovcharka as the largest.
By that time, the breed was not recognized by AKC. I can't find any references to this Russian largest dog breed.
Answers and Views:
Answer by dogtrainer7
I always thought it is the Irish Wolfhound
Photo Credit: Claudio Gennari ..."Cogli l'attimo ferma il tempo"/Flickr CC
Answer by Q.M.
For years the Great Dane and the Irish Wolfhound have taken turns being the tallest and the heaviest dogs (see Ripley’s books). Saint Bernard and Mastiff (English) are usually the heaviest dogs. The Russian Ovcharka is not and I do not think has ever been. A breed you need to check out though for just plain being a large (not so tall) and massive” is the Spanish Mastiff — cool looking dogs!
Answer by Valley of the Danes
The largest AKC breed is the Irish Wolfhound (32″), with a close 2nd going to the Great Dane (30″ but preferred 32″ however most being shown measure 36″).
Dogs are measured at the withers while standing on all fours. NOT standing on their hind legs. Dogs do not walk around upright so they are not measured that way.
Dogs are not determined to be the largest based on weight because you could create an obese dog that weighs as much as a giant breed dog.
The Mastiff (not English Mastiff) which is recognized by the AKC has a standard that says 30″.
And the ones you see being shown are not any taller than a Wolfie or a Dane.
The South Russian Ovcharka, a herding breed, has a height of 24 – 25″ with a weight equivalent to its height.
Or could you be referring to the Circassian Orloff Wolfhound? That would be the Russian Wolfhound aka Borzoi, 28″.
Those dogs in Ripley’s are some of the worst representatives of the breed. That harl Dane is so dang tall primarily due to the fact the dog has no angles. Any idea if he’s neutered?
Answer by iBePWNIN ♥Great Dane Slobber♥
Do you mean the South Russian Ovcharka (the largest dog in Russia)?
https://www.russiandog.net/south-russian-ovcharka-white-russian-sheepdog.html
Or Caucasian Shepherd dog aka Caucasian Ovcharka?
They’re pretty big (click for VIDEO) if not compared to giant breeds (Caucasian Shepherd vs Great Dane, Caucasian Shepherd vs Saint Bernard).
The tallest dog was a Great Dane named Gibson, who was 42.2 inches tall at the shoulder and 7 feet tall when he stands up.
The heaviest dog is the English Mastiff.
Zorba the English Mastiff weighed 343 lbs and was almost 8 feet long from nose to tail.
Giant Dog sizes:
Irish Wolfhound: weight: 105-125 lbs. height: 35 in.
Great Danes: weight: 110-170 lbs. height: 30 – 38 inches.
English Mastiff: weight: 175-190 lbs. height: 27.5-30 in.
Neopolitan Mastiff: weight: 150-180 lbs. height: 26-31 in.
Newfoundland: weight: 130-150 lbs. height 28-30 in.
Saint Bernard: weight: 150-200 lbs. height: 27-30 in.
I’m going to say Great Danes are the largest breed. Although there are many that are very close.
Answer by Becca
Well, no breed is the biggest but Great Danes, Newfoundlands, Irish Wolfhounds, and Saint Bernards are some huge dogs!
I wonder how would Caucasian Shepherd-Great Dane mix look like.
Answer by eefs
An English Mastiff called Zorba was the largest dog ever recorded
In general, a lot of the big working and mountain dogs such as St. Bernard, Newfoundland, Burmese mountain dog, etc..can grow quite large, males more so than the females.
But by height, I would probably say the Irish Wolfhound overall.
I had the pleasure of seeing one once, amazingly tall.
Answer by rocky bw
If the dog is standing on all fours, I also believe it is the Irish wolfhound that I have seen and petted. It is big! I know that the Russian Ovcharka is also large, but believe the Irish Wolfhound is the larger breed. You will want to remember that each breed will have a range of sizes. You could probably find a runt Irish wolfhound smaller than another kind of wolfhound.
Know better? Give your own answer to this question!
John says
The dogs of all breeds likes humans. Are all different. We had an Irish Wolfhound who was 220 pounds with zero visible fat anywhere. He ran up and down the mountains we lived on. He had a great fun life. Our CO chased off a giant black bear. No they did not fight. In my experience predators want to examine the situation and avoid a major injury. When hurt they cannot hunt. Our CO or Caucasian Ovcharka never runs away. She runs at the predators. Once the predators are off or over our property line. Caucasian Ovcharka dogs do not chase predators over their property line and keep chasing them for miles past that. Can not speak for all Kangle dogs but we heard (hear- say) that Kangle dogs will chase the predators far away from the animals they should be protecting. Farmers & Ranchers need a protection dogs who stay close enough to their flocks & herds to keep them safe. To us, Caucasian Ovcharka dogs are the best for our needs. We will not buy a mini bred down in our opinion fake tiny CO dog. Larger healthy CO’s with strong bones 🦴 and great hips elbows etc are safer around hungry predators. Many farms and ranches have many dogs protecting their animals. There is strength in numbers! We do not raise fighters or killers. You don’t need to. They practice fighting without harming each other all day. They look like they are harming each other. At the end of the day. Not s drop 🩸of blood 🩸is shed.
Dean Parker says
While the Great Dane and the Irish Wolf Hound are two of the tallest. neither can be called the biggest.
the old English Mastiff held the record until they stopped keeping record. The weight was 342 lb’s. The Newfoundland was second 264 lb’s, The St. Bernard, Great Pyrenees and Great Dane were close Behind.
Fish Forever says
I am curious to see what my puppy will turn out like. He is Great Dane and Caucasian Shepherd at 16 weeks he is 65 pounds. Fawn colour but his hair is a little longer than a Dane’s.
RussianDog says
Difficult to imagine what it could be. If you have a picture online, please post a link.
Fish Forever says
I am not sure how to post a picture of him. I do not have anything online to paste a link. Any other suggestions?
RussianDog says
We’ve received the picture on Facebook. Thank you for sharing.
Want it bad! says
The pure bred English Mastiff is the largest dog
Google it on google images
Amanda says
Adult English Mastiffs would be my guess.
atvrider95 says
greats danes or irish wolfhound
Dean Parker says
You need to ask the Russians why they did that. I do agree, there is no need to take out name Russian from the Dog’s name. It is a Noble Dog. One of three I would consider if I didn’t get a Newfoundland. I believe They and the Pyrean Mastiff may have been part of The Newfoundland Heritage. They were both Roman war Dogs and existed before the record show.
vladimir meskheli says
take out the russian from title its an insult.