Canines come from a myriad of types; right from the smallest of breeds like the chihuahua dogs to the biggies like the Great Danes. As I was saying, while speaking of the biggest dog in the world, the criteria of being the largest, heaviest and the tallest also pops up. So, here's a look up at the various breeds of dogs who have or had qualified for all these individual categories.

The Largest Dog

At an age of three years, an English Mastiff with a whooping weight of 282 pounds and 38 inch broad neck, was entitled to be the world's largest dog. His name is Hercules and he was inducted this title back in the year 2001 and till now he is the undisputed champion. Hercules is owned by Mr. John Flynn from Peabody, Massachusetts, a power-lifter and weighs more than 270 pounds. Flynn commented on the simplicity of Hercule's diet, saying that his pet dog was never served with anything which was extraordinary or out of this world. According to Flynn, Hercules has even been a part of a few commercial ads and kids from all places have come to see him and get some splendid snaps with this gentle giant.

However, Hercules hadn't been the largest dog in the world if the monster Zorba would have been standing till now. Yet another English Mastiff, Zorba was coronated the largest canine in the world in the year 1989. May be, the only dog which could have challenged his unbelievable stats could have only come from fairy tales. Zorba weighed 343 pounds, stood 8 feet 3 inches tall (from the nose tip to the tip of the tail) and had a shoulder height of 37 inches. Now, that was a huge dog, may be the biggest dog in the world! Unfortunately this canine legend passed away at the age of eight years and is no longer placed in the Guinness Book of World Records.

The Heaviest Dog

If you think that this category would fulfill the position of the biggest dog of all, then be up close and personal with Kell, an English Mastiff from the United Kingdom. Kell weighs 286 pounds; more than Hercules. So why isn't Kell the largest dog? Well, it missed this title by a margin of just 6 inches when it came to the measurement of his neck. Kell's neck was measured to be 32 inches and because of this, he earned the distinction of being the heaviest dog in the world but not the largest.

The Tallest Dog

In the year 2004, Gibson, Harlequin, a Great Dane was honored with the title of being the tallest dog in the world. His tremendous height of 42.2 inches from paw to shoulder, not only helped him to be attributed as the tallest canine in the world, but the tallest Great Dane and the tallest of all therapy dogs, as well. Gibson was owned by Sandy Hall of Grass Valley, California, USA. On August 7, 2009 Gibson passed away. He was suffering from a form of canine bone cancer, known as osteosarcoma.

After the passing away of Gibson, the next and the strongest contender for the position of the tallest dog in the world is expected to be, the nearly 43 inches tall canine, named George. This Blue Great Dane is 4 years old and weighs about 245 pounds and is an adoring pet of David and Christine Nasser. The couple has already worked upon the required documentation and are awaiting to hear from the Guinness Book of World Records regarding George's claim for the world record.

So, you have with you the information on the largest, heaviest and the tallest dogs in the world. So which one should be the biggest? Many would agree that the biggest dog in the world would be the one who could bear all the combined characteristics of all these three types and if, there is any such animal, then it would definitely be a phenomenal moment to see such a giant.