Large Dog Breeds (Ranked by Popularity)

Labrador Retriever

Good-natured, water-loving gundog whose easygoing temper and appetite for play make it America's long-running family favorite.

Large · 11–13 years

Golden Retriever

Warm-hearted, biddable retriever with a flowing gold coat that wants nothing more than to be part of everything the family does.

Large · 10–12 years

German Shepherd Dog

Confident, quick-learning herding dog prized for police and service work, deeply loyal to its own people and watchful of everyone else.

Large · 9–13 years

Poodle

Sharp-witted, athletic water retriever in three sizes, wearing a curly low-shed coat that needs regular clipping.

Toy–Large · 10–18 years

Rottweiler

Powerful black-and-rust guardian descended from Roman drover dogs; steady and affectionate at home, serious about protecting it.

Large · 9–10 years

German Shorthaired Pointer

Tireless, liver-ticked all-purpose hunting dog that points, retrieves and swims, and needs an owner who runs as much as it does.

Large · 10–12 years

Cane Corso

Imposing Italian mastiff with a thinking guardian's temperament; devoted and trainable but far too much dog for a casual owner.

Large · 9–12 years

Doberman Pinscher

Sleek, fast and intensely loyal guard dog bred by a German tax collector; a velcro companion that needs a job and firm guidance.

Large · 10–12 years

Boxer

Muscular, square-jawed clown that stays puppyish for years, bouncing between goofy play and devoted watchfulness over its family.

Large · 10–12 years

Bernese Mountain Dog

Big, tricolored Swiss farm dog with a soft heart, happiest pulling a cart, lounging in snow or leaning on its favorite person.

Large · 7–10 years

Great Dane

Towering, elegant boar hound turned gentle homebody; patient with children, short on lifespan, and convinced it fits on the sofa.

Giant · 7–10 years

Belgian Malinois

Lean, fawn-and-black Belgian herder favored by military and police units; blisteringly fast, fiercely driven and not a casual pet.

Large · 14–16 years

Collie

Graceful, long-nosed Scottish herder made famous on screen, gentle and devoted with children and available in rough or smooth coats.

Large · 12–14 years

Mastiff

One of the heaviest breeds on earth, an ancient English guardian whose calm, dignified presence does most of the protecting for it.

Giant · 6–10 years

Rhodesian Ridgeback

Wheaten southern African hound marked by a ridge of reversed hair along the spine; athletic, independent and quietly protective.

Large · 10–13 years

Newfoundland

Massive, web-footed Canadian water rescue dog with a famously sweet temperament, heavy coat and an equally heavy drool output.

Giant · 9–10 years

Dalmatian

Spotted, tireless coach dog bred to trot beside horses for miles; needs serious daily exercise and a confident, consistent owner.

Large · 11–13 years

Chesapeake Bay Retriever

Rugged, oily-coated duck dog from Maryland's tidal marshes, tougher-minded and more protective than its retriever cousins.

Large · 10–13 years

Weimaraner

Silver-gray German hunting dog with pale eyes and a restless engine, affectionate to the point of separation anxiety when under-exercised.

Large · 10–13 years

Giant Schnauzer

Big, bearded Bavarian drover turned police dog; intensely loyal, highly trainable and far too much dog for a casual or inactive household.

Large · 12–15 years

Bloodhound

Wrinkled, long-eared tracking specialist whose nose is trusted in court; mild and affectionate at home, unstoppable once on a trail.

Large · 10–12 years

Akita

Bear-headed Japanese guardian of great dignity and loyalty, reserved with strangers, intolerant of other dogs and not for first-time owners.

Large · 10–13 years

St. Bernard

Huge, soft-hearted Alpine rescue dog from the Swiss hospice pass, patient with children, slow-moving and generous with its drool.

Giant · 8–10 years

Bullmastiff

Powerful, low-key guardian originally used to pin poachers on English estates; calm and devoted at home, wary of strangers by instinct.

Large · 7–9 years

Great Pyrenees

Massive white livestock guardian from the French-Spanish mountains; serene and patient by day, a vigilant night-time barker by instinct.

Giant · 10–12 years

Irish Wolfhound

Tallest of all breeds, a rough-coated Irish sighthound once used on wolves; gentle, quiet and sadly short-lived, with a calm dignity at home.

Giant · 6–8 years

Alaskan Malamute

Heavy-boned Arctic freighting dog built for hauling loads over long distances; playful and people-loving, but strong-willed and a champion digger.

Large · 10–14 years

Irish Setter

Glamorous mahogany bird dog with a rollicking, forever-young personality; needs room to run and forgives almost anything with a wagging tail.

Large · 12–15 years

Anatolian Shepherd Dog

Rugged Turkish flock guardian that patrols its territory and thinks for itself; steady and loyal to its people, not a breed for first-time owners.

Giant · 11–13 years

Old English Sheepdog

Shaggy, bear-like drover with a rolling gait and a clownish streak; good-natured with everyone but demands hours of brushing every week.

Large · 10–12 years

Dogue de Bordeaux

Broad-headed French mastiff with a wrinkled face and a slobbery grin; calm and deeply attached to family, with a serious guarding streak.

Giant · 5–11 years

Flat-Coated Retriever

Glossy black or liver gundog nicknamed the Peter Pan of retrievers for its lifelong puppy spirit; exuberant, sociable and built for the field.

Large · 8–10 years

Leonberger

Lion-maned German giant created as a stately town mascot; gentle, water-loving and remarkably patient with children despite its enormous size.

Giant · 7–9 years

Bouvier des Flandres

Burly, tousled cattle dog of the Flemish lowlands that once pulled carts and drove herds; steady, protective and quietly devoted to its family.

Large · 10–12 years

Belgian Tervuren

Long-coated, black-masked variety of the Belgian shepherd; elegant, intensely driven and happiest when its brain and legs are both busy.

Large · 12–14 years

Greyhound

Fastest dog on earth and one of the laziest indoors; a gentle, sensitive sighthound that asks for a soft bed and a few sprints a week.

Large · 10–13 years

Aussiedoodle

Designer cross

Australian Shepherd and Poodle cross that combines herding drive with a curly, often merle coat; a cross with no breed status.

Toy–Large · 10–14 years

Bernedoodle

Designer cross

Bernese Mountain Dog and Poodle cross that keeps the tricolor look with a curlier, lighter-shedding coat; a cross, not a breed.

Small–Large · 12–15 years

Goldendoodle

Designer cross

Golden Retriever and Poodle cross, not a recognized breed: a sociable, wavy-coated family dog that varies by generation and size.

Small–Large · 10–15 years

Labradoodle

Designer cross

Labrador Retriever and Poodle cross first bred as a guide-dog prospect; a friendly, busy hybrid rather than a registered breed.

Small–Large · 12–15 years

Schnoodle

Designer cross

Miniature Schnauzer and Poodle cross with a wiry-to-curly coat and a watchful streak; a hybrid without a breed standard.

Toy–Large · 12–15 years