Giant Dog Breeds — Size Compared to a Person
Giant breeds — 28 inches and taller at the shoulder — are the largest size class. They typically weigh 100–200+ pounds, live 7–10 years, and include the breeds developed for large-game hunting, livestock guarding, and military or estate work.
The giant size class is small in number but conceptually the most distinctive. Great Danes, Irish Wolfhounds, Saint Bernards, Newfoundlands, Mastiffs, Tibetan Mastiffs, Great Pyrenees, Anatolian Shepherds, Leonbergers, Kuvasz. Most were bred for either guarding (livestock or property) or hunting large game (boar, bear, wolf). The Wolfhound holds the all-time record for shoulder height — 32" or more in adult males.
Giants are typically calmer than mediums and large breeds in the home, with energy needs lower than their size suggests — a Great Dane wants two real walks per day plus access to a yard, not the 90-minute trail runs a Border Collie demands. The exception is the working livestock-guardian giants (Pyrenees, Anatolian, Tibetan Mastiff), which retain serious working drive into adulthood.
Lifespan is the irreducible cost of giant-breed ownership. Most giants live 7–10 years, and some lines are even shorter. Cardiac, joint, and bloat risks are higher than in any other size class. The trade is a kind of dog you cannot get any other way: gentle, immense, and visibly aware of the space they take up.
All 19 giant breeds — pick one to see it next to a person
Sorted by shoulder height, smallest first. Click any breed to see its scale chart, size table, similar-size breeds, and a downloadable PNG.
- Borzoi 28″ / 90 lb
- Daniff 28″ / 130 lb
- Giant Maso Mastiff 28″ / 180 lb
- Newfoundland 28″ / 140 lb
- Saint Bernard 28″ / 160 lb
- Sloughi 28″ / 53 lb
- Anatolian Shepherd 29″ / 130 lb
- Black Russian Terrier 29″ / 105 lb
- Greyhound 29″ / 68 lb
- Kuvasz 29″ / 108 lb
- Neapolitan Mastiff 29″ / 150 lb
- Great Pyrenees 30″ / 100 lb
- Komondor 30″ / 100 lb
- Leonberger 30″ / 140 lb
- Mastiff 30″ / 195 lb
- Great Dane 31″ / 158 lb
- Scottish Deerhound 31″ / 98 lb
- Irish Wolfhound 32″ / 120 lb
- Spanish Mastiff 32″ / 170 lb
Curated head-to-head comparisons in this size range
- Great Pyrenees vs Newfoundland — Pyrenees vs Newfie — giant livestock guardian vs giant water dog.
- Chihuahua vs Great Dane — The full size range of domestic dog in one chart.
- Mastiff vs Yorkshire Terrier — Yorkie next to a Mastiff — extreme weight contrast.
- Pomeranian vs Saint Bernard — Pomeranian and Saint Bernard — fluff at both ends of the scale.
- Irish Wolfhound vs Toy Poodle — Toy Poodle and Irish Wolfhound — same coat group, opposite sizes.
- Maltese vs Newfoundland — Maltese and Newfoundland — five-pound vs 150-pound.
- Dachshund vs Great Dane — Long-low silhouette next to tall-and-tall.
- Affenpinscher vs Mastiff — Affenpinscher and Mastiff — toy terrier vs giant molosser.
Related
- Visual Breed Atlas (Giant section) — every giant breed drawn together
- Giant dog names — naming themes for this size class
- Dog Size Visualizer — pick up to 3 breeds interactively
- All 280 size comparison charts