10 of America’s Most Popular Giant-Breed Dogs

Big dogs, big personalities, and absolutely no concept of personal space

There’s something about a really big dog.

Maybe it’s the way people stop you in the parking lot to ask, “How much does he weigh?” Maybe it’s watching a dog the size of a small pony attempt to curl up in a chair made for a Cocker Spaniel. Or maybe it’s discovering that “dog bed” and “piece of living-room furniture” eventually become the same thing.

Around here, Great Danes get a lot of attention for obvious reasons. One of them currently lives in my house, eats like it’s his job, and has never once considered his size before deciding where he would like to sit.

But Waylon is hardly alone in the world of oversized dogs.

According to the American Kennel Club’s 2025 registration rankings, giant breeds show up all over America’s list of favorite dogs. The Cane Corso is now #11 among all AKC-recognized breeds, followed among our big-dog crowd by the Bernese Mountain Dog at #20 and the Great Dane at #22.

So in honor of the dogs who make regular dog beds look like throw pillows, here are 10 of America’s most popular giant breeds.

One quick note: popularity rankings are based on AKC registration statistics, so they don't represent every dog living in American homes.

1. Cane Corso

3 powerful looking Cane Corsos, 1 brown with natural ears, 1 black with cropped ears, and 1 tan with a black mask with cropped ears, standing on a snow dusted ground with large boulders behind them.

The one who looks like he already knows what you did.

The Cane Corso has been climbing the popularity rankings and reached #11 in 2025, up from #14 the previous year. And it isn't difficult to understand why people notice them. Muscular, athletic and imposing, the Cane Corso has the kind of presence that makes strangers reconsider whether they really needed to come to your front door after all. The Corso's lineage goes back to ancient Roman times, and the breed's name roughly translates from the Latin as 'bodyguard dog.'

Living Large: The Cane Corso may look like he should be guarding a Roman fortress. There's still a pretty good chance his family will have baby pictures of him all over their phones.

2. Bernese Mountain Dog

A white, tan, and black Bernese Mountain Dog stands in an open field with trees behind him with his tongue out like he’s been working.

The one who dressed for Switzerland and somehow ended up in your living room.

The Bernese Mountain Dog ranks #20 in the AKC's 2025 popularity list. Those gorgeous black, rust and white coats make Berners pretty hard to miss. They originated as working farm dogs in Switzerland, where their jobs included pulling carts, moving cattle and serving as watchdogs. Males generally weigh about 80–115 pounds, while females typically run about 70–95 pounds. In other words, underneath all that beautiful fluff is an actual working dog. There is also a LOT of fluff.

Living Large: If you own a Berner, I'm assuming at some point you simply stop asking how dog hair got into things and accept that it has become a condiment.

3. Great Dane

Waylon, a fawn, salt & pepper masked, Great Dane in a fire pit area.

The one who has absolutely no idea he's enormous.

Ahhhh. My people. The Great Dane currently sits at #22 in America, making it one of the country's most popular giant breeds. Great Danes were developed from powerful boar-hunting dogs, although today's Dane is much more likely to be hunting for the softest available place to lie down. The AKC weight range runs roughly 110–175 pounds. And this is the breed I can tell you about from experience. Living with Waylon has taught me that Great Danes are capable of being breathtakingly majestic...

...right up until they sit backward on your lap, sigh dramatically because dinner is seven minutes away, or fold their entire body into a space clearly designed for a dog one-third their size.

They are big. They are goofy. And somehow, once you've lived with one, your house feels strangely empty whenever that enormous body isn't standing directly in your way.

Living Large: Personal space is something that happens to other people.

4. Mastiff

A tan, masked, Mastiff cops a squat in the yard.

The one who doesn't need to prove anything.

At #40 in the 2025 rankings, the Mastiff is our next giant. And we're using the word giant quite literally here. AKC lists adult males at 160–230 pounds and females at 120–170 pounds. Males stand at least 30 inches at the shoulder. Two hundred and thirty pounds?!?! At some point, you don't own a dog. You have a roommate who happens to walk on four legs and doesn’t pay rent. Mastiffs are enormous, heavy-boned dogs with an ancient history, and their sheer size gives them an imposing presence without requiring a lot of theatrics. Everyone I know that has one of these majestic beasts says that they are, in fact, a HUGE Love Bug.

Living Large: If your Mastiff decides he's comfortable where he's lying, congratulations. That piece of floor now belongs to him. Too bad if it’s in a doorway. I’m sure there is another way around.

5. Newfoundland

A very fluffy brown Newfoundland in the grass with a children’s park in the background.

The lifeguard wearing a fur coat.

Coming in at #46 is the Newfoundland. Newfies were working partners to Canadian fishermen. Their history includes hauling nets and carts, and they're famous for their abilities in the water. Their water-resistant double coats, powerful bodies and partially webbed feet helped make them exceptional swimmers. Adults can weigh around 100–150 pounds. So essentially we have a giant, furry dog with built-in swimming equipment. I know several people that have Newfies and their dogs spend EVERY minute possible in the pool during a SC summer! Perfectly reasonable, I would if I could.

Living Large: A wet Newfoundland may contain approximately enough water to refill the swimming pool he just climbed out of, just ask my friends!

6. Saint Bernard

A classic, white, rust, and black, Saint Bernard on a walking trail with his big ole tongue out!

Yes, everyone is going to ask about the little barrel.

The Saint Bernard ranks #63 on the AKC's 2025 list. These dogs became famous for rescue work in the Swiss Alps, where dogs at the Hospice of St. Bernard helped locate and aid travelers in dangerous mountain conditions. And they're BIG. AKC's breed weight chart puts Saint Bernards at approximately 120–180 pounds. Unfortunately, despite what cartoons taught generations of us, purchasing a Saint Bernard does not automatically include a tiny barrel around his neck. The slobber, however, is considerably more realistic. Maybe the barrel has a hole, to catch said slobber?

Living Large: Somewhere there is probably a Saint Bernard owner who has discovered drool on a ceiling and decided it would be easier not to ask questions.

7. Great Pyrenees

A white Great Pyrenees on the beach with the surf in the background blurry. The dog is smiling while his underbelly and legs are wet.

Neighborhood Watch has arrived.

The Great Pyrenees comes in at #66 in 2025, up from #74 the previous year. These beautiful white dogs weren't bred simply to look majestic in photographs. They were livestock guardians, developed to protect sheep from predators in mountainous country. Males can stand as tall as 32 inches at the shoulder and commonly exceed 100 pounds. That guarding heritage can also mean a dog with some independent opinions about what constitutes suspicious activity. Person walking down street? Suspicious. Delivery truck? Obviously suspicious. Leaf moving strangely at 2:17 a.m.? Alert!!! A couple in our old neighborhood had 2 Great Pyrenees and both were GOING to let Mom and Dad KNOW that someone was walking by, but always greeted us with sloppy kisses at the fence.

Living Large: You may think you're the head of household security. Your Great Pyrenees may have neglected to tell you that you've been demoted.

8. Greater Swiss Mountain Dog

A Greater Swiss Mountain Dog looks off in the distance in a field with snow capped mountains in the background.

The Bernese cousin who forgot his long coat.

The Greater Swiss Mountain Dog ranks #71 in the AKC's latest list. Swissies are big, powerful working dogs with the same striking black, rust and white coloring that makes people sometimes confuse them with Bernese Mountain Dogs. But these aren't simply short-haired Berners. The Greater Swiss is the largest and oldest of Switzerland's Sennenhund breeds and historically worked as a herder, draft dog and general-purpose farm dog. Males can weigh 115–140 pounds. I have not known anyone who has a Bernese, but, basically, this dog looks like he could help you move your couch. And historically, his ancestors probably would have.

Living Large: Why hire movers when your dog appears fully qualified to pull the refrigerator?

9. Irish Wolfhound

Irish Wolfhound standing, a man on one knee behind the dog. They are the same height.

The one you meet at eye level.

The Irish Wolfhound sits at #75 on the 2025 AKC popularity list. And while some giant breeds impress you with sheer bulk, the Wolfhound's party trick is height. They're among those dogs that can make an ordinarily large dog suddenly look...not particularly large. AKC's breed weight chart lists Irish Wolfhounds around 105–120 pounds, but their tall, long-legged build gives them an unmistakable silhouette. There's something almost storybook-like about them—until you start considering exactly where you're going to put a dog that tall.

Living Large: Counter surfing takes on an entirely different meaning when the counter is basically chest height.

10. Bullmastiff

Bullmastiff standing outdoors, trees behind the dog are blurred.

The bouncer who would really rather stay home.

Rounding out our ten is the Bullmastiff at #78 in the 2025 AKC rankings. Powerful, substantial and unmistakably mastiff, this is another breed whose appearance alone can make quite an impression. And that's part of what fascinates me about giant breeds. People see the size first. We see the dog. The habits. The personality. The ridiculous sleeping position. The favorite toy. The exact expression that means somebody has opened the cheese drawer. Pretty soon, that enormous animal doesn't seem enormous anymore. He's just your dog.

Big Dogs Really Are Different

Obviously, these ten breeds aren't interchangeable. A Great Pyrenees isn't simply a fluffy Great Dane. A Cane Corso isn't a short-haired Newfoundland. Each breed comes with its own history, instincts, grooming needs, exercise requirements and personality tendencies—and individual dogs can be very different even within the same breed.

But giant-breed owners do share some experiences. We need beds that actually fit them. Crates that don't look like dollhouses. Harnesses made for substantial bodies. Toys that aren't defeated immediately. Vehicles that can accommodate the passenger. And sometimes we need another big-dog person who understands why half the couch has disappeared.

That's really why I created Giant Paws Market. Waylon may be the Great Dane behind many of the stories you'll read here, because he's the giant dog I know and love. But this place isn't only for Great Dane people.

It's for the Mastiff sprawled across the kitchen floor.

The Newfoundland dripping across the house.

The Pyrenees announcing that a squirrel has breached the perimeter.

The Wolfhound blocking the television simply by standing up.

And everybody else who looked at an enormous puppy one day and thought:

Yep, That one!

Then discovered that life with a big dog is a big life, filled with giant, slobbery kisses!

— Terry & Waylon
Giant Paws Market
Big dogs. Big love. Better finds. 🐾