Big Dog: How Big Is Your Ideal Choice?

Are you looking for Newfoundland? St. Bernard? Or the breed with lesser hair such as Great Danes? How about the ancient dog breed, Irish Wolfhound? Or an Akita, Malamute, Leonberger or Tibetan Mastiff?

When you talk about big dogs, the options are also as huge as their physical appearances. Opting to get a big dog really needs a thorough consideration especially with your purpose of breeding such.

You need to do a painstaking research and grab several books containing information about large breeds. There are a lot of books regarding breed selection such as the American Kennel Club Dog Book, Michelle Lowell's Your Purebred Puppy and Chris Walkowicz's The Perfect Match.

As much as possible, list your requirements for big dog breeding and its responsibilities for proper care. The size is no longer debatable, apart from the bog dog's attitude to the children, trainability, coat care, exercise needs, guarding ability and hugging enjoyments.

Female big dog breeds are more preferred than males since females are smaller breeds. Another thing to note about big dog breeding is the pet training, walking, grooming and feeding.

Here are the different big dog breeds that you can choose from:

Great Dane – weighs about 120 to 150 pounds and its height is 28 to 30 inches tall. They were commonly bred as guard dogs and boar hunters in Germany. They are known to be easy-going, gentle and good with kids however they can be inept with toddlers.

St. Bernard – weighs 150 to 170 pounds and stands 25.5 to 27.5 tall. In Alps, they were rescue dogs. They are sensible, calm, patient and gentle. Its thick coat sheds heavily. Certainly an indoor breed and is easy to train.

Newfoundland – weighs 110 to 150 pounds, raised as carting and rescue dogs in Newfoundland community. They enjoy the outdoor but must live inside the house. They are not ideal guard dogs though they will look after their owner.

Alaskan Malamute – weighs 75 to 110 pounds and was sled dogs in Alaska. They tend to be aggressive and domineering and may be hard to train. They are susceptible to dwarfism.

Mastiff – weighs 170 to 200 pounds. For Romans, they are war dogs although they are known to be dignified, easy going and calm. Due to its size, they are sometimes hard to train. They also have the ability to become stubborn.


Among the other big dog breeds that you can choose to take care and breed include the Borzoi, the Irish Wolfhound, the Scottish Deerhound, the Bullmastiff, the Great Pyrenees, the Rottweiler, Akita, German Shepherd, Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs and Bernese Mountain Dogs.

Aside from researching about big dog breeding, you can also attend dog shows in your city and ask exhibitors and big dog breeders because they can definitely provide you substantial and helpful information in your venture of raising large dog breeds.