Good large breed puppy care covers more ground than most new pet owners expect. Today’s lap-sized pup will soon be a 50-pound-plus dog that needs slow growth, protected joints, and early training. Large and giant breed dogs have dietary needs and joint health considerations that smaller breeds simply don’t face in the same way. Start with the quick takeaways below for the short version, then read on for the details.
Key Takeaways
- Large breed status starts around 50 pounds of adult weight, sometimes 70, with a height near 24 inches.
- Feeding a food that meets AAFCO large breed growth guidelines keeps calcium and phosphorus levels in the right range for growing bones.
- Growing joints and growth plates need protection from jumping, stairs, and hard-surface running until skeletal maturity between 18 months and 2 years.
- Big dogs repay a little extra guidance and early effort with loyal companionship for life.
- Common questions about vet visits, meal schedules, exercise limits, and early training get quick answers at the end.
Which Dogs Count as Big Dog Breeds
Every plan for raising a big pup starts with a simple question: does your dog actually qualify as large? Dog breeders use a sizing system to sort breeds into groups. In that system, a dog needs to weigh at least 50 pounds, sometimes 70, to make the large breed bracket. Height counts too, with most large breeds standing around 24 inches tall. Both numbers describe the adult dog, not the puppy in your lap.
Some popular large dog breeds include:
- Afghan Hound
- Bloodhound
- Boxer
- Bullmastiff
- Chow Chow
- Collie
- Dalmatian
- German Shepherd
- Golden Retriever
- Great Dane
- Greyhound
- Irish Setter
- Labrador Retriever
- Old English Sheepdog
- Pointer
- Standard Poodle
- Rhodesian Ridgeback
- Rottweiler
- Siberian Husky
- Weimaraner
A Great Dane or similar giant breed brings the same feeding and joint-protection rules as any large breed, just with an even bigger margin for error. Don’t see your dog’s breed here? They may fall into the medium group instead, or into the even bigger giant category.
Start with a Vet Checkup
The first place to go with any new pet is the vet’s office for a checkup. Ask friends or search online for local veterinarians who know large breed dogs well. You can even call nearby offices to ask questions and get to know their staff and services before you choose. A quick conversation tells you plenty about the fit.
That first visit should be the start of many, since regular preventative care keeps a fast-growing pup on track. Use the appointment to ask about food and dietary needs as well. Your veterinarian can point you to the right puppy foods, feeding frequency, and portion sizes, along with a feeding recommendation suited to your dog’s expected adult size.
Your veterinarian will also want to monitor growth and weight gain closely, since joint health depends on it. A slow growth rate helps your grown dog have healthier joints. According to Cornell, restricted growth can reduce expression of the trait, so slow growth may also help a puppy avoid hip dysplasia, a condition where the hip joint doesn’t form properly. Hip and elbow dysplasia are two of the joint problems large breed owners hear about most, and both are tied closely to how fast a puppy grows.
Most puppies receive rounds of vaccinations starting at six to eight weeks of age and running through 16 weeks. You’ll still need a vaccination plan built for your particular pup, so set one up with your veterinarian. The same visit is a good time to cover safe parasite control, inside and out. Ask about the right time to spay or neuter, too.
One more topic matters for deep-chested breeds. Ask your veterinarian about having the stomach tacked during the spay or neuter surgery. This procedure, called gastropexy, helps keep the stomach from twisting and causing gastric torsion, better known as bloat. They can help you decide whether it makes sense for your pup.
Feeding Large Breed Puppies
Tufts notes that large breed puppies are more sensitive to an excess or shortage of calcium while their bones are growing. That sensitivity becomes a problem when they eat puppy food made for all sizes of puppies. A one-size formula may not keep calcium and phosphorus levels inside the tighter range a big pup’s growing bones need. Vitamin D plays a supporting role here too, since it helps the body regulate how much calcium gets absorbed and used for bone growth, which is part of why large breed formulas are so precise about mineral content.
The Association of American Feed Control Officials, or AAFCO, publishes pet food guidelines. Since 2016, Tufts explains, foods sold for “growth” must specify if they have met additional guidelines written just for large and giant breed dogs. Those extra guidelines mostly come down to a reduced range of calcium.
Do you expect your dog to reach 70 pounds or more as an adult? Check the bag before you buy, and look for this nutritional adequacy statement on the label:
“[Pet Food Name] is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for growth/all life stages INCLUDING growth of large-size dogs (70 lbs or more as an adult).”
That line means the recipe meets the stricter standard written for large breed growth. If the bag doesn’t carry that statement, keep looking.
You might think a puppy should gain weight as fast as possible to reach their full growth potential. For a big pup the opposite is true.
Puppy food runs high in minerals, protein, and calories, which can push a growing dog to gain size unnaturally fast. Slow growth is the healthier path for the growth plates that are still closing. Keeping your puppy at a healthy weight is a major part of their care.
Meal frequency matters as much as the food itself, and it changes as your puppy grows. Your veterinarian’s feeding recommendation may look like this:
- Eight to 12 weeks old: four small meals a day
- Three to six months old: three meals a day
- Six months to one year: two meals a day
After the first birthday, one meal a day is usually enough. Some larger dogs still do better with two smaller meals instead. Your veterinarian will help you settle on the right schedule as your dog matures. Expect the plan to shift a few times during the first year.
Don’t leave food in the bowl all day, because free feeding is a sure way for a puppy to overeat. Measured meals at set times keep portions under control. Skip table scraps and human snacks too.
As your dog grows taller, watch what sits out in the kitchen. Large breed dogs can help themselves to food left at table or counter height. Counter surfing comes easy to a dog built tall enough to reach.
Exercise and Training for Giant Breed Dogs
Your puppy might look big enough to jog beside you, and they may have the energy for it too. Their body isn’t ready. Large and giant breed dogs don’t reach skeletal maturity until somewhere between 18 months and 2 years old, since the growth plates in their bones take that long to close.
A dog can look full grown long before the skeleton finishes the job. Until then, bones, joints, and growth plates are still forming, no matter how sturdy they appear. Puppies rarely pace themselves, so it falls to you to keep activity from going overboard.
High-impact activity during those months invites orthopedic problems, meaning damage to growing bones and joints, and Cornell points out that the potential for damage is worse for puppies. Elbow dysplasia is one of the joint problems this kind of early stress can contribute to, alongside hip dysplasia. Jumping and running on hard surfaces are the classic causes. Damage risk runs higher for puppies than for adult dogs, so protect those developing joints with a few house rules:
- No jumping on and off the furniture
- No pounding runs on pavement or other hard surfaces
- No frequent trips up and down the stairs on their own
The rules stay in place until your dog reaches skeletal maturity and the growth plates close. That feels strict for a bouncy puppy, and it pays off in long-term joint health later.
If carrying your puppy up and down the stairs isn’t practical, or isn’t physically possible, use a ramp instead. A gate that limits which parts of the house they can reach works too. Small changes like these save young joints from needless pounding.
Start Training Early
Training separates a pleasant big dog from a chaotic one. Even basic tasks like walking, feeding, or bath time turn difficult when a dog this size won’t cooperate. A rowdy large breed dog that jumps up on people is no small problem. Habits that look cute in a small puppy stop being cute at full size, especially in a giant breed like a Great Dane.
Start training as soon as your puppy settles in, because the sooner you begin, the better. Every month you wait, your puppy gets bigger. So does the effort every lesson takes. The work you put in now spares you from wrestling a much larger dog that’s already set in their ways.
You don’t have to handle training alone, either. If you’d like backup, or the whole job feels like too much, find a professional dog trainer to help out. A trainer will work with you on obedience and on handling a large breed dog. They can also help with any behavior issues your puppy has already shown.
Protected joints and early manners together make the adult dog easy to live with.
A Little Large Breed Puppy Care Now, a Big Payoff Later
Proper large breed puppy care comes down to the right food, slow growth, protected joints, and early training. A dog this size can seem like a lot because, well, they are a lot. They’re also loving patients whose loyalty runs deep, and a dog is a best friend for life.
Bigger dogs simply need extra guidance while they grow into those oversized paws. Their dietary needs, joint health, and manners all deserve attention early, before size makes any of it harder to manage. Your puppy may be a handful now, yet before long they’ll be an armful, and then bigger still. Learn their needs early, and life gets easier and healthier for both of you down the line.
Want to keep learning about preventative care for a fast-growing pup? Take a look at our preventative medicine services.
FAQs
How big does a dog have to be to count as a large breed?
Most sizing systems call a dog large at 50 pounds or more, sometimes 70, with a height around 24 inches. Dogs under that range usually fall into the medium group, while the very biggest dogs, like the Great Dane, land in the giant category.
When should a big puppy first see a veterinarian?
Right after your new puppy comes home. That first checkup starts a preventative care plan. Expect to cover vaccinations, which Cornell notes often begin at six to eight weeks of age, plus parasite control, growth monitoring, and feeding guidance. Plan on regular visits after that first one.
What food should a large breed puppy eat?
Choose a puppy food whose label meets AAFCO nutrient profiles for growth of large-size dogs. That statement matters for any pup expected to reach 70 pounds or more as an adult, per Tufts. These formulas keep calcium and phosphorus levels in a safer range for growing bones.
How much exercise is safe for a growing big dog?
Hold off on high-impact activity until skeletal maturity, which arrives between 18 months and 2 years, once the growth plates have closed. Skip jumping on and off furniture, hard-surface running, and frequent solo stair trips while joints develop. A ramp or limited house access helps protect growing joints and lowers the risk of hip and elbow dysplasia.
When should training start for a large puppy?
Start as early as possible. Basic tasks like walking, feeding, and bathing get harder every month a big dog goes without manners. A professional trainer can help with obedience, safe handling, and any behavior issues your puppy has picked up.
Sources
- According to Cornell, restricted growth can reduce expression of the hip dysplasia trait.
- Tufts notes that large breed puppies are sensitive to an excess or shortage of calcium.
- Per Tufts, growth-labeled foods must specify if they’ve met the additional large breed guidelines.
- Cornell explains that the potential for joint damage, including elbow dysplasia, is worse for puppies during high-impact activity.
- Cornell states that puppy vaccinations typically start at 6 to 8 weeks of age.
- Per Tufts, the large breed growth statement applies to dogs expected to reach 70 pounds or more as an adult.
