How Big Is the Largest Dog

Averaging 175 to 190 pounds in weight and 29 to 32 inches in height, the English Mastiff is considered as the largest breed of dog in the world. The males of the species are larger at an average height of 30 in and ranging in weight from 150 to 250 lbs. The females are smaller, standing at 27.5 in and weighing around 120 to 200 lbs.

Not surprisingly, the record holders for the title of world’s largest dog have belonged to this breed. One of the most notable was an English Mastiff named Zorba, who was declared the largest dog by the Guinness Book of Records in 1989. Owned by Chris Eraclides from London, he weighed a total of 343 lbs at the age of 8 years old, stood at 37 in, and measured 8 ft 3 in from nose to tail. Zorba has since passed away, but if he was still alive, he still would have held the record today. As such, he remains the largest dog ever, his size unsurpassed by even his later successors.

In 1999, a 2-year old English Mastiff named Kell was proclaimed by Guinness as the world’s heaviest dog. Although his neck only measured 32 in, he broke the record at a weight of 286 lbs. Owned by Tom Scott from East Leake, Notts in the United Kingdom, Kell reportedly owed his astounding weight to a diet of 100 lbs of beef every week and drank several gallons of goat milk.

Another contender to the title of heaviest dog was an English Mastiff hailing from Vernon, New Jersey named Moose. Owned by Donna Vazquez, Moose made his debut on television in 2001. He initially weighed in at 286 lbs, tying him with the record-holder Kell. However, it was later determined that he actually weighed 291 lbs, making him the new heaviest dog in the world. Sadly, Moose has passed away some time ago at the age of 10 years old, and the title has since reverted back to Kell.

Going back to the world’s largest dog, since the title had been vacated by the late Zorba, it had been taken up by an English Mastiff from Peabody, Massachusetts named Hercules. Owned by Joe Flynn, Hercules weighed in at 270 lbs. While this actually makes him lighter than Kell, the world’s heaviest dog at 286 lbs, Hercules is the larger of the two with a neck measuring 38 in. The Guinness Book of World Records officially listed Hercules as the largest living dog in the world in June 2001.