How tall is a Great Dane compared to a human?

The Kennel Club standard gives a minimum height of 76cm (30 inches) for dogs and 71cm (28 inches) for bitches, aged over 18 months. That is the height at the shoulder, so the head sits higher.

What is the tallest dog breed?

Among the breeds listed here, the Irish wolfhound has the highest minimum height at 79cm for dogs and 71cm for bitches. The Great Dane's minimum is 76cm for dogs. Many individuals of both breeds are taller than their minimum.

How tall is a Labrador?

The Kennel Club standard gives 56-57cm (22 to 22.5 inches) for dogs and 55-56cm (21.5 to 22 inches) for bitches, at the withers. The standard describes this as a guide to the ideal, so real dogs can be larger or smaller.

How is dog height measured?

Breed standards measure height at the withers, the highest point of the shoulder, or at the shoulder. The measurement is taken with the dog standing square, not to the top of the head or the ears.

Why isn't a Chihuahua's height listed?

The Kennel Club standard for the smooth coat Chihuahua gives no height. It gives a weight of up to 2.7kg (6lb), with 1.8 to 2.7kg preferred, and says only that the body should be slightly longer than the height at the withers.

Are female dogs smaller than male dogs?

In most breed standards on this page, yes. Bitches are typically 1 to 8cm shorter than dogs (the 8cm gap is in the Irish Wolfhound minimums). The Border Collie standard simply says bitches are slightly less than the 53cm for dogs.

Dog sizes compared: shoulder height of popular breeds

Popular dog breeds range from about 25-30cm (10-12 inches) at the shoulder for a Jack Russell to a minimum of 79cm (31 inches) for an Irish wolfhound, according to Kennel Club breed standards. That means the biggest breeds stand at least 2.6 times taller than the smallest, and an Irish wolfhound is already nearly three-quarters as tall as a typical 5-year-old child.

Dog height by breed

Heights below come from the Royal Kennel Club (The Kennel Club) breed standards. Where the standard gives a minimum, that is the figure shown. Standards describe an ideal, so individual dogs can be larger or smaller.

Breed	Dogs (males)	Bitches (females)	Measured at
Jack Russell Terrier	25-30cm (10-12in)	same	withers
Welsh Corgi (Pembroke)	about 25-30cm (10-12in)	same	shoulder
Cocker Spaniel	39-41cm (15.5-16in)	38-39cm (15-15.5in)	withers
Border Collie	53cm (21in)	slightly less	not stated
Labrador Retriever	56-57cm (22-22.5in)	55-56cm (21.5-22in)	withers
Golden Retriever	56-61cm (22-24in)	51-56cm (20-22in)	withers
German Shepherd	63cm (25in), plus or minus 2.5cm	58cm (23in), plus or minus 2.5cm	withers
Rottweiler	63-69cm	58-64cm	shoulder
Great Dane	at least 76cm (30in)	at least 71cm (28in)	not stated
Irish Wolfhound	at least 79cm (31in)	at least 71cm (28in)	not stated

Chihuahuas, dachshunds and bulldogs do not appear in the table because their Kennel Club standards focus on weight or proportions rather than a height figure. The smooth coat Chihuahua standard, for example, gives a weight of up to 2.7kg (6lb) and no height.

Height comparison
Name	Height
Border collie	53 cm
German shepherd	63 cm
Irish wolfhound (minimum)	79 cm
Girl, 5 (WHO median)	109.4 cm

Breed standard heights next to the WHO median for a 5-year-old girl (109.4cm). Each dog is drawn so its shoulder sits on the stated height (dashed line), the way the breed standards measure, so the head rises above the line. The shoulder position on each outline is estimated from the artwork, so treat it as approximate. The wolfhound shown is the minimum; many are taller.

How do dogs compare with people?

Shoulder height is not head height, so a dog looks taller than its figure suggests when it lifts its head. Even so, the numbers give a useful scale.

Dog	Shoulder height	Compared with a 5-year-old (109.4cm)	Compared with a UK average woman (163.94cm)
Jack Russell (30cm)	30cm	27%	18%
Labrador dog (56.5cm)	56.5cm	52%	34%
German Shepherd dog (63cm)	63cm	58%	38%
Irish Wolfhound dog (minimum)	79cm	72%	48%

The Great Dane, with a minimum of 76cm, comes to 69% of a 5-year-old and 46% of the UK average woman. The 5-year-old figure is the WHO median for girls at 60 months. The UK woman figure is the average from this site’s country dataset, based on NCD-RisC data. Percentages are simple division and are rounded to the nearest whole number.

For the heights of children at other ages, see average height for toddlers and young children and average height for a 10-year-old.

Smallest to biggest: the spread

The gap between the smallest and largest breeds on the list is large. The shortest standard on the list, 25cm for a Jack Russell or Pembroke Corgi, compares with a minimum of 79cm for an Irish wolfhound dog. Divide the larger by the smaller and the answer is 3.2. Using the top of the Jack Russell range (30cm) gives 2.6. Either way, the largest breeds are two and a half to three times taller at the shoulder.

Weight differences are far larger than height differences, because weight rises with volume. This article is about height only, since that is what a measuring board shows.

Dog height versus length and head height

Breed standards measure the shoulder because it stays still. The tops of a dog’s head, ears and tail vary with posture. A German Shepherd with its head raised can stand noticeably higher than 63cm.

Length matters too. A dachshund is short at the shoulder but long in the body, so a simple height figure understates its footprint. If you are fitting a dog into a car boot, a crate or a doorway, measure your own dog’s height and length, not just the breed figure.

Why standards give minimums for the largest breeds

For giant breeds, the Kennel Club standards for the Great Dane and Irish wolfhound list minimum heights rather than a target. The Great Dane minimum applies to adults over 18 months. Most individuals exceed the minimum, so the figures here are a floor, not an average.

For mid-sized breeds, the standard usually gives a narrow ideal range, and the Kennel Club notes that the figures are a guide. Cross-breeds do not have breed standards at all, so a cross-breed’s adult height is best estimated from its parents and from a vet’s growth check.

Method and sources

Breed heights come from each breed’s page on the Royal Kennel Club breed standards, read on 25 October 2026. The Border Collie standard gives 53cm for dogs and says bitches are slightly less. The German Shepherd standard gives an ideal of 63cm and 58cm and allows 2.5cm either way. The Rottweiler and Welsh Corgi (Pembroke) standards measure at the shoulder. The WHO median for a 5-year-old girl is from the WHO Child Growth Standards. The UK average woman (163.94cm) comes from this site’s dataset, compiled from NCD-RisC. Percentages are simple ratios. Inches convert at 2.54cm. Last reviewed 25 October 2026.

Open the comparison board to stand any dog beside a person, or use the height converter to switch between centimetres and inches.