When you welcome a smol awoo into your home and heart, you don’t want to think about the day when it grows up and loses its puppy fat. But the day comes when your pupper grows into a dog. And keeps growing. And growing. And doesn’t stop. You check the Canine Instruction Manual that came with your pet and you finally realize—aha! You forgot it’s one of those giant dog breeds that make you think Clifford, the Big Red Dog might be real.

Bored Panda has collected photos of the biggest, most playful, floofiest, and young-at-heart dogs that you’d want to hug all day long and get lost in their fur, so scroll on down and give the bestest boys and girls a boop on the nose with an upvote. Is your soul yearning for some more giant dogs who don’t understand how big they are? Check out our previous big doggo posts about canines who forgot their size here, here, and here.

However, just because a dog is big, it doesn’t mean that it has to be obese (aka a chonky chonk). All jokes aside, if you want your family pet to live a long and happy life, it’s vital that you help it stay lean and avoid entering the ‘overweight zone’ which requires extra effort on your part. Bored Panda spoke about canine fitness and doggo diets with the UK’s leading vet charity, the PDSA. Read on for our full interview with them if you want to learn how to help your dog live a quality life.

#1 My 85 Lb Dog Is Scared Of My Sister's 1,5 Lb Foster Kitten

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#2 This Christmas Tree Farm Has Newfies That Will Cart Your Tree To Your Car For You

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#3 This Is Ben. He Has A Beard. And He Is Human-Sized. We Get Fun Looks In Traffic

Image credits: TheGospelOfMark

The PDSA explained to Bored Panda that a dog’s food is “an essential part” of their fitness. So you can’t just focus only on getting lots of movement—you need to give dieting and nutrition some proper attention, too! Similarly, you can’t get just the diet right while ignoring the importance of exercise.

“Making sure they are fed on a complete diet which keeps them at their ideal weight is important to keep them fit and healthy. As a general rule, we tend to give our pets too much food which can lead to obesity and reduced activity levels,” a representative of the PDSA told Bored Panda.

#4 Meet Carl The 150 Pound Lion/Good Boy Hybrid

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#5 He May Look Like A Bear But He Identifies As A Lap Dog

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#6 Big Boy

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It’s better to err on the side of too little food than too much when we’re living in a society of overabundance, then. What’s more, you should do a bit of personal research to learn what the ideal weight for your dog breed is for its age. If in need, talk to a professional to get their take on what’s what.

Getting serious about health means putting in the time and energy to make your dog’s life better. And that means treating your pet’s health like you would your own if you’re all about fitness. So get your kitchen scales out!

“The best way to monitor your dog’s food intake is to weigh both them and their food. You can discuss your dog’s weight with your vet and check their body condition at home. Once you have a starting point and know what their target weight should be, start weighing and monitoring their food and treats to see how much they’re getting,” the PDSA said.

#7 Here's Another One Of Our Rescues, Yuki

A bad dog owner dumped this wolfdog at a kill shelter when he got too big and too much to handle. Luckily a sanctuary took him, instead and saved his life! His DNA testing came back as 87.5 % Gray Wolf, 8.6 % Siberian Husky, and 3.9 % German Shepherd.

Image credits: Shy Wolf Sanctuary

#8 Once A Lap Dog, Always A Lap Dog

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#9 Bonner, Newfoundland, Can Often Be Spotted In Our Rehabiliation Unit Encouraging Patients

Image credits: Children's Hospital Los Angeles

“You might want to try weighing out their portions at the start of the week to make it easy to keep track of what’s being fed. Reweigh your dog after a few weeks and see if they’ve gained, lost, or maintained their weight, then adjust their amount of food to fit your goal.”

Just remember—you’ve got to take into account any leftovers of extras that you might be giving your dog. So no munching on cheeky treats in secret!

#10 Saw A Gentle Giant At The Vets. She Was A Darling And Sat Down With Her Owner While They Waited

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#11 There Was A Giant Traffic Jam In The Walkways At The Expo. I Finally Found Out What Was Slowing Everyone Down. This Giant Bear Dog Was Getting Pets By Thousands Of People

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#12 Our Daughter Who Is Now 3 And One Of Our Saint Bernards Who Is Now 9

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#13 Big Dogs Can Be Scared At The Vet Too

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#14 Bruce Wayne Is A Big Snuggly Cane Corso

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#15 Lazy Giant

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#16 Majestic Malamute

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#17 Am I The Only One That Needs A Little Help Getting In The Car?

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#18 One Year Old Today. 97 Pounds. 31 Inches Tall

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#19 My Old Gym Teacher Beast Of A Dog. He’s 6’3ish”

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#20 This Heat Is Unbearable For Ralphie The Newf

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#21 Big Doggy

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#22 Absolute Unit Parked Next To Me At A Gas Station

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#23 Ridiculously Massive Doggo Spotted On The Underground

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#24 Seamus The Irish Wolfhound Is A Gentle Giant

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#25 Meet Heisenberg. He Likes Hugs. I'm A 6'1" 300 Lbs Man. He's Almost As Big

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#26 Absolute Unit Of A Scrub

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#27 My Giant Lapdog

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#28 Our Now 6 1/2 Month Puppy. The Vet Has Said He Is Not At All Over Weight Just Big Boned

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#29 Spanish Mastiff U N I T

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#30 Big Boi

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#31 This Puppy

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#32 Big Old Bedwarmer

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#33 This Dog. The Photo Doesn’t Do Him Justice. He’s A Beast

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#34 170 Pound Lap Dog

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#35 My 1 Year Old Son Met A Gentle Giant Today. My Son 23 Lb, The Giant 130 Lb

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#36 My Wonderful Teddybears

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#37 Met A Hefty 225 Pounder Malamute Yesterday. Giant Is An Understatement

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#38 Lapdog

He is such a gentle beast (a mix American wolfdog and malamute).

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#39 The Elusive 180 Lb Lap Pupper

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#40 In Person, Zammy's Bigger Than Life. Seriously. He Just Astonishes The Expecting Passers-By

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#41 Warning: Bear Spotted In UK

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#42 My Heated Blanket... That Breathes Loudly

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#43 Just A Little Girl In A Big Dog World

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#44 Buddy The Great Dane. I'm 5'4 For Reference

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#45 I May Have Gotten Bigger, But My Desire To Be Held Has Remained Constant

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#46 My Unit Of A Dog

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#47 A Dog Or A Pony?

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#48 Monty The Big Friendly Giant

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#49 My Friend’s Dog Did Not Like Being Picked Up

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#50 Lincoln The Dane

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#51 My Dad And My Dog (Dad Is 6'2")

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#52 Meet Simba. He's A Leonberger

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#53 Big Boy Still Thinks He's A Pupper

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#54 A Tremendous Amount Of Good Boy

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#55 This Unit I Ran Into

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#56 Thicc Boi? Famous Dog At My College

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#57 Next-Door Unit Named Grizzly Bear

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#58 Look At Him

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#59 Just A Big Ole Softy

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#60 “A Rottweiler? Well I Must Admit I Have Always Preferred Lap Dogs” Granny Before She Met Gus

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#61 He May Be Just A Little Bit Large To Be A Lap Dog

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#62 My Dog Thinks He's A Lap Dog When My Grandma Stops By

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#63 95 Lbs And He Still Thinks He’s A Lap Dog

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#64 I Look Like Walrus? But I Am Dog. I Big Sof Floof. No Walrus. Bamboozled

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#65 Thicc Boi Chonk

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#66 Mom's A Shorty

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#67 My Boy Doing A Very Big Grow

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#68 I Swung By My Old Place To Help My Former Roommate With Some Things. The Neighbor's Dog Recognized Me And Gave The Perfect Greeting. Believe It Or Not, This Guy Is Still A Puppy

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#69 16 Months Apart

#70 My Moms Big Baby

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#71 You Don't Love Me Like You Used Yo When I Was Small

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#72 Meet Monty: He's Goofy, He's A Newfy And He's Rarely, Quite Bear-Ly Allowed On The Couch

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#73 Happy Thanksgiving From My Boyfriend And His Grandmother’s Absolute Unit Of A Dog

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#74 Giant Slobber Dog

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#75 The Majestic Mountain Giant

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#76 Gandalf You Are The Kindest And Simply The Best Dog Ever

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#77 Big Boy

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#78 When U Wake Up In The Middle Of The Night

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#79 Spotted A Bear On The High Street

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#80 This Is Otis. He Thinks He's A Lap Dog. I Don't Have The Heart To Tell Him Otherwise

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#81 My St. Bernard's Reaction To Seeing A 3 Lb Kitten And Getting Scared

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#82 160 Lbs. Of Pure Floof

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#83 The 140 Lb Reason I Come Home From College

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#84 The Real Giant

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#85 An Old High School Friend Of Mine And Her Lap Dog

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#86 Bruce Wayne's Life Lesson For The Day: Hold Your Friends Close

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#87 In Awe At The Size Of This Doggo On A Plane

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#88 Shinji Being Helpful In The Kitchen At The Cabin

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#89 Pet Sitting Bear

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#90 Puppy

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#91 My Dog Is A Unit

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#92 Tiny Kitten Observes Big Dog Yawn

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#93 Caucasian Mountain Dog / Russian Bear Dog

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#94 Nothing Like A Long Road Trip With A Giant Dog... Or Two

This is a photo my sister sent me of my niece. They are on a road trip and needless to say space is at a premium. There are THREE great danes in the car by the way.