By: Ivy Stanley
OwlFeed Journalist

I’m sure we all have our favorite breed of dog. Here are some of mine, and maybe even yours!

#1: Great Pyrenees Mountain Dog

The Great Pyrenees Mountain Dog is a great dog to start this list off with. They normally weigh around 80 to 120 pounds which is about the same weight as an eighth grader. They grow to be about 26-32 inches, or a little over 2 feet in height.

An average litter of puppies for these guys is 3 to 7 puppies. They live to about 11 years old. For those of you that know of the musical Hamilton, you’ll probably be pleased to know that Marquis De Lafayette brought them to America in the year 1824.

The great Pyrenees also helped another dog on this list, the Saint Bernard. When the Saint Bernard’s numbers dropped too low because of a high death rate from avalanches, this dog helped revive the breed back into the higher numbers it has today.

#2: Saint Bernard

The second dog on our list is one previously mentioned, the Saint Bernard! This is the tallest and heaviest dog on the list, standing at 26 to 35 inches and weighing a whopping 140 to 250 pounds! These big boys have about 10 puppies per litter, which isn’t very surprising at their size. They can live to about 9 years.

Since these dogs originated in freezing climates (their numbers literally dropped because of too much snow) they don’t do very well in warm temperatures, so probably not the best dog to own if you live here in this oven of a state.

But don’t be fooled! Even though these enormous dogs love the cold, they’re very warm and loving towards their owners and family. They absolutely love attention and being around people.

#3: Neapolitan Mastiff

Coming up to the third dog on our list, the Neapolitan Mastiff! To continue with the tall dog streak we have going, this one can grow to 23 to 30 inches. They weigh a good 110 to 150 pounds. These dogs have about 1 to 16 puppies per litter, which is pretty vague. They live to about 9 years.

Possibly because of their size and slightly dangerous background, it’s forbidden to own one of these dogs in Singapore. Even still, they make great guard dogs because they are protective and sturdy.

#4: Pitbull

Number four on the list is the wonderful pit bulls! They grow to about 18 to 21 inches and weigh 30 to 65 pounds. It’s still a big dog, but compared to the last 3 it seems pretty tiny. They have maybe 5 to 10 puppies per litter and live to around 10-15 years.

Now, I know everyone doesn’t love pit bulls and some people really just don’t like them, but contrary to popular belief, they’re actually very sweet and lovable dogs if raised correctly, quite like humans. Sophie Gamand did a photoshoot with pit bulls wearing flower crowns. They look lovely and I recommend you check it out!

#5: Australian Shepherd

Smack dab in the middle of our list we have Australian shepherds! These wonderful dogs are a bit shorter, standing at 18 to 23 inches. They only weigh about 35 to 70 pounds too. They can have around 6 to 9 puppies in a litter. They live to an average of 14-years-old.

Assuming you’ve seen one before, you know that some of them have brilliant and vibrant blue eyes, or maybe one blue and one brown eye. Regardless, these dogs are beautiful. They make great family dogs, but be careful, you might get herded like sheep! These dogs were originally bred to herd sheep, so naturally, most still herd from sheer instinct.

#6: Cocker Spaniel

The sixth dog on our list is the cocker spaniel. Another smaller dog, from 14 to 17 inches and 26 to 35 pounds. Cocker spaniels have about 5 to 10 puppies at a time. They live 12 to 15 years old.

These dogs make absolutely terrible guard dogs as they immediately make friends with everyone they meet. They are very social dogs and make for a great family pet. My grandma had two for years and years, which have both sadly recently passed away, but since they were around before I was born, I had known them my whole life and they were always very kind and gentle dogs. A plus to these dogs is that they don’t shed hardly at all with proper grooming.

#7: Chow Chow

Next up is a quite popular dog breed I’m sure you’ve heard of at some point, the chow! These fluffy dogs get to about 18 to 22 inches and weigh 44 to 71 pounds. They have about 4 to 6 puppies per litter. Chow chows live between 9 to 15 years.

If you’ve heard about these dogs, you might have heard about their neat tongues. While most dogs have pink tongues, chow chows have blue ones! Since these dogs are so big and fluffy, they have a double coat, which can be dangerous when wet and make it difficult to swim as it weighs them down. So they don’t make the greatest water dog.

#8: Samoyed

The eighth dog on our list is the Samoyed! These lovely white dogs grow up to 19 to 24 inches and weigh 35 to 66 pounds. They have about 4 to 6 puppies per litter. They normally live around 12 to 13 years.

Even though they look nice and happy now, they used to be bred as hunting dogs. Nowadays, they aren’t used for that and are actually quite nice and friendly. They have such a nice smile that it got its own title of “Samy smile”! There’s plenty of samoyed accounts on Instagram I recommend checking out. Unfortunately, these dogs shed A LOT.

#9: Pug

Second to last, we have the pug! The pug is smallest dog on our list, at only 10 to 12 inches tall and weighing 14 to 18 pounds. I have a pug, and let me tell you, he weighs about 28 pounds. He’s really quite fat. They have around 4 to 6 puppies per litter. Pugs live 12 to 15 years.

A group of pugs is called a grumble! They were treated like royalty in ancient China and were bred to be small so they could lay on the sleeves of empresses.

#10: Tibetan Mastiff

And last but not least, we have my personal favorite (after pugs of course), the Tibetan Mastiff! These dogs are a good 25 to 28 inches in height and weigh about 140 to 170 pounds. They can have 6 to 12 puppies at a time. These dogs live up to 10-14 years.

They’re very loyal and very protective. This is the most expensive dog breed, one once sold for nearly $2 million!

That concludes our list! I hope you enjoyed! Feel free to email me pictures of your dogs (or any other pet) anytime at [email protected] , I would love to see them!