Is Russian Ovcharka the Largest Dog Breed?

DonW: What is (was) the largest dog breed?
I had a book that listed the Russian Ovcharka as the largest.
By that time, the breed was not recognized by AKC. I can't find any references to this Russian largest dog breed.

Answers and Views:

Answer by dogtrainer7
I always thought it is the Irish Wolfhound

Photo Credit: Claudio Gennari ..."Cogli l'attimo ferma il tempo"/Flickr CC

Answer by Q.M.
For years the Great Dane and the Irish Wolfhound have taken turns being the tallest and the heaviest dogs (see Ripley’s books). Saint Bernard and Mastiff (English) are usually the heaviest dogs. The Russian Ovcharka is not and I do not think has ever been. A breed you need to check out though for just plain being a large (not so tall) and massive” is the Spanish Mastiff — cool looking dogs!

Answer by Valley of the Danes
The largest AKC breed is the Irish Wolfhound (32″), with a close 2nd going to the Great Dane (30″ but preferred 32″ however most being shown measure 36″).
Dogs are measured at the withers while standing on all fours. NOT standing on their hind legs. Dogs do not walk around upright so they are not measured that way.

Dogs are not determined to be the largest based on weight because you could create an obese dog that weighs as much as a giant breed dog.
The Mastiff (not English Mastiff) which is recognized by the AKC has a standard that says 30″.
And the ones you see being shown are not any taller than a Wolfie or a Dane.

The South Russian Ovcharka, a herding breed, has a height of 24 – 25″ with a weight equivalent to its height.
Or could you be referring to the Circassian Orloff Wolfhound? That would be the Russian Wolfhound aka Borzoi, 28″.

Those dogs in Ripley’s are some of the worst representatives of the breed. That harl Dane is so dang tall primarily due to the fact the dog has no angles. Any idea if he’s neutered?

Answer by iBePWNIN ♥Great Dane Slobber♥
Do you mean the South Russian Ovcharka (the largest dog in Russia)?
https://www.russiandog.net/south-russian-ovcharka-white-russian-sheepdog.html

Or Caucasian Shepherd dog aka Caucasian Ovcharka?

They’re pretty big (click for VIDEO) if not compared to giant breeds (Caucasian Shepherd vs Great Dane, Caucasian Shepherd vs Saint Bernard).

The tallest dog was a Great Dane named Gibson, who was 42.2 inches tall at the shoulder and 7 feet tall when he stands up.
The heaviest dog is the English Mastiff.
Zorba the English Mastiff weighed 343 lbs and was almost 8 feet long from nose to tail.

Giant Dog sizes:

Irish Wolfhound: weight: 105-125 lbs. height: 35 in.
Great Danes: weight: 110-170 lbs. height: 30 – 38 inches.
English Mastiff: weight: 175-190 lbs. height: 27.5-30 in.
Neopolitan Mastiff: weight: 150-180 lbs. height: 26-31 in.
Newfoundland: weight: 130-150 lbs. height 28-30 in.
Saint Bernard: weight: 150-200 lbs. height: 27-30 in.

I’m going to say Great Danes are the largest breed. Although there are many that are very close.

Answer by Becca
Well, no breed is the biggest but Great Danes, Newfoundlands, Irish Wolfhounds, and Saint Bernards are some huge dogs!
I wonder how would Caucasian Shepherd-Great Dane mix look like.

Answer by eefs
An English Mastiff called Zorba was the largest dog ever recorded
In general, a lot of the big working and mountain dogs such as St. Bernard, Newfoundland, Burmese mountain dog, etc..can grow quite large, males more so than the females.
But by height, I would probably say the Irish Wolfhound overall.
I had the pleasure of seeing one once, amazingly tall.

Answer by rocky bw
If the dog is standing on all fours, I also believe it is the Irish wolfhound that I have seen and petted. It is big! I know that the Russian Ovcharka is also large, but believe the Irish Wolfhound is the larger breed. You will want to remember that each breed will have a range of sizes. You could probably find a runt Irish wolfhound smaller than another kind of wolfhound.
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