1988
My wife and I are currently house sitting for Baron - Australia's largest dog! Ask us anything!
Baron is an Olde English Mastiff, and weighs 122KG! (269 pounds!) He's only four years old and still growing, so may end up the largest dog in the world. He's also a registered therapy dog and helps kids with reading.
Baron just posed for this pic (and banana for scale) for me but check out some pictures of Baron and his adventures in this album I made, or at his Facebook page. There are also various news articles about him, and he has been on TV.
Baron is a big friendly boofhead, who still thinks he is a lapdog. It can get intense when he sits on you! He and his mate Chelsea (a French Mastiff) are snoring at our feet right now, but love nothing more than heading out for walks and meeting new people and dogs.
My wife is a teacher, so we got to know him through her school, and as lovers of big dogs, we could not turn down the chance to hang out with Baron and Chelsea for a few weeks!
Baron and his owners volunteer for a fantastic Aussie charity literacy program called Story Dogs, where kids can build their confidence with reading in a relaxed yet fun setting. It's based on an American program called READ, for those in the USA who wants to get involved.
He's also the brand ambassador for Pawssum - a Aussie vet service that will come to you.
So reddit, ask us anything!
sywofp658 karma
He's a very good boy! Even right now, despite the fact he farted and we had to open the windows because it's so bad.
sywofp361 karma
This is the question we get asked the most, and while he eats a lot, it's not as much as you might think! He spends a lot of time snoozing, and it's important that he does not get overweight.
I weighed his breakfast and dinner, and it's around 2.5KG a day of dry and wet food, plus of course snacks!
points4participation3 karma
There's no way this is asked more than "How big are his poops?"
sywofp201 karma
My wife wanted to post photos of his poop, but I didn't want to spoil anyone's breakfast!
They are sizeable though. When out on a walk, picking up his poo with a bag is a two handed job...
sywofp9 karma
We cleaned up outside this morning, but next steamer he drops I will report back with a pic, just for you...
sywofp8 karma
He pooped on his walk this morning, so it might take a while... I am feeding him more snacks to speed up the process and will report back eventually!
sywofp22 karma
Single bag (heavy duty though) with both hands inside, and scooping underneath, then flipping the bag inside out, tying it off and then finding the nearest bin ASAP!
JustDontSer194 karma
He's very large does he have any joint problems? What are people's reaction when they see you walking him? How often do you guys sit for him?
sywofp238 karma
Generally he is in great health with no ongoing joint issues, but can very easily strain himself - especially his back legs.
When kids see him they always want to come and give him a hug! But reactions from adults range for people who don't even seem to see him at all, to those who can't help but come and say hi (that was us the first time seeing him!). Walks can take a long time if the park is busy because of all the attention he gets!
This is our first time sitting for him, and we got lucky because his usual sitter was not available.
sywofp244 karma
Fortunately he is very well behaved, and doesn't tend to pull. If he stops to sniff something though, then there is no continuing until he is ready to go again!
TheG4K94 karma
What kinds of exercises he practice? He can run fast like others dog or his size limits him?
sywofp145 karma
Just like any dog, he gets the zoomies and likes to bound around. But because he is so large we have to be really careful not to let him get too crazy or he can easily strain his knees.
Normally he very relaxed when walking and plods along, sniffing everything. But he likes to run a bit faster too, but can't go as fast as smaller dogs.
whateverlizard80 karma
Do you read him the Clifford the big red dog books?
I'm sure you and your wife feel like Emily Elizabeth!
sywofp51 karma
If love could cause Baron to grow larger then I am sure he would be as big as Clifford!
I like to read him Sci-Fi, but Baron appears to love all books equally.
Except a book we had of dog selfies, which he chewed to pieces!
CaptainBowdrill65 karma
Any plans to get him a saddle?
Also if the apocalypse comes, will you put a big Lazer on him so he can zap people?
sywofp74 karma
We could make some money on the side at the local park with Baron rides! The danger would be children getting covered in slobber...
I am currently looking on eBay for lasers for the apocalypse / Emu uprising...
CaptainBowdrill22 karma
He could shoot UFOs out of the Sky. What a hero.
You probably won't know it, but I imagine him to look like an Elcor from Mass effect
sywofp78 karma
I just told him, and he looked at me confused because I should be making him breakfast! I will tell him you all love him all day though.
marchbook22 karma
Then I'm upvoting all your comments. Tell Baron all those pats are from me, okay?
sywofp71 karma
Baron doesn't need a mortgage - if the largest dog in Australia wants to take over your house, what can you do??
sywofp45 karma
He's a brindle olde English Mastiff - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Mastiff
sywofp51 karma
Breakfast and dinner is meat and biscuits, but he also gets a big selection of extras, such as sardines, eggs, chicken necks, veges and of course plenty of snacks!
Sbeaudette29 karma
house sitting or sitting on your house?
How loud is the bark? (or does he?)
sywofp54 karma
We are looking after Baron in his house, so while he misses his owners very much, at least he is in his normal environment.
He does not bark a lot - only when someone knocks on the door and he wants them to come give him pats! His bark is loud but very deep, so if you are standing next to him you feel it in your bones!
Iocronik29 karma
If I were ever lucky enough to meet this dog could he be persuaded to sit on my lap?
sywofp44 karma
It would not take much persuading! If you sit down next to him he loves to try and sit on you.
sywofp7 karma
My wife and I love going to zoo's where we can do behind the scenes animal encounters.
I feel like you could open a zoo with just Baron hugs and it would be super popular.
sywofp26 karma
Because I am a bad redditor! I will procure a banana and take the obligatory pic, just for you!
sywofp7 karma
It's been three hours, and Baron ate his sitters!
Banana acquired, and picture coming shortly!
sywofp72 karma
Baron's mate Chelsea is a blonde (fawn) but they seem to have the same amount of fun!
For humans, Aussie redheads are where it's at!
pipsohip16 karma
Does his size come with any sort of health problems or special considerations that need to be made?
sywofp16 karma
He's very healthy right now, but it's easy for him to strain his legs if he slips, so we have to be fairly careful. He also has a special ramp for getting in and out of his van and we avoid big stairs.
sywofp32 karma
(This is the wife here!) The theory behind it is to offer students a non judgmental environment to take risks, which for many students reading out loud is a huge risk. It has also been amazing to build the social standing of some of the students who have been reading to him. They are allowed to bring someone with them if they choose and they are the 'experts' on Baron. They've become more confident in class and with their writing as they suddenly have something that they are excited to write and talk about. And just as a bit of a plug, story dogs are always looking for volunteers if you are in Australia or donations to keep the program going!
jaybusch13 karma
Hey, I also have a dog named Baron, just that he weighs about half as much as yours! Are Mastiffs usually that large?
sywofp16 karma
Post pics of your Baron! :)
The largest dog ever was a 155 KG English Mastiff, but usually they are around the 80KG mark.
sywofp15 karma
Nope, no special breeding. English Mastiffs are not usually so big, but he has just kept growing!
sywofp23 karma
They would love some Baron puppies (and we would too!) and it's something that could well happen in the future, but will require some careful planning!
HyperVpnT10 karma
That’s awesome! (I think everybody would like Baron puppies lol). What dog(s) is currently larger than Baron? And do you know how much he’s grown say in the last year?
sywofp16 karma
There is a US based Mastiff who is 127.5 KG (last they knew anyway) bu I am sure there are some other unknowns out there!
He's growing quite slowly now, and did most of his growing before he was 2 years old. He weighed around 115KG a year ago.
Ninjaivxx8 karma
I have an English mastiff at home. How often do you see Barons ...Red Rocket? I swear my dogs is just hanging out All The Time!
sywofp13 karma
Haha, yeah often when he sits down he lipsticks.
We like to tease him and call him a doodle dog!
sywofp16 karma
Really bad! Sometimes it can stink out entire parts of the house and we have to hide in other rooms.
sywofp5 karma
He really is! He loves to play tug of war with a towel, but fortunately does not know his own strength...
mycatisabrat6 karma
What is the expected life span of this boy? I see it doesn't take much to fall in love with him. It would hurt to see him leave too soon.
sywofp10 karma
7-10 years, which is way too short :(
My wife and I love big dogs (and had a great dane) so know the pain, but even so it's worth it.
treezOH1236 karma
How do you transport Baron? Mini-van, regular van, flat-bed truck? Or do you put a leash on him and let him run along side the car?
sywofp11 karma
He has his own Ford Transit van for transport, and a special ramp for getting in and out.
I am still working on hitching him up to a buggy so he can transport us...
Danielzm5 karma
how come you are doing an AMA on behalf of a dog that you don't own? do the owners know you are doing this ? just wondering.
sywofp6 karma
Because reddit deserves to see Baron! We thought it was an interesting perspective to have an AMA from people with an outsiders perspective into his life. Plus we are a bit more familiar with Reddit, but we will be sure to have an AMA with his owners if he grows big enough to be the largest dog in the world!
bboy75 karma
How do you feel about the ethics of breeding dogs into abnormally sized, fragile, short-lived creatures, for the sole purpose of aesthetics? How do you feel about publicizing and perpetuating this practice?
PS: he's adorable.
sywofp7 karma
I love big dogs, but I don't support breeding for aesthetics at all. Baron was actually taken in from a family who could no longer look after him, and our great dane was a rescue. So I'd love to see breeding programs that helped reduce issues, but would of course always want to support the dogs (big or small) that are already out there. That said, I don't know if I could refuse a Baron puppy...
The publicizing it is an issue that honestly I have not given the appropriate thought. I think there are advantages in support programs such as story dogs, but you are right that it is an important issue that I am not really sure how to properly address.
sywofp9 karma
Picking up after him on a walk with a doggy bog is a two handed operation :(
TheTouchStoner4 karma
How did he make enough money to buy his own house in this economy? Don’t tell me he got that size without eating his avocado toast
sywofp8 karma
He's a sardines on toast kinda dog, and doesn't seem to like avocado, smashed or otherwise!
I haven't seen any ownership papers for the house, so he might have just eaten the previous occupants...
sywofp11 karma
My wife actually organised for him to come to her school as part f the Story Dogs program and got to know his owners through there.
We then run into them at a park and they mentioned they were going away but their normal house sitter was not available, and we offered! We don't have any kids, and are familiar with large dogs (we had a gorgeous great dane who passed away a while back) so it easy for us to do, and we loved the chance to spend more time with the dogs.
bradbull3 karma
Did we have a largest dog competition or something? How do you know he's Australia's largest?
sywofp6 karma
Good question, because there is no 'official' recognition here in Australia. Baron and his owners are very active in the doggy community, and go to a lot of shows etc, and they have yet to find a bigger dog.
Wolfir3 karma
Is he neutered? I saw the album pic of him upside down, but I can't tell if there are balls there or not
roxy0312 karma
In another response they mentioned his owner possibly breeding him in the future.
Maetharin3 karma
How does he behave when in the vicinity of other dogs, especially smaller aggressively nervous breeds like Chihuahuas?
sywofp11 karma
He is incredibly chill. We meet a lot of dogs while walking him, and none have ever phased him - even the small excitable ones!
Mostly he just wants pats from humans!
sywofp6 karma
Sadly big dogs don't tend to live as long, but he should have around 7 to 10 years.
sywofp8 karma
Fortunately his house is very spacious, so he has plenty of room. So no breakages on our watch, but there are quite a few knick nacks around that are glued back together...
When he is excited though his tail can give a massive wallop!
Aloyzia_x2 karma
A lot of people asked you his weight, but I'm curious about his height! How high are the withers? Does the head add a lot to the height? I need answers 😭
sywofp4 karma
Took me a while and he tried to eat the tape measure, but we got his measurements.
He is 85cm (2' 9.5") high at the withers, and 35cm (1' 2") wide at the shoulder blades. 90cm (3') high at the bum. Generally the top of his head is about 15cm (6") higher than his withers, so he stands 100cm (3' 3.5") tall on all fours. If he stretched up then it can be a lot higher.
His head is pretty much a 30cm (1') ball with 13cm (5") nose attached. His tail is 55cm (1' 10") long, and 17cm (6.5") wide at the base.
Overall he is 205 cm (6' 9") long, including the tail.
Sitting with his front legs straight and bum on the ground, the top of his head is at 110cm (3' 7").
DJ_Dilemma2 karma
If I was going to attempt to steal this dog how many of my crooked dog loving buddies do you think I would need to haul it into the back of a Bedford rascal?
sywofp7 karma
Speaking scientifically, I think it is from having so much love (and slobber) inside of him that it made him grow...
Farlandan2 karma
How does he feel about being used as a pillow? because I really want to take a nap with this dog. Lately my default state has been "want to take a nap" but a giant sleeping dog sounds like an opportunity not to be missed.
sywofp3 karma
He is an excellent pillow! My wife has napped many times leaning on him. The danger is all the slobber...
hardyflashier2 karma
Please ask Baron for me: Who's a good boy? Who's a good boy? That's right, you are!
sywofp3 karma
I asked, and he look at me funny, then went back to destroying his favourite toy...
_Hardcore_Casual_1 karma
How did he sign the rental agreement or mortgage?
Where did he go on vacation?
sywofp1 karma
With a very large pen! He is actually just vacationing in the garden, but wanted someone else to come water the plants...
sywofp5 karma
Foolishly I have not tried dancing with him. My wife is a better dancer so we will find out and report back!
blinkingsandbeepings1 karma
I don't have any proper questions, but can you please give that big cutie a scritch behind the ears for me?
sywofp1 karma
He eats about 2.5KG a day, but it's not as much as you think because he spends a lot of time snoozing!
His poop is rather sizeable... Picking up after him is not our favourite part of looking after him!
Grandpa_Edd463 karma
Is he a good boy?
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