33 Big Dog Breeds That Are Perfect Family Dogs
People are sometimes surprised when I tell them that big dogs are, on the whole, some of the easiest family dogs there are. The giants tend to be calmer than the little guys, more tolerant of toddler chaos, and far less likely to treat the doorbell as a personal emergency.
Our own two are living proof. Ravi and Scooby Boy are not small animals, and yet the most dangerous thing about either of them is a tail at coffee table height. Size and gentleness go together far more often than the movies would have you believe.
A quick honesty note before the list. Every breed here still needs training, exercise, and supervision around small children, because a sweet temperament is a starting point, not a guarantee, and every dog is an individual. With that said, here are thirty three big breeds that have earned their family dog reputations.
Golden Retriever
The family dog against which all other family dogs are measured. Goldens are patient, eager to please, and famously soft mouthed, which is why they tolerate small hands better than almost any breed. They shed generously and love everyone, including the burglar.
Labrador Retriever
America’s sweetheart for three decades running, and for good reason. Labs are sturdy, forgiving, endlessly food motivated, and happy to join whatever the family is doing, from soccer practice to couch time. Plan on real daily exercise for the first few years, because a bored young Lab is a home renovation project.
Goldendoodle
I am contractually obligated to include the breed that runs my own household, but they earn the spot honestly. A well bred doodle combines the Golden’s friendliness with the Poodle’s brains, usually in a coat that sheds less. They are velcro dogs who want to be in the middle of family life, orange ball optional.
Bernese Mountain Dog
A hundred pounds of calm devotion in a tricolor coat. Berners are famously gentle with children and tend to attach deeply to their whole family rather than one person. Their one heartbreak is a shorter lifespan than most, so every year counts double.
Newfoundland
The breed literature calls them the nanny dog, and it is not marketing. Newfies are sweet, patient, and instinctively careful around little ones, with a legendary love of water. You will need a bigger couch and a towel by the door, and you will not regret either.
Great Dane
An apartment sized heart in a horse sized body. Danes are surprisingly lazy indoors, leaning against their people and claiming furniture with quiet confidence. They are gentle with kids, though a happy tail at that height clears every coffee table in the house.
Standard Poodle
Forget the haircuts, because underneath is one of the smartest, most athletic family dogs alive. Standards are playful with children, quick to train, and light on shedding, which many families with allergies appreciate. They do need their minds exercised as much as their legs.
German Shepherd
Loyal, watchful, and deeply bonded to their family, Shepherds are the breed that takes the job of belonging seriously. With good training and early socialization they are wonderful with kids and unfailingly devoted. They are happiest with structure and a family that includes them in everything.
Boxer
A clown in a muscle suit. Boxers stay puppy hearted for years, adore children, and have a bouncing, wiggling greeting style that no other breed can match. They are strong and enthusiastic, so teaching polite manners early makes everyone’s life easier.
Rough Collie
Lassie was not a fluke. Collies are gentle, sensitive, and famously attentive to children, often appointing themselves the family’s unofficial babysitter. That gorgeous coat asks for regular brushing, and their feelings are as soft as their fur.
Old English Sheepdog
A shaggy, bumbling comedian with a herding brain underneath. They are affectionate with kids and known for a goofy, easygoing charm that fits busy households. The coat is a genuine commitment, so befriend your groomer.
Irish Setter
A rocket made of red silk. Setters are joyful, social, and absolutely tireless, which suits active families with kids who need wearing out as much as the dog does. They stay young at heart for a decade, which is either a warning or a promise depending on your energy level.
Bernedoodle
The Bernese’s sweetness crossed with the Poodle’s cleverness and coat. Good ones are calm, funny, and deeply attached to their families, with more years on the clock than a purebred Berner typically gets. Like all doodles, temperament follows the breeder, so choose carefully.
Saint Bernard
The patron saint of patient dogs. Saints are mellow, tolerant, and genuinely fond of children, happy to serve as a warm and slightly drooly pillow. You will need room, a drool towel, and a tolerance for fur, and in exchange you get a mountain that loves you.
Leonberger
A lion of a dog bred specifically to be a companion, and it shows. Leos are gentle, even tempered, and famously good with kids despite weighing as much as a middle schooler. They are calm in the house and majestic on a walk, where strangers will ask about them constantly.
Great Pyrenees
Bred to guard flocks, which in a family home translates to calmly watching over everyone from the coolest spot on the floor. Pyrs are patient and steady with children and famously serene. They think independently and bark at night noises, so a fence and a sense of humor help.
Alaskan Malamute
A big, wolfish teddy bear who adores people, including small ones. Malamutes are playful and affectionate with their family, though their stubborn streak and heavy coat are not for everyone. Give them cold mornings, real exercise, and something to pull, and they shine.
Samoyed
The smiling sled dog, and the smile is real, since that upturned mouth keeps them from drooling icicles. Sammies are friendly, gentle, and genuinely happy in the middle of family commotion. The white coat is a project, and the personality is worth every brushing minute.
Rhodesian Ridgeback
Dignified, quiet, and surprisingly cuddly for a dog bred to face down lions. Ridgebacks are calm indoors and deeply loyal to their families, with a low bark rate that neighbors appreciate. They suit families who can offer consistent training and a good daily run.
Doberman Pinscher
Forget the guard dog stereotype, because a well raised Dobie is a velcro dog who thinks it belongs in your lap. They are intensely loyal, sensitive, and gentle with the children in their own family. Smart enough to learn anything, including how to open the treat cupboard.
Weimaraner
The gray ghost follows its family from room to room like a silver shadow. Weims are affectionate, athletic, and best matched with active households, because their energy is real and daily. Tired Weimaraners are wonderful family dogs, and untired ones redecorate.
German Shorthaired Pointer
An all purpose athlete who happens to love kids. GSPs are friendly, biddable, and eager for any activity involving their people, the more outdoors the better. They are a match made in heaven for the family that hikes, runs, and camps.
Gordon Setter
The biggest and most devoted of the setters, in a handsome black and tan coat. Gordons are affectionate and a touch more serious than their Irish cousins, bonding hard to their family. They flourish with people who include them rather than kennel them.
Flat-Coated Retriever
Breeders call them the Peter Pan of retrievers, because they simply never grow up. Flat-Coats are cheerful, silly, and gentle with children well into old age. If you want a dog who treats every single day like a birthday, this is the one.
Chesapeake Bay Retriever
The most rugged of the retrievers, with a protective streak the others lack. Chessies love their families deeply, adore swimming in any weather, and take their loyalty seriously. They suit slightly more experienced homes that can match their strong character.
English Setter
A gentleman in a speckled coat. English Setters are mellow, sweet natured, and notably patient with children, earning their reputation as one of the gentlest sporting breeds. They need a good romp and then happily melt into the rug.
Bullmastiff
A quiet, confident guardian who saves the drama for actual emergencies. Bullmastiffs are calm indoors, tolerant of kids, and naturally protective without being noisy about it. Their size is the training argument, so teach manners while they are still liftable.
English Mastiff
The heaviest breed on earth and one of the softest hearted. Mastiffs are docile, affectionate, and content to simply be near their people, preferably touching them. Expect snoring, drool, and a dog who believes it is a lapdog at two hundred pounds.
Bouvier des Flandres
A rugged farm dog from Belgium with a teddy bear face and a steady mind. Bouviers are calm, loyal, and reliable with children in their own family. The tousled coat needs regular grooming, and the dog underneath is worth the effort.
Airedale Terrier
The king of terriers, and just big enough to make this list. Airedales are playful, comedic, and sturdy enough for enthusiastic kids, with a mischievous streak that keeps the household entertained. They are clever, which means they are also creative when bored.
Greyhound
The fastest couch potato alive. Retired racers and family bred Greyhounds alike are gentle, quiet, and shockingly low maintenance, needing a couple of sprints and then eighteen hours of upside down napping. Their thin skin and sweet nature make them best with respectful, calmer kids.
Bloodhound
The nose comes with a heart to match. Bloodhounds are patient, mild, and famously tolerant of children, wearing their wrinkles like a kindly grandfather. Keep them on a leash, because when that nose engages, their ears turn off entirely.
Spinone Italiano
The best family dog most people have never heard of. Spinoni are gentle, easygoing, and devoted, with a scruffy beard and a talent for leaning their whole weight against whoever they love. They are athletic without being frantic, which is a rare and wonderful combination.
If you are picking from this list, spend real time with the breed first, meet the parents when you can, and be honest about your family’s energy level, because the right match matters more than the ranking. And whichever giant you bring home, teach the kids to respect the dog as much as the dog respects them. Do that, and there is nothing in this world quite like a very big dog who thinks your family is the whole point of his life.
Still stuck on what to call your new giant? We have sixty three favorite dog names with meanings waiting for you.