Hello and welcome to my list of 11 large blonde dog breeds.
What is blonde?
Well it is not white and it isn’t red. It is somewhere in between.
But that is open to interpretation!
And what I mean by that is that you may disagree with some of the selections in my list.
You might think that on the one hand I have missed out a breed that you would consider to be “blonde” or you might look at some of my selections and think “hang on a minute, that is white, not blonde!”
If this is you, leave me a comment.
Of course, another interpretation is my definition of “large breed.”
Looking at my list, the tallest dog is 86 cm or 34” and heaviest is 90 kg or 200 lbs.
The shortest dog is 51 cm or 20” and the lightest is about 27 kg or 60 lbs.
Some of these breeds are very well known and no doubt you would have come across them before.
Depending on your needs, you will be able to buy a puppy or get a rescue dog locally.
Other breeds will be new to you as they were to me.
And some of these breeds should only be owned or used in very specific situations by very experienced dog owners.
Just to say that I will list these 11 large blonde breeds, starting with the tallest breeds first.
And our first two breeds are huge dogs from Turkey.
There is dispute in some quarters whether these breeds are truly separate and different from each other or whether they are slight variations of the same breed.
I have separated them out- it gives me a better chance to add more photos of dogs!
[1] Kangal Shepherd
We have a joint first place.
Two breeds that can be 86 cm (34”).
Firstly the Kangol Shepherd.
As well as being a great height, it is very heavy: tipping the scales at over 66 kg or 145 lbs.
This dog has Turkish origins, where it was bred as a livestock guardian to protect sheep from wolves, bears and jackals.
That is why it needs to be so huge.
As well as coming in a Light Golden coat, it comes in a Dun, Grey and Fawn Sable.
It has a thick double layered coat to protect the dog from harsh winters and fierce summers.
Amazingly, these dogs can travel up to thirty five miles per hour.
Obviously these dogs are not ideal pets but they are perfect for someone who needs a livestock guardian and is willing to put the investment into training them properly.
[2] Akbash
Another exotic breed for you from Turkey.
With a recorded height the same as a Kangol Shepherd but less heavy, weighing around 64 kg (or 141 lbs.)
An Akbash is another dog that is used to protect livestock.
[3] Komondor
Now onto something really special- a Komondor.
It is also called a Hungarian Sheepdog and “mop dog”.
It isn’t hard to see why.
I think in terms of colour, the white is dirty enough to be considered blonde?!
It is another livestock protection dog, with a height of 76 cm (30 ”) and weight of 60 kg (132 lbs).
The coat is a series of cords or tassels, which take about two years to grow.
And these dogs don’t moult, although they do need careful grooming to keep their coats from turning into a tangled mess.
The thick coat is said to protect the dogs from bites from wolves.
These dogs are very loyal family pets- great with young children and other family pets.
Like all livestock protectors they are wary of strangers!
[4] Afghan Hounds
head of hair ⁵
Now to a more familiar breed- the beautifully elegant Afghan Hound.
Like the Komondor, this dog is defined by its coat.
The Afghan hound is a very ancient breed, with its roots in the Afghan mountain where it was used to hunt or to guard livestock.
Afghans come in several different colours including: Gold, White Gray, Blue and Fawn.
Standing around 74 cm (29 “) and weighing about 27 kg (60 lbs) these dogs are prized for their looks and many are used in shows.
Character- wise Afghan Hounds can be a little aloof but they can also clown around.
And they are notoriously difficult to train!
[5] Boerboel
A Boerboel is a South African mastiff, which can be 70 cm (27”) tall and weigh a massive 90 kg (200 lbs.)
It is the heaviest dog on my list.
In the nineteenth century they were perhaps used to hunt leopards and even baboons and in the early twentieth century they were brought in to guard the mines.
They are still used widely in South Africa to this day to guard livestock.
They are generally calm and very loyal to their family.
They can be aggressive to people or dogs that they don’t know.
[6] Central Asian Shepherd Dog
Labrador? ⁷
In the year 2000, this was the most popular dog in Russia, believe it or not!
To me they just look like massive labradors and instead of looking all podgy, they just look like a wall of solid muscle!
Standing 69 cm (27”) tall and weighing a whopping 79 kg (174 lbs) this breed was used to protect sheep and goat herds.
Although, they were also used as fighting dogs.
When they are not fighting off predators, they are great family dogs and have a reputation for being great with elderly people.
As well as various shades of fawn, other common colours for these Shepherd dogs are black and white, brindle.
[7] Briard
An old French breed which was first bred in the 14th century, before becoming hugely popular in the mid nineteenth century only to be driven to the point of extinction after being used extensively by the French army during the First World War.
It is thought they were bred (unusually) to guard flocks and herd them.
In the day, they would herd sheep in the pastures and at night they would protect them from wolves.
Apart from tawny, Briards come in shades of black, grey or blue.
I think tawny Briards are also called “Haystacks”.
This breed can be as tall as a Central Asian Shepherd dog, standing at 69 cm or 27 “ high but it weighs slightly more than half at 41 kg or 90 lbs.
[8] Chesapeake Bay Retriever
Named after the place in the U.S. where they were originally developed, Chesapeakes or “Chessies” original role was to retrieve waterfowl that had been shot and fallen into the water as well as helping fishermen pull nets.
Standing up to 66 cm or 26 “ tall and weighing up to 36 kg or 79 lbs
Now, like most retrievers, they are just great family pets.
Key characteristics include a very happy temperament, keenness to please and a love of water.
Its toes on its back legs are webbed to make it an even better swimmer!
[9] Barbet
From one water dog to another and once again we are back in France.
A rough translation of “barbet” is beard.
But at a height of 66 cm or 26” and weight of 28 kg or 62 lbs that is a heavy beard!
They are best known as being waterfowl retrievers.
Around since the early nineteenth century in France, Germany and Italy, the first specimen only arrived in the U.K. in 2001!
It was only recognised by The Kennel Club in the UK in 2018.
Apart from fawn, Barbets come in a Black or White or Grey or Brown colour.
[10] Chow Chow
The Chow Chow is a dog that was originally bred in China.
A rough translation of Chow Chow is “puffy lion”!
And that says it all doesn’t it?!
This breed has appeared on another of my lists, 9 black dogs with pointy ears.
And apart from Cream or Black, a puffy lion is also available in Red or Fawn.
Originally bred to pull sleds, the Chow Chow stands up to 56 cm (22”) tall and weighs around 32 kg or 70 lbs.
Because Chow Chows are a real mixed bag of loyalty and aggression, they should be trained and socialised from a young age.
Chow Chows can be loving and affectionate with family members but aggressive towards outsiders.
They will present a threat to smaller dogs and cats because of their strong prey drive.
[11] Shar Pei
Our final and shortest dog in our list can also claim to be the most unusual looking.
Although scrolling back through, the Komondor might give it a run for its money!
It originates from China where the breed is thought to be many centuries old.
And believe it or not, these dogs were originally fighting dogs!
The heavy wrinkles found on today’s dogs are thought to be a very recent change.
As recently as 1978, the Shar Pei was close to extinction with only about 60 dogs remaining.
Apart from fawn or cream, Shar Peis commonly come in black or red colouring
Standing at a maximum height of 51 cm (20”) and weighing about 30 kg or 66 lbs this dog is a minnow on this list!
Closing Thoughts
I hope that you have enjoyed flicking through the photos and blurbs for each of these large blonde breeds.
I wanted to present a real mixture of dogs- a few dogs that we are familiar with and are fairly easy to “acquire” and other dogs that aren’t well known at all-and in terms of ownership are best left to the experts.
What is your favourite?
For me it has to be a Komondor.
I mean, what a great look!
But I think that the coat may need a bit more TLC than I would probably give it!
Photo Credits
¹ Photo by Barbara Wolfson on Flickr
³ Photo by Jerry Kirkhart on Flickr
⁵ Photo by VirtualWolf on Flickr
⁶ Photo by andreavallejos on Flickr
⁷ Photo by Spike Summers on Flickr
⁸ Photo by Barbara Wolfson on Flickr
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