Instruct: Given a question, retrieve relevant documents that answer the question.
Query: How big does a dog need to be to be considered a giant breed?
This giant breed matures slowly in both mind and body, taking anywhere from 2 to 3 years. The objective in training this dog is for the owner to build trust through humane methods. As youngsters, they can be quite boisterous and they do require steady and reliable training to develop manners and physical self-control. As with all large, active working dogs, this breed should be well socialized early in life with other dogs and people, and be provided with regular activity and training.
According to the Standard Schnauzer Club of America, “The Standard Schnauzer is considered a high-energy dog. They need ample exercise not only for physical well-being but also for emotional well-being. The minimum amount an adult dog should get is the equivalent of one long walk a day. This walk should be brisk enough to keep the dog at a steady trotting pace in order to keep the dog in prime physical condition. The Standard Schnauzer puppy is constantly exploring, learning and testing his limits. As adults, they are always ready for a walk in the woods, a ride in the car, a training session or any other activity that allows them to be with their owner. This is a breed that knows how to be on the alert, even when relaxing by the feet of their owner.
Yellow-footed tortoises are a large species – fifth-largest overall and third-largest mainland species, after the Aldabra giant tortoise ("Aldabrachelys gigantea"), Galapagos giant tortoise ("Chelonoidis nigra"), African spurred tortoise, and Asian forest tortoise. Typical sizes average 40 cm (15.75 in), but much larger specimens are common. The largest know specimen is a female that was 94 cm (37 in) long. They closely resemble the red-footed tortoise, and can sometimes be difficult to tell apart, especially as a preserved specimen, which led to quite a bit of confusion over the names and ranges.
"Brontosaurus" was a large, long-necked quadrupedal animal with a long, whip-like tail, and forelimbs that were slightly shorter than its hindlimbs. The largest species, "B. excelsus", weighed up to and measured up to long from head to tail. For comparison, the current largest land animal, the average male African bush elephant is 3.20 m (10.5 ft) tall at the shoulder and has a body mass of 6,000 kg (13,228 lb) or 6.6 short tons.
The "World's Largest Dinosaur" is the name of a model "Tyrannosaurus rex" located in the town of Drumheller in the Canadian province of Alberta. Built of fiberglass and steel, has a height of and a length of , considerably larger than the largest known specimens of the actual dinosaur which reached up to in length, and was up to tall at the hips. The dinosaur was built while former mayor Phil Bryant was in his term.
Josephoartigasia monesi, an extinct species of South American caviomorph rodent, is the largest rodent known, and lived from about 4 to 2 million years ago during the Pliocene to early Pleistocene. The species is one of two in the genus "Josephoartigasia", the other being "J. magna". "J. monesi" is sometimes called the giant pacarana, after its closest living relative, the pacarana ("Dinomys branickii") in the family Dinomyidae. The species may have weighed a ton, considerably larger than any living rodent.
The European jackal is the largest of the golden jackals, with animals of both sexes measuring 120–125 cm (47–49 in) in total length and 10–13 kg (20–29 lb) in body weight. One adult male in North-Eastern Italy is recorded to have reached 14.9 kg (33 lb). The fur is coarse, and is generally brightly coloured with blackish tones on the back. The thighs, upper legs, ears and forehead are bright reddish chestnut. Jackals in Northern Dalmatia have broader than average skulls, which is thought to result from human induced isolation from other populations, thus resulting in a new morphotype.
The Halden is similar to the American Foxhound in appearance although it is smaller. Haldens stand between 17 and 21.5 inches at the shoulder, and weigh approximately 40-55 lbs. They have smooth, very dense coats, hanging ears, and are white with black patches as well as brown shading on the head and legs. They are strong dogs with rectangular bodies and straight, solid backs. The tail is fairly thick, carried low, and hangs down toward the hocks. The skull is slightly domed with a pronounced stop and a straight nosebridge. The cheeks are flat. The ears are pendulous and curled, and the eyes are dark brown and kind. The nose is black. Breeders of Haldens aim for a particular foot shape, with high, tight, long toes and dense fur, for greater stability and warmth as the terrain they hunt through is often snowy and difficult to navigate.
An average adult male measures in length, and stands tall at the shoulder. The largest recorded wild male weighed , and had a hind foot measurement of . A large male Kodiak bear stands up to tall at the shoulder, when it is standing on all four legs. When standing fully upright on its hind legs, a large male could reach a height of . The largest verified size for a captive Kodiak bear was for a specimen that lived at the Dakota Zoo in Bismarck, North Dakota. Nicknamed "Clyde," he weighed when he died in June 1987 at the age of 22. According to zoo director Terry Lincoln, Clyde probably weighed close to a year earlier. He still had a fat layer of when he died.
Currently, the world's tallest horse is a Belgian Draft horse named Big Jake, a gelding born in 2000. He stands tall.
The giant koala was an arboreal marsupial weighing about 13 kg, a little more than modern koalas. It is the largest known tree dwelling marsupial ever to have lived. Scientists say there is a clear similarity between the physical appearance of "P. stirtoni" and the modern koala. It is assumed that the giant koala was a folivore which was specialised to feed on eucalyptus leaves, like its extant relative.
Dinomyrmex is a monotypic genus of ant containing the species Dinomyrmex gigas or giant forest ant. "D. gigas" is a large species of ant, native to Southeast Asian forests. It is one of the largest ants in existence, measuring in at for normal workers, and for the soldiers. Honeydew makes up 90% of their diet, but they will also consume insects and bird droppings. The ant is an effective forager, utilizing both efficient communication and recruitment. A handful of these ants may meet at night to engage in what has been observed to be ritual battle. These fights can continue for several months.
The largest Indian elephant was high at the shoulder. In 1985, two large elephant bulls were spotted for the first time in Bardia National Park, and named "Raja Gaj" and "Kanchha". They roamed the park area together and occasionally visited female herds. "Raja Gaj" stood tall at the shoulder and had a massive body weight. His forehead and domes were more prominent than in other Asian bull elephants. His appearance has been compared to that of a Stegodon and mammoth due to his high bi-domed shaped head.
In English-speaking countries, the height of horses is often stated in units of hands and inches: one hand is equal to . The height is expressed as the number of full hands, followed by a point, then the number of additional inches, and ending with the abbreviation "h" or "hh" (for "hands high"). Thus, a horse described as "15.2 h" is 15 hands plus 2 inches, for a total of in height.
The size of horses varies by breed, but also is influenced by nutrition. Light riding horses usually range in height from and can weigh from . Larger riding horses usually start at about and often are as tall as , weighing from . Heavy or draft horses are usually at least high and can be as tall as high. They can weigh from about .
The press release in 1999 immediately garnered international media attention, which led to many (inaccurate) news reports of "the largest dinosaur ever!". While "Sauroposeidon" likely represents the tallest known dinosaur taxon, it does not hold records for either the longest or most massive. "Patagotitan" or "Argentinosaurus" make better candidates for the title "World's Largest Dinosaur" (presuming to ignore, as is conventional, "Amphicoelias"), though incomplete fossil evidence makes exact rankings impossible.
The golden jackal is similar to the gray wolf but is distinguished by its smaller size, lighter weight, more elongated torso, less-prominent forehead, shorter legs and tail, and a muzzle that is narrower and more pointed. The legs are long in relation to its body, and the feet are slender with small pads. Males measure in body length and females . Males weigh and females weigh . The shoulder height is for both. In comparison, the smallest wolf is the Arabian wolf ("Canis lupus arabs"), which weighs on average .
The largest land mammal extant today is the African bush elephant. The largest extinct land mammal known was long considered to be "Paraceratherium orgosensis", a rhinoceros relative thought to have stood up to tall, measured over long and may have weighed about 17 tonnes. In 2015, a study suggested that one example of the proboscidean "Palaeoloxodon namadicus" may have been the largest land mammal ever, based on extensive research of fragmentary leg bone fossils from one individual, with a maximum estimated size of 22 tonnes.
The general appearance of the Anatolian Shepherd Dog is a tall, rugged and powerful livestock guardian dog with a dense double coat, a broad strong head, well-developed muscular shoulders, and a long tail with a slight curl (reaching to the hock), that is carried high and curled over the dog's back when the dog is alert. The physique embodies balance and strength. Movement of the Anatolian Shepherd Dog should be supple and powerful. A low head carriage which shows the head, neck and topline being level when moving - creating the impression that the dog is stalking - is an important characteristic of the breed.
As with many breeds, there are several breed standards for the Anatolian Shepherd Dog, and therefore there is some variance in the described size and weight. They weigh between 40 and 70 kg (90 and 150 pounds), with females on the smaller side and males on the larger side. The coat may be any colour, although most common are white cream, "sesame," and white with large coloured spots that do not cover more than 30% of the body. Known as "piebald", these colours may or may not be accompanied by a black mask and/or ears.
They have a thick double coat that is somewhat wiry, and needs to be brushed 1-2 times a week in warm weather due to excessive shedding. They have very thick hair on their neck to protect their throat. They look as if they are heavier than they actually are, due to the thick coat.
The Harrier is similar to the English Foxhound, but smaller. Harriers stand between 19 and 21 inches at the shoulder, and adults weigh between 45 and 65 lbs. They do shed, have short hair and hanging ears, and come in a variety of color patterns. A humorous, description of a Harrier is that of "a Beagle on steroids" but it resembles an English Foxhound. It is a muscular hunting hound with a small, hard coat. It has large bones for stamina and strength. The Harrier is slightly longer than tall, with a level topline. The tail is medium-length, carried high, but is not curled over the back. The skull is broad with a strong square muzzle. The rounded ears are pendant, and the eyes are either brown or hazel. The wide nose is black. The expression is mellow when the dog is relaxed and alert when he is excited. The teeth should meet in a scissors or level bite. The feet are tight and cat-like, and the front toes may turn inward.
Cassius is a male saltwater crocodile ("Crocodylus porosus") recognized by the Guinness World Records as the world's largest crocodile in captivity in 2011. The animal measures in length, weighs approximately and is estimated to be more than 110 years old. Kept at the Marineland Crocodile Park, a zoo on Green Island, Queensland, Australia, Cassius was officially recognized by Guinness in 2011, but lost the title in 2012 to Lolong, a saltwater crocodile caught in the southern Philippines. Cassius again holds the record since Lolong's death in 2013.
The Eurasian eagle-owl is a very large bird, smaller than the golden eagle ("Aquila chrysaetos") but larger than the snowy owl, despite some overlap in size with both species. It is sometimes referred to as the world's largest owl, although Blakiston's fish owl ("B. blakistoni") is slightly heavier on average and the much lighter weight great grey owl ("Strix nebulosa") is slightly longer on average. Heimo Mikkola reported the largest specimens of eagle-owl as having the same upper body mass, , as the largest Blakiston’s fish owl and attained a length of around longer. In terms of average weight and wing size, the Blakiston’s is the slightly larger species seemingly, even averaging a bit larger in these aspects than the biggest eagle-owl races from Russia. Also, although shorter than the largest of the latter species, the Eurasian eagle-owl can weigh well more than twice as much as the largest great grey owl. The Eurasian eagle-owl typically has a wingspan of , with the largest specimens possibly attaining . The total length of the species can vary from . Females can weigh from and males can weigh from . In comparison, the barn owl ("Tyto alba"), the world's most widely distributed owl species, weighs about 500 g (1.1 lb) and the great horned owl ("Bubo virginianus"), which fills the eagle-owl's ecological niche in North America, weighs around 1.4 kg (3.1 lb).
Many giant breeds are mature, soft and relaxed dogs as adults and require less exercise than most smaller dogs, so they can make better pets for small living arrangements, such as apartments. Because they are larger animals, they are less likely to be intimidated by other people and thus are much more adaptable to meeting friends, family members, and children of owners. They are normally very calm and are great family dogs. If they sense a threat towards their owner, they will become very protective. They are, in general, stronger than other breeds and many giant breeds are well known for their working abilities.
The breed is of above average intelligence and can be independent minded, so early training and diverse daily exercise is recommended. Based on Stanley Coren's book "The Intelligence of Dogs" (2006) ranking methodology, the Miniature ranked 12th, Standard 18th, and Giant 28th out of 140 breeds within 79 ranks on the ability to learn and obey new commands i.e. working and obedience intelligence. The first two were grouped among "excellent working dogs", while the Giant among "above-average working dogs". Additionally, experts ranked the Miniature as 5th among top 15 breeds at watchdog barking ability, the Giant as 6th among top 13 breeds at effective guard ability, while in adaptive intelligence all three breeds showed good problem-solving abilities. They are protective and energetic, and will alert members of the household to any potential danger, although its watchful nature can lead to persistent barking. To avoid annoying the neighbors, dog owners should make every effort to curb excessive barking through training.
Giant breeds often have health-related disadvantages when compared to smaller dogs and caring for them is usually more expensive than for smaller dogs. They eat more than smaller breeds and sometimes require speciality diets to tackle weight and joint management.
Many breeds of dog participate in skijoring. The only prerequisite is a desire to run down a trail and pull, which is innate in many dogs. Small dogs (less than 40 pounds) are rarely seen skijoring, because they do not greatly assist the skier; however, since the skier can provide as much power as is required to travel, any enthusiastic dog can participate. Athletic dogs such as Pointers, Setters and herding breeds take to skijoring with glee, as do the northern breeds, such as Siberian and Alaskan huskies, malamutes, Samoyeds, and Inuit dogs; however, any large energetic dog is capable of enjoying this sport. Golden retrievers, giant schnauzers, Labrador retrievers, and many cross-breeds are seen in harness. Pulling breeds work well also such as American bull terriers, Staffordshire terriers, American bull dogs, and mastiffs.