Giant dog breed

A giant dog breed is any of many dog breeds whose height and weight put them at the largest end of all dog breeds. There is no universal height or weight at which a breed is classified as a giant breed; any very large dogs fall into this category, although some groups define "giant breed" based on a certain height or weight, such as 100 pounds.^[1] Giant breeds grow rapidly, but take longer to mature into their full adult sizes than smaller dogs.^[2]

Advantages and disadvantages

Many giant breeds are mellow, relaxed dogs as adults and require less exercise than most smaller dogs, so they may make better pets for small living arrangements, such as apartments. They are also by definition strong and bigger than other breeds. They can be couch potatoes on a couch or on a king-size or a queen-size bed. Many of the giant breeds are known for their protection and life saving abilities.^[3]

Giant breeds, on the other hand, often have the following disadvantages:^[3]

• They eat more than smaller breeds. For an example, giant breeds might require up to 4 cups of food twice per day, as opposed to 2.5 cups twice per day for a dog between 55-80 lbs. Often, they require specialty diets to tackle weight and joint management.
• Expenses overall may be more than for most breeds. Larger beds, collars, and toys cost more, as do grooming and kenneling very large dogs. There is also the issue of more expensive veterinary bills. For instance, anaesthetics and pharmaceuticals are charged by volume/mass, which is determined by the weight of the dog.
• Joint problems, such as hip dysplasia and arthritis, are common.^[2] Large breeds are also quite prone to osteosarcoma and susceptible to other debilitating bone and cartilage diseases. This is the result of a much higher growth factor- adult weight versus birth weight- and much longer growth period.^[4]
• Their life span is generally shorter than that of smaller dogs, often living only 6 to 10 years.

Giant breeds

The following breeds are generally described as giant breeds:

• Anatolian Shepherd Dog
• Borzoi
• Caucasian Shepherd Dog
• English Mastiff
• Georgian shepherd dog
• Great Dane
• Great Pyrenees
• Irish Wolfhound
• Kangal Dog
• Leonberger
• Neapolitan Mastiff
• Newfoundland
• Saint Bernard
• Scottish Deerhound
• Tibetan Mastiff
• Pyrenean Mastiff

See also

• Zorba, the world's heaviest recorded dog.
• Giant George, a Great Dane, the world's biggest dog.

References

1. ^ "Giant Dog Community". http://www.giantdogcommunity.com/. Retrieved 2007-05-21. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Fogle, Bruce (2000). "The Skeleton". The New Encyclopedia of the Dog. Dorling Kindersley. pp. 47. ISBN 07894-6130-7. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Mehus-Roe, Kristin (2005). "The Dog For You". The Original Dog Bible. BowTie Press. pp. 62–63. ISBN 1-931993-34-3. 
4. ^ Royal Canin

External links

• Online Community for Large & Giant Breed Dog Owners
• Health issues of giant breeds
• Big Dog World - Large and giant breed specialists
• MyBIGdog.co.uk - Giant Dog Breeds and Large Dog Breed specialists in the UK