All around us we find dogs coming in a great range of sizes and displaying a wide variety of characteristics. Studies reveal that among all mammals, domestic dogs show the greatest range of body size among its different breeds.

For example: The smallest dog breed- the Chihuahua can weigh as low as 3.3 lb (with most members of the breed weighing between 3.3 lb and 6.6 lb). The height of Chihuahuas usually ranges between 6 and 10 inches though some grow as tall as 12 inches or even 15 inches.

The largest dog breed, the Great Dane, weighs over 100 lbs and a male Great Dane can weigh even up to 200 lbs. The heights of the dogs of the breed can range between 28 and 42 inches!

Broadly speaking, dog breeds are classified into 3 varieties on the basis of their size.

Giant Variety - The very large dogs weighing around 100 pounds or even more are considered to belong to the giant variety. Their heights range between 22 and 42 inches.

Standard Variety - This variety of dogs includes the very large to large, large to medium and the medium to small dog breeds. The minimum weights of dogs belonging to this group lie around 25 pounds and the maximum weights of the dogs may even exceed 65 pounds.

Miniature Varieties – Miniature dogs are those that are very small as compared with other breeds.

• Toy Dogs – Toy dogs are very small dogs that are kept exclusively as pets and companions unlike the working dogs. Their heights may range from 6 inches to 15 inches and their weights may vary between 4 lb and 12 lb.

• Teacups - ‘Teacup’ dogs or ‘tiny’ dogs are dogs that are smaller than the usual toy dogs. Chihuahuas of tiny sizes, Tiny English Spaniels and Tiny Fox Terriers etc are regarded as Teacup dogs.

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