split image of zeus sitting outside and zeus sitting on sofa with gwr certificate

No, he’s not a horse – Zeus is the tallest dog in the world! 🐶

Standing at 1.046 m (3 ft 5.18 in), this colossal canine is officially the tallest dog living (male).

Zeus is a two-year-old grey and brown American Great Dane from Texas, USA. 

Interestingly, the tallest dog ever was also a Great Dane named Zeus. He was 1.118 m (3 ft 8 in) tall. 😲

Zues in his litter as a puppy

Zeus was born as the largest pup in a litter of five. Even though he was just 8 weeks old when he met his owner Brittany, Zeus was already a big boy.

“He’s been a big dog since we got him, even for a puppy. He had huge paws,” Brittany recalled.

At first, Brittany was nervous about having such a large dog in her house, but now Zeus is her fur-ever friend and they can’t imagine life without each other. ❤️️

Zues as a puppy sitting on chair

Great Danes were originally bred for hunting hogs, but Zeus is more interested in relaxing rather than hurting anyone. 😄

“Zeus would be absolutely terrified of a hog. He’s scared of rain, so hogs are out of the question,” Brittany said.

brittanys-son-taking-zeus-on-a-walk.jpg

Zeus spends his days walking around the neighbourhood, sleeping by the window, and exploring the local farmer’s markets. 

“Zeus is pretty famous at the Dallas Farmer’s Market,” Brittany said.

“Everyone knows him, and the vendors all know him. He gets extra treats and lots of attention.” 🤩

People usually stop and stare when they see Zeus for the first time. The questions Brittany gets the most are, “Can I ride him?” or “Does he have a saddle?”

“The answer to all those questions is 'no.'” 😂

brittany-davis-and-zeus-sitting-together-outside.jpg

At home, Zeus lives with his three miniature Australian Shepherd siblings. He loves wrestling with his favourite brother, Zeb.

Penelope, a cat, is also part of the family. Even though Zeus is the biggest pet, Penelope is still the boss of the house and she’s not afraid of Zeus. In fact, Zeus may be afraid of her…

“He and the cat have a mutual agreement to stay away from each other,” said Brittany. 

brittany-sitting-outside-and-petting-zeus-as-he-stands-by-her-side.jpg

Although Zeus is usually a good boy, he can also be mischievous. 😜

“He likes to steal the baby’s pacifier off the counters and any food left on the counters is definitely free reign for him,” said Brittany. 

“His water bowl is a sink, and he loves to jump onto the fence and talk to the neighbour’s dogs next door.”

close-up-photo-of-zeus-the-great-dane.jpg

As you might expect, such a big dog eats a LOT of food. 😋

Zeus enjoys six cups of dog food in the morning and another six in the afternoon, which help fuel his zoomies💨

“When he gets the zoomies, he runs around for 30 seconds and jumps up on his chair once he gets tired.”

Zeus also enjoys feasting on fried eggs and bully sticks, but his absolute favourite treat is ice cubes🥶️

brittany-davis-and-zeus-sitting-on-the-sofa-and-posing-with-gwr-certificate.jpg

Due to their huge size, Great Danes usually have a shorter lifespan than other dog breeds. However, Brittany says Zeus is in great health at the moment. 😊

“When we take Zeus to the vet, they’re always in amazement.”

“They’re very impressed with how healthy he is. He loves going to the vet; he gets lots of attention.”

davis-family-sitting-on-the-couch-with-zeus.jpg

Zeus’ new Guinness World Records title hasn’t changed the way his family treat him, but they enjoy being able to tell people that Zeus is officially the tallest dog in the world. 😎

“We get a lot of comments like 'Wow, that’s the tallest dog I’ve ever seen,' so it’s cool to now be able to say 'Yes, it’s definitely the tallest dog you’ve ever seen!'"

See more Officially Amazing animals in the Dogs quiz and the Largest land animals quiz