This Is the Biggest Dog Breed in America

By Douglas A. McIntyre Published Dec 23, 7:30AM EST

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This Is the Biggest Dog Breed in America — © Okikukai / iStock via Getty Images

Dogs are part of American life. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, over 48 million people in the United States live in a house that has at least one dog. Dog ownership contributes a significant amount to the economy. The annual cost of owning a dog runs between $1,400 and $4,300 a year. This includes food, toys and visits to the vet. The initial cost of owning a dog also can be high. Among 151 puppies considered in recent research, the average price of 80% of them was between $500 and $2,500.
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The American Kennel Club recognizes 282 breeds in the United States. The smallest of these, the Chihuahua, weighs between four and six pounds.

To determine the biggest dog breeds in the United States, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data from the American Kennel Club, the country’s purebred dog registry. We only considered breeds with male dogs weighing at least 70 pounds.
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Extra-large dogs have historically been bred for hunting or for protection. They usually need daily exercise as well as socialization to develop those instincts.

Another factor to consider before adding a giant four-legged member to your family is life expectancy. The average lifespan of a dog is between 10 and 13 years, but it is several years lower for bigger dogs.

In determining the biggest dog breed in the United States, information on popularity, height, temperament and breed category came from the American Kennel Club.

The largest dog breed in America is the mastiff. Here are the details:

Weight: 160 to 230 pounds (male), 120 to 170 pounds (female)
Height: 30 inches and up (male), 27.5 inches and up (female)
Popularity: 33 out of 197
Life expectancy: 6 to 10 years
Personality: Courageous, dignified, good-natured
Group category: Working

Click here to see all the biggest dog breeds in America.
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About the Author Douglas A. McIntyre →

Douglas A. McIntyre is the co-founder, chief executive officer and editor in chief of 24/7 Wall St. and 24/7 Tempo. He has held these jobs since 2006.

McIntyre has written thousands of articles for 24/7 Wall St. He is an expert on corporate finance, the automotive industry, media companies and international finance. He has edited articles on national demographics, sports, personal income and travel.

His work has been quoted or mentioned in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, NBC News, Time, The New Yorker, HuffPost USA Today, Business Insider, Yahoo, AOL, MarketWatch, The Atlantic, Bloomberg, New York Post, Chicago Tribune, Forbes, The Guardian and many other major publications. McIntyre has been a guest on CNBC, the BBC and television and radio stations across the country.

A magna cum laude graduate of Harvard College, McIntyre also was president of The Harvard Advocate. Founded in 1866, the Advocate is the oldest college publication in the United States.

TheStreet.com, Comps.com and Edgar Online are some of the public companies for which McIntyre served on the board of directors. He was a Vicinity Corporation board member when the company was sold to Microsoft in 2002. He served on the audit committees of some of these companies.

McIntyre has been the CEO of FutureSource, a provider of trading terminals and news to commodities and futures traders. He was president of Switchboard, the online phone directory company. He served as chairman and CEO of On2 Technologies, the video compression company that provided video compression software for Adobe’s Flash. Google bought On2 in 2009.