There's nothing better than sharing a sofa with a big, fluffy dog breed. Their wonderfully large size, coupled with their oversized coats, make them the perfect snuggle companions. But you'll need to make sure you have enough space in your home for one and plenty of time to dedicate to a regular grooming schedule!
If you love pups which are larger than life and have plenty of coat to run your fingers through, these eight big and fluffy dog breeds may be just what you're looking for. You'll be delighted to know that most have enormous personalities to match too!
1. Pyrenean Mountain Dog
This large and imposing dog is one of the biggest breeds around. They have roots dating back as far as 3000 B.C. and were originally bred for guarding sheep and livestock, especially against predators such as wolves and bears – a job they still do to this day.
Unforgettable with their beautiful, dense white coats, the Pyrenean Mountain Dog is a livestock guardian breed who takes their protective duties seriously. As such, they are an excellent guard dog, are suspicious and often aggressive to strangers, and have exceptional hearing that's capable of hearing anyone approaching from a serious distance.
While friendly and affectionate with their family, they are less keen on visitors or anyone they think may be an intruder – and so you will need strong and well-maintained fencing, and to ensure that an unsuspecting delivery person doesn’t venture into what they think is their territory.
This is a dog who largely works on instinct and, when it comes to training, is hard to motivate and needs careful management.
Their strong protective instincts along with being largely nocturnal (or crepuscular) means they are far better as a rural dog able to live a largely outdoor life in a home with no, or older sensible, children – as while they love their own family, they might not be so keen when their friends come to visit.
So, while this dog might look like a cuddly bear, they are best left to experienced breed experts.
2. Bernese Mountain Dog
The Bernese Mountain Dog is a fluffy dog breed that's known for its good nature and, given their love of children, enjoy being included in all aspects of family life. Originating in Switzerland, they were bred to be versatile working farm dogs and, while their primary job was pulling carts, they could also be found herding cattle and guarding the land.
Today, their happy-go-lucky natures make them the perfect family pets as they are affectionate and love snuggling with their humans. They have impressively fluffy coats which shed all year round, especially if kept in centrally heated homes, with the heaviest shedding being in spring and autumn. Bathing them is a serious task as they will take hours to dry.
They do drool however and do not like to be left alone. They also have often tragically short lifespans.
3. Chow Chow
Chow Chows are big fluffy dog breeds with long, dense coats. Despite their massive coats, they're don't tend to shed that much, but you'll need to brush these fluff balls daily to keep their coats looking beautiful and free of tangles and knots.
While they look cuddly, they are largely aloof and independent and don’t tend to show much affection – being happy to love their owners from a distance. They are not particularly tolerant or playful – although there can always be exceptions – so while they look stunning, they do not make great family dogs.
An interesting characteristic is that they have blue-black tongues, which according to Chinese lore, the Chow Chow gained at the time of creation, when they licked up drops of the sky as it was being painted.
4. Samoyed
The Samoyed isn't the biggest dog on the list, but is certainly one of the fluffiest. With impressive snow-white coats, this fluffy dog breed is very high maintenance and during shedding season (which if you have central heating or a warm home will be almost all year round), you'll find yourself having to brush every day – and even then, you will never wear black again!
The amount of fluff that comes out will astound you too, and you may even think a second Samoyed has slipped into your house!
If you have time for all the grooming and dog brushing, you'll get plenty of rewards because their kind natures are second to none and their enchanting expression is often called the 'Sammy smile' because of their big, happy smiles.
They love people and children and so make wonderful family dogs – although training a Samoyed is a challenge – and they can often be noisy, and not safe with cats and other small animals.
5. Newfoundland
The Newfoundland is one of the largest fluffy dog breeds with a sweet and kind personality.
Originally bred as working dogs to aid fishermen and lumberjacks, they're naturally strong swimmers with webbed feet and waterproof coats - and frequently lovers of adventures, as long as they include water! They make wonderful water rescue dogs – although they enjoy their life-saving duties so much, they are known to ‘rescue’ people who don’t want to be rescued!
They're best suited to families who love the great outdoors and have plenty of time for playing and ideally love water sports. This giant dog breed has a coat to match their great size and they're heavy shedders, so make sure you have a regular brushing regime – and a way to dry a huge wet dog! Like many of the larger breeds, they can be epic droolers.
6. Eurasier
Hailing from Germany around 50 years ago, the Eurasier is a relatively new medium sized fluffy dog breed and the smallest on our list. Bred from Keeshonds, Chow Chows and Samoyeds, breeders chose the name 'Eurasier' to reflect the European and Asian heritage of the breed.
They're known for their huge coat which requires brushing every other day with a deep groom every week. Twice yearly, they also have a heavy shedding period which lasts around three weeks – although this can be affected by indoor heating and warm homes.
This is an active dog who needs two hours of exercise a day – plus plenty of enrichment and so while they get on well with all the family, they often need more exercise than most busy homes can give them so are better in families with older active children.
7. Tibetan Mastiff
Named one of the most expensive dogs in the entire world, the Tibetan Mastiff is a giant fluffy dog breed that's worthy of the title.
With an impressive mane that covers their neck and shoulders and a long, thick coat, these dogs need to be groomed a couple of times a week to remove shed hair and prevent tangles (depending on the climate, they may also shed seasonally).
They're excellent guard dogs who are loyal to their loved ones, but they can also be very territorial, independent and suspicious of strangers. Plus their sheer size makes them hard to handle.
This is very much a dog for breed experts who have the environment to keep such a powerful strong dog safe.
8. Leonberger
Leonbergers are giant fluffy dogs originally bred as an imposing guard dog that would look like a lion (the symbol of Leonberg). Boasting a long, thick coat, they shed a lot and experience twice yearly periods of heavy shedding. Apart from that, you'll need to brush them at least every other day to maintain their coats.
If you have the space and you're up to the challenge of brushing them, they have excellent natures and bond closely to their family, although they are often suspicious of strangers, and they can learn to get on with a wealth of animals from other dogs to horses and farm animals. They enjoy daily exercise needing up to two hours a day but often prefer this to be broken up into two walks rather than one big one.
Sadly, like many giant breeds, they often have a short lifespan.
Big fluffy dog breeds FAQs
Big fluffy dog breeds not your thing? Check out our article on tiny dog breeds that stay small instead. Or find your perfect breed with our dog breed selector.
Purina Editorial Team
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