What are the UK’s most popular giant dog breeds?

Giant dog breeds certainly know how to turn heads, due to their sheer size if nothing else! Whilst many dog lovers have dreams of owning a huge, handsome giant dog breed, not everyone has a home large enough to comfortably fit one – and so as a rule, giant breeds are less common and less popular among puppy buyers than most of their smaller counterparts.

If you love giant dog breeds, have your heart set on owning one someday or already share your home with a huge dog, you might be wondering which giant dog breeds are the most popular.

We’ve collated information on seller adverts and user searches here on Pets4Homes to provide the answer to your question – so read on to find out the UK’s five most popular giant dog breeds.

Number 5: The Great Dane

The Great Dane is the second tallest dog breed in the world overall – coming a close second to the Irish Wolfhound. However, while the Irish Wolfhound leads by a hair in terms of average heights, the tallest dog ever recorded was actually a Great Dane named Zeus, who reached almost 112cm tall at the withers!

The average Great Dane male stands between 76-81cm tall, and females can reach between 71-76cm. Great Danes are also fairly weighty too, reaching up to about 62kg at the top end – but taking into account their tall height, they’re not particularly heavy dogs.

They are very gentle, soulful and loving dogs that are an excellent choice for families. The Great Dane is the fifth most popular giant breed in the UK, and the 73rd most popular breed overall.

Number 4: The Saint Bernard

The Saint Bernard dog breed is a canine giant in every respect – they can stand up to around 90cm tall for males, and 80cm for females. They are also really heavy dogs too, although there is a large amount of variance permitted within the breed standard – a Saint Bernard can weigh anywhere from 64-120kg, which at the top end of the scale, is a lot heavier than the average person!

Saint Bernards are perhaps best known for one of their important historical working roles – helping to search out people who may have become lost or injured in the snow or due to avalanches in the Swiss Alps.

They also make for excellent pets, and are gentle, slow moving and of course, very cuddly! The Saint Bernard is the UK’s fourth most popular giant dog breed, and the 65th most popular overall.

Number 3: The Newfoundland

The Newfoundland is huge, fluffy canine giant whose imposing size is made even more distinctive by their very thick, long coats. Their height and weight are fairly proportionate for a large, stocky dog, with males reaching up to around 71cm tall at the top end, and weighing up to 68kg.

The Newfoundland is an adept swimmer that was made for life in the water – and they even have webbed paws to help them to swim effectively! Their dense, thick coats also help to provide insulation in the water, and the coat’s layers enable them to swim effectively without getting weighed down. They also tend to dry off fairly quickly too – so if you see a Newfoundland coming out of the water, stay well back until they’ve shaken it all out!

The Newfoundland is the third most popular giant breed in the UK, and the 63rd most popular breed overall.

Number 2: The Cane Corso

The Cane Corso or Italian Mastiff isn’t actually recognised as an accepted breed for registration and showing by the Kennel Club in the UK, but this hasn’t stopped them from becoming the second most popular UK giant breed overall! They are also the 57th most popular breed as a whole.

The Cane Corso is recognised by most other international breed registries, and they are particularly popular in their native Italy. This is a giant dog breed of the mastiff type, and males of the breed can stand up to 70cm tall at the withers, and weigh up to 50kg.

Number 1: The Dogue de Bordeaux

The Dogue de Bordeaux or French mastiff is another giant mastiff breed, and the UK’s most popular giant dog breed – as well as the 35th most popular overall. Interestingly, they are also one of the smallest giant breed to make the list too, as well as taking first place.

Male Dogue de Bordeaux specimens can reach up to 69cm tall at the withers, and weigh up to 50kg, with females being a little smaller. Even given their popularity as the UK’s favourite giant dog breed, they still aren’t hugely common compared to smaller breeds – but you may have seen a dog of the breed on TV or in film, like Hooch from the 1989 film Turner and Hooch, which triggered a large amount of interest in the breed when it first aired.

Honourable mention: The Akita

Finally, one dog that didn’t quite make the top five list but that was very close is the Akita – a popular dog breed that comes in two variants, being Japanese and American respectively.

The American Akita is the larger of the two, with males reaching up to 71cm tall and weighing up to 56kg. The Japanese variant, with a top height of 70cm and weight of 39kg just about ensures that the Akita as a whole falls towards the top of the large dog spectrum rather than entering into giant territory – but the American Akita on its own just about makes the grade, and would come in second place in the giant breeds list, as well as being the UK’s 38th most popular breed overall.

View our Pets4Homes Giant Dog Breeds section for a list of all giant dog breed sorted by popularity.