Last Updated on June 16, 2024 by Dr. Wendy Wilkins, DVM, PhD
Thinking about getting a new dog, but don’t know for sure what kind of dog you want? Choosing the right dog breed can be daunting given the vast array of sizes and shapes they come in.
Whether you’re looking for a compact companion that fits your apartment lifestyle or a larger, more active dog suitable for a spacious home with a backyard, understanding the size characteristics of different breeds is a pretty important part of figuring out what kind of dog you should get.
To help you make your big decision, we’ve developed this comprehensive list of dog breeds categorized by size—from the tiny Chihuahua to the majestic Great Dane.
Toy and small size breeds
Toy dog breeds are popular as companions and family pets. But what exactly is a toy breed, and what sets them apart from other dogs?
Toy dog breeds are typically small in size, with most adults weighing less than 10 pounds. They may have a short or long coat, and they come in a wide variety of colors and markings.
Most toy breeds are also known for their bright personalities and inquisitive nature. They are often highly intelligent and trainable, making them ideal candidates for a variety of activities, including agility, obedience, and even therapy
While there is no firm rule that defines them, small breed dogs are typically considered to be those that weigh 20 pounds or less. However, some experts believe that the term should refer to any dog that is smaller than average, regardless of weight. This definition would include mixed-breed dogs that fall on the smaller side.
Some breeds such as the Boston Terrier may fall into both small and medium size categories, with the smaller females typically being under 20 pounds and males above.
The following breeds are either toy or small breeds, and expected weight range for each breed is included:
- Affenpinscher (7-10 lb)
- American Hairless Terrier (12 – 16 lb)
- Australian Terrier (15 – 20 lb)
- Bichon Frise (12 – 18 lb)
- Biewer Terrier (4 – 8 lb)
- Bolognese (6 – 10 lb)
- Border Terrier (11.5 – 15.5 lb)
- Brussels Griffon (8 – 10 lb)
- Cairn Terrier (13 – 14 lb)
- Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (13 – 18 lb)
- Chihuahua (<6 lb)
- Chinese Crested (8 – 12 lb)
- Coton de Tulear (8 – 15 lb)
- Danish-Swedish Farmdog (15 – 20 lb)
- English Toy Spaniel (8 – 14 lb)
- French Bulldog (<28 lb)
- Havanese (7 – 13 lb)
- Italian Greyhound (7 – 14 lb)
- Jagdterrier (17 – 22 lb)
- Japanese Chin (7 – 11 lb)
- Japanese Terrier (10 – 12 lb)
- Lakeland Terrier (17 lb)
- Lancashire Heeler (9 – 17 lb)
- Lhasa Apso (12 – 18 lb)
- Löwchen (15 lb)
- Maltese (7 lb)
- Manchester Terrier (Standard) (12 – 22 lb)
- Manchester Terrier (Toy) (<12 lb)
- Miniature Pinscher (8 – 10 lb)
- Miniature Schnauzer (11 – 20 lb)
- Norfolk Terrier (11 – 12 lb)
- Norwich Terrier (12 lb)
- Papillon (5 – 10 lb)
- Parson Russell Terrier (13 – 17 lb)
- Pekingese (14 lb)
- Pomeranian (3 – 7 lb)
- Poodle (Miniature) (10 – 15 lb)
- Poodle (Toy) (4 – 6 lb)
- Portuguese Podengo Pequeno (9 – 13 lb)
- Pug (14 – 18 lb)
- Russell Terrier (9 – 15 lb)
- Russian Toy (6.5 lb)
- Russian Tsvetnaya Bolonka (6 – 9 lb)
- Schipperke (10 – 16 lb)
- Scottish Terrier (18 – 22 lb)
- Shih Tzu (9 – 16 lb)
- Silky Terrier (10 lb)
- Smooth Fox Terrier (15 – 18 lb)
- Teddy Roosevelt Terrier (8 – 25 lb)
- Tibetan Spaniel (9 – 15 lb)
- Toy Fox Terrier (4 – 9 lb)
- Volpino Italiano (8 – 16 lb)
- Welsh Terrier (20 lb)
- West Highland White Terrier (15 – 20 lb)
- Yorkshire Terrier (7 lb)
Medium size breeds
When most people think of a medium sized breed of dog, they probably have an amorphous idea about something between a Chihuahua and a St. Bernard.
But there are other ways to determine if a dog is medium-sized. For example, the American Kennel Club recognition groups place most medium-sized breeds in the “Sporting,” “Hound,” or “Working” groups.
The Australian National Kennel Council has a similar division, but with slightly different terminology. In order to be recognized as a medium-sized breed by the ANKC, dogs must fall between the heights of 35 and 50 centimeters at the withers. They must also have an ideal weight that falls between 11 and 22 kilograms, although some leeway is given for larger or smaller individuals within a breed.
In general, though, these are the guidelines used to define a medium-sized breed of dog and there is no hard-and-fast rule. For our purposes, we use a range of 20 to 50 lbs to define medium size breed:
- Alaskan Klee Kai (6 – 25 lb)
- American Eskimo Dog (6 – 35 lb)
- American Water Spaniel (25 – 45 lb)
- Australian Cattle Dog (35 – 50 lb)
- Australian Kelpie (35 – 50 lb)
- Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog (32 – 45 lb)
- Azawakh (33 – 55 lb)
- Basenji (22 – 24 lb)
- Basset Fauve de Bretagne (23 -39 lb)
- Beagle (20 – 30 lb)
- Bearded Collie (45 – 55 lb)
- Bedlington Terrier (17 – 23 lb)
- Border Collie (30 – 55 lb)
- Boston Terrier (12 – 25 lb)
- Boykin Spaniel (25 – 40 lb)
- Braque du Bourbonnais (35 – 53 lb)
- Braque Francais Pyrenean (40 – 55 lb)
- Brittany (30 – 40 lb)
- Bulldog (40 – 50 lb)
- Canaan Dog (35 – 55 lb)
- Cardigan Welsh Corgi (25 – 38 lb)
- Carolina Dog (30 – 55 lb)
- Cesky Terrier (14 – 24 lb)
- Cirneco dell’Etna (17 – 26 lb)
- Cocker Spaniel (20 – 30 lb)
- Croatian Sheepdog (29 – 44 lb)
- Czechoslovakian Vlcak (44 – 57 lb)
- Dachshund (11 – 32 lb)
- Dandie Dinmont Terrier (18 – 24 lb)
- Deutscher Wachtelhund (40 – 55 lb)
- Drever (35 – 40 lb)
- English Cocker Spaniel (26 – 34 lb)
- English Springer Spaniel (40 – 50 lb)
- Field Spaniel (35 – 50 lb)
- Finnish Lapphund (33 – 53 lb)
- Finnish Spitz (20 – 33 lb)
- German Pinscher (25 – 45 lb)
- German Spitz (24 – 26 lb)
- Glen of Imaal Terrier (32 – 40 lb)
- Grand Basset Griffon Vendéen (40 – 45 lb)
- Ibizan Hound (45 – 50 lb)
- Icelandic Sheepdog (25 – 30 lb)
- Irish Terrier (25 – 27 lb)
- Japanese Spitz (10 – 25 lb)
- Jindo (30 – 50 lb)
- Kai Ken (25 – 40 lb)
- Karelian Bear Dog (44 – 49 lb)
- Keeshond (35 – 45 lb)
- Kerry Blue Terrier (33 – 40 lb)
- Kromfohrlander (20 – 35 lb)
- Lagotto Romagnolo (24 – 35 lb)
- Miniature American Shepherd (20 – 40 lb)
- Miniature Bull Terrier (18 – 28 lb)
- Mudi (18 – 29 lb)
- Nederlandse Kooikerhondje (20 – 30 lb)
- Norrbottenspets (20 – 30 lb)
- Norwegian Buhund (26 – 40 lb)
- Norwegian Elkhound (48 – 55 lb)
- Norwegian Lundehund (20 – 30 lb)
- Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever (35 – 50 lb)
- Pembroke Welsh Corgi (28 – 30 lb)
- Peruvian Inca Orchid (8.5 – 55 lb)
- Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen (25 – 40 lb)
- Pharaoh Hound (45 – 55 lb)
- Polish Lowland Sheepdog (30 – 50 lb)
- Puli (25 – 35 lb)
- Pumi (22 – 29 lb)
- Pyrenean Shepherd (15 – 30 lb)
- Rat Terrier (10 – 25 lb)
- Schapendoes (26 – 55 lb)
- Sealyham Terrier (23 – 24 lb)
- Shetland Sheepdog (15 – 25 lb)
- Shiba Inu (17 – 23 lb)
- Shikoku (35 – 55 lb)
- Skye Terrier (35 – 45 lb)
- Sloughi (35 – 50 lb)
- Slovensky Kopov (33 – 44 lb)
- Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier (30 – 35 lb)
- Spanish Water Dog (31 – 49 lb)
- Spinone Italiano (56 lb)
- Staffordshire Bull Terrier (24 – 38 lb)
- Standard Schnauzer (30 – 50 lb)
- Sussex Spaniel (35 – 45 lb)
- Swedish Lapphund (30 – 45 lb)
- Swedish Vallhund (20 – 35 lb)
- Taiwan Dog (26 – 40 lb)
- Tibetan Terrier (18 – 30 lb)
- Treeing Tennessee Brindle (30 – 50 lb)
- Welsh Springer Spaniel (35 – 55 lb)
- Whippet (25 – 40 lb)
- Xoloitzcuintli (10 – 55 lb)
- Yakutian Laika (40 – 55 lb)
Large Size Breeds
Again, there is no definitive answer when it comes to defining a large breed of dog. However, most experts agree that a large breed of dog is any type of dog that weighs more than 50 pounds.
Other factors, such as height and body structure, can also be used to determine whether a particular dog is considered to be a large breed. For example, some dogs who weigh less than 50 pounds may still be considered large breeds if they have a muscular build or are particularly tall.
Here, we consider dogs between 50 and 95 lbs to be large size breeds:
- Afghan Hound (50 – 60 lb)
- Airedale Terrier (50 – 70 lb)
- Alaskan Malamute (75 – 85 lb)
- American English Coonhound (45 -65 lb)
- American Foxhound (60 – 70 lb)
- American Leopard Hound (35 – 75 lb)
- American Staffordshire Terrier (40 – 70 lb)
- Appenzeller Sennenhund (48 – 70 lb)
- Australian Shepherd (40 – 65 lb)
- Barbado da Terceira (46 – 60 lb)
- Barbet (35 – 65 lb)
- Basset Hound (40 – 65 lb)
- Bavarian Mountain Scent Hound (37 – 66 lb)
- Belgian Laekenois (55 – 65 lb)
- Belgian Malinois (40 – 80 lb)
- Belgian Sheepdog (45 – 75 lb)
- Belgian Tervuren (45 – 75 lb)
- Bergamasco Sheepdog (57 – 84 lb)
- Berger Picard (50 – 70 lb)
- Bluetick Coonhound (45 – 80 lb)
- Bohemian Shepherd (37 – 60 lb)
- Boxer (40 – 80 lb)
- Bracco Italiano (55 – 90 lb)
- Bull Terrier (50 – 70 lb)
- Catahoula Leopard Dog (50 – 95 lb)
- Chesapeake Bay Retriever (55 – 80 lb)
- Chinese Shar-Pei (45 – 60 lb)
- Chinook (50 – 90 lb)
- Chow Chow (45 – 70 lb)
- Clumber Spaniel (55 – 85 lb)
- Collie (50 – 75 lb)
- Curly-Coated Retriever (60 – 95 lb)
- Dalmatian (45 – 70 lb)
- Drentsche Patrijshond (55 – 73 lb)
- Dutch Shepherd (42 – 75 lb)
- English Foxhound (60 – 75 lb)
- English Setter (45 – 80 lb)
- Entlebucher Mountain Dog (40 – 65 lb)
- Eurasier (40 – 70 lb)
- Flat-Coated Retriever (60 – 70 lb)
- French Spaniel (50 – 60 lb)
- German Longhaired Pointer (55 – 80 lb)
- German Shepherd Dog (50 – 90 lb)
- German Shorthaired Pointer (45 – 70 lb)
- German Wirehaired Pointer (50 – 70 lb)
- Giant Schnauzer (55 – 85 lb)
- Golden Retriever (55 – 75 lb)
- Gordon Setter (45 – 80 lb)
- Greyhound (60 – 70 lb)
- Hamiltonstovare (40 – 75 lb)
- Hanoverian Scenthound (79 – 99 lb)
- Harrier (45 – 60 lb)
- Hokkaido (44 – 66 lb)
- Hovawart (65 – 90 lb)
- Irish Red and White Setter (35 – 60 lb)
- Irish Setter (60 – 70 lb)
- Irish Water Spaniel (45 – 68 lb)
- Japanese Akitainu (55 – 75 lb)
- Kishu Ken (30 – 60 lb)
- Labrador Retriever (55 – 80 lb)
- Lapponian Herder (70 lb)
- Mountain Cur (30 – 60 lb)
- Plott Hound (40 – 60 lb)
- Pointer (45 – 75 lb)
- Poodle (Standard) (40 – 70 lb)
- Porcelaine (55 – 62 lb)
- Portuguese Podengo (44 – 66 lb)
- Portuguese Pointer (35 – 59 lb)
- Portuguese Sheepdog (37.5 – 59 lb)
- Portuguese Water Dog (35 – 60 lb)
- Pudelpointer (45 – 70 lb)
- Redbone Coonhound (45 – 70 lb)
- Rhodesian Ridgeback (70 – 85 lb)
- Saluki (40 – 65 lb)
- Samoyed (35 – 65 lb)
- Segugio Italiano (39 – 62 lb)
- Siberian Husky (35 – 60 lb)
- Slovakian Wirehaired Pointer (50 – 65 lb)
- Slovensky Cuvac (68 – 97 lb)
- Small Munsterlander (40 – 60 lb)
- Stabyhoun (40 – 60 lb)
- Thai Ridgeback (35 – 75 lb)
- Transylvanian Hound (>55 lb)
- Treeing Walker Coonhound (50 – 70 lb)
- Vizsla (44 – 60 lb)
- Weimaraner (55 – 75 lb)
- Wetterhoun (50 – 75 lb)
- Wire Fox (15 – 18 lb)
- Wirehaired Pointing Griffon (35 – 70 lb)
- Wirehaired Vizsla (45 – 65 lb)
- Working Kelpie (28 – 60 lb)
Giant size breeds
Here, we define a giant breed of dog any dog that weighs over 95 pounds. However, there are some dog breeds that fall just below this weight limit but are still considered to be giant breeds. Often the males of the breed will fall into the “giant” range while females fall in the “large” range.
Giant breeds are often prized for their gentle dispositions and their loyalty. Giant breeds typically have a shorter lifespan than smaller breeds, so owners must be prepared for the special needs that come with these dogs. But for those who are up for the challenge, owning a giant breed can be an immensely rewarding experience.
We have put breeds with the potential to reach over 95 lbs into this category, even though in some cases their average weight is below this limit e.g., such as Akitas.
- Akita (70 – 130 lb)
- American Bulldog (60 – 100 lb)
- Anatolian Shepherd Dog (80 – 150 lb)
- Beauceron (70 – 110 lb)
- Bernese Mountain Dog (70 – 115 lb)
- Black and Tan Coonhound (65 – 110 lb)
- Black Russian Terrier (80 – 130 lb)
- Bloodhound (80 – 110 lb)
- Boerboel (150 – 200 lb)
- Borzoi (60 – 105 lb)
- Bouvier des Flandres (70 – 110 lb)
- Briard (55 – 100 lb)
- Broholmer (90 – 150 lb)
- Bullmastiff (100 – 120 lb)
- Cane Corso (90 – 110 lb)
- Caucasian Shepherd dog (99 – 170 lb)
- Central Asian Shepherd Dog (88 – 110 lb)
- Doberman Pinscher (60 – 100 lb)
- Dogo Argentino (80 -100 lb)
- Dogue de Bordeaux (>99 lb)
- Estrela Mountain Dog (77 – 132 lb)
- Great Dane (110 – 175 lb)
- Great Pyrenees (>85 lb)
- Greater Swiss Mountain Dog (85 – 140 lb)
- Irish Wolfhound (105 – 120 lb)
- Komondor (80 – 100 lb)
- Kuvasz (70 – 115 lb)
- Leonberger (90 – 170 lb)
- Mastiff (120 – 230 lb)
- Neapolitan Mastiff (110 – 150 lb)
- Newfoundland (100 – 150 lb)
- Old English Sheepdog (60 – 100 lb)
- Otterhound (80 – 115 lb)
- Perro de Presa Canario (84 – 110 lb)
- Pyrenean Mastiff (120 – 240 lb)
- Rafeiro do Alentejo (77 – 132 lb)
- Romanian Carpathian Shepherd (70 – 100 lb)
- Romanian Mioritic Shepherd Dog (100 – 130 lb)
- Rottweiler (80 -100 lb)
- Saint Bernard (120 – 180 lb)
- Scottish Deerhound (75 – 110 lb)
- Spanish Mastiff (140 – 200 lb)
- Tibetan Mastiff (70 – 150 lb)
- Tornjak (62 – 110 lb)
- Tosa (100 – 200 lb)
Did We Miss Something? Let Us Know!
As we wrap up our guide on dog breeds by size, we hope it helps you find the perfect canine companion. Whether you prefer smaller, cuddlier dogs or larger, more robust breeds, knowing the size can greatly influence your choice and ensure a good match for your living situation and lifestyle.
If you think we’ve missed a breed or want more information included, please let us know and we’ll add it to the list! We aim to provide the most comprehensive and helpful information. Happy dog searching!
[All images used under license or with permission]
