View source for Canis Major

{{trope}}
[[File:CliffordBigRedDog.jpg|link=Clifford the Big Red Dog|right]]

A giant canine. Any canid will do: domestic dogs, [[Everything Is Worse With Wolves|wolves]], [[Those Wily Coyotes|coyotes]], [[Cunning Like a Fox|foxes]], etc., as long as it's far bigger than any in real life.

A [[Sub-Trope]] of [[Animals Not to Scale]].

A [[Sister Trope]] to [[Mega Neko]], [[Rodents of Unusual Size]].

Compare [[Big Friendly Dog]], [[Precious Puppies]], [[Hell Hound]], [[Cute Giant]].

Compare [[Big Badass Wolf]], which is when this trope gets ''scary''.

{{examples}}
== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
* Fenrir's real form in ''[[Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok]]''; see below under [[Norse Mythology]].
* Digimon Tamers - Dobermon, a giant doberman pinscher digimon, accompanied by a human partner, is sent by the Digimon Sovereigns to assist the tamers in battling the D-reaper by giving them the ability to biomerge in the real world.
** Gabumon's evolved form, [http://digimon.wikia.com/wiki/Garurumon Garurumon], should also count.
** There's also the shiba-inu dog, [http://vodpod.com/watch/2802367-digimon-data-squad-gaomon-digivolve-to-gaogamon Gaogamon]{{Dead link}}, in Digimon Data Squad.
** [http://digimon.wikia.com/wiki/Seasarmon Seasarmon], the lion-dog digimon, and [http://digimon.wikia.com/wiki/Caturamon Caturamon] the Dog-deva digimon.
** [http://digimon.wikia.com/wiki/Cerberumon Cerberumon].
* ''[[Spice and Wolf]]'' - Holo is a harvest diety whose true form is a very, VERY large wolf.
* ''[[One Piece]]'' featured a zombie Cerberus, and a squad of dog-riders in Enies Lobby. There was also wolf-man Jabura, and possibly Mr. 4's dog-gun Lassoo.
* ''[[Naruto]]''
** Akamaru grows quite huge after the ''Shippuden'' timeskip. {{spoiler|And don't even think about [[Omnicidal Maniac|Pain]]'s Giant Multi-Headed Dog, one of the perfect [[Nightmare Fuel]] creatures incarnate.}}
** The nine-tailed fox, who was quite large when he was going around rampaging. It's interesting to wonder how large he actually is now that he's sealed inside Naruto. The one-tailed tanuki too because although tanukis resemble raccoons greatly, they're actually dogs.
* ''[[Bleach]]'': Captain <s>[[Fan Nickname|furry]]</s> Komamura is the largest captain. He's also a [[Big Badass Wolf]] even though characters in-universe think he's a dog.
* In ''[[Inuyasha]]'', Sesshomaru, his father and his mother all have true forms that are this. {{spoiler|In parts of the manga not yet officially published in English, there is a giant mountain dog and a giant fox kami}}
* Moro from ''[[Princess Mononoke]]''.
** Her ([[Wild Child|non-San]]) children are quite a bit larger than normal wolves, and are implied to be ''young children''.
*** She is indeed considerably bigger compared to them.
* The second [[Monster of the Week]] in ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha]]''. Unlike the later [[Mega Neko]], this erred more towards the monstrous-looking side.
* Kotarou's full beast form in ''[[Mahou Sensei Negima]]''. The series also had a Cerberus, complete with the [[Shown Their Work|mane of snakes and dragon tail of the original Greek versions that most modern depictions omit]]. It didn't have the right number of heads, so Nodoka also theorizes that it might actually be [[wikipedia:Orthrus|Orthrus]].
* ''[[Duklyon]]: Clamp School Defenders'' - Ineffectual villain Imonoyama uses a growth ray to enlarge the duo's beloved dog, Inuko, into a giant monster dog. Fortunately, she still retains her playfull personality and is "defeated" when an equally enlarged Takeshi commands her to shake hands with him, awwwww!
* Pluto from [[Black Butler]], which can turn into a [[White-Haired Pretty Boy]], but keeps a dog mind. And can [[Incendiary Exponent|breath fire]].
* Kaibutsu from ''[[Ginga Densetsu Weed]]''. According to the Ginga wikia, he weighs at around 1200 pounds.

== Comics ==
* John Constantine of ''[[Hellblazer]]'' once had to put down a ghost-possessed bulldog the size of a rhino.

== Film ==
* King [[Spell My Name with an "S"|Cesar/Seesar/Shisha/Shiisa]] from the ''[[Godzilla]]'' movies. Maybe.
* ''Digby, the Biggest Dog in the World''

== [[Literature]] ==
* Pictured above: ''[[Clifford the Big Red Dog]]''. The girl over there is his owner, Emily Elizabeth.
* The one-and-only Fluffy from ''[[Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (novel)|Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone]]'', a three-headed dog (inspired by [[Greek Mythology|Cerberus]] - see below) big enough to nearly fill a room. Hagrid's boarhound Fang might also qualify.
** Also in Harry Potter, Sirius Black can transform into a Canis Major at will. ([[Fanon]] says he's a Newfoundland. The "Sirius" stories of the [[Paradigm of Uncertainty]] [[Fan Verse]] may have started this one.)
* Orcs in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' occasionally ride Wargs, which are giant wolflike beasts.
** Also by [[J. R. R. Tolkien|JRR Tolkien]], ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' has Huan, the huge intelligent dog (good), and Carcharoth, the huge (were)wolf (evil).
* ''[[The Dresden Files]]'' has Mouse, who starts out small enough for Harry to keep in his pocket and quickly grows into... well, this. Harry often makes jokes about the fact that Mouse is the size of a pony, ranging from calling him a "West Highlands Dogasaurus" to, "He's a mutt. Half mastiff, half woolly mammoth."
* The adults in [[Spot the Dog]]'s world. At least, in the early books, and assuming the scale of their houses are one-to-one with those of the human world.
* Fully grown [[Big Badass Wolf|direwolves]] in ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]'' are the size of a pony.
* Conrad's dog Bortan in [[Roger Zelazny]]'s ''This Immortal''
{{quote|Was there ever another dog the size of a small horse, with armor plates on his sides, and jaws like a trap for bears?}}
* The Ay in the [[Malazan Book of the Fallen]]. And [[Undead]] to boot.

== [[Mythology]] ==
* Cerberus of [[Classical Mythology|Greek Mythology]], which also is three-headed and, depending on the story, is on fire or possesses a mane of snakes.
** Orthros, also of [[Classical Mythology|Greek Mythology]]. The hound of Geryon, Orthros had two heads and a snake for a tail.
* Garm of [[Norse Mythology]], which, like Cerberus, guards the Underworld (Hel).
** Though somewhat overlapping with [[Big Badass Wolf]], [[Norse Mythology]] also has Fenrir,<ref>(The son of Loki and a giantess, who bit off the hand of the god Tyr; fated to kill Odin)</ref> Sköll,<ref>(Fated to consume Sól, aka the sun)</ref> and Hati.<ref>(Fated to consume Máni, aka the moon)</ref>
*** Fenrir in particular is enormous. When he opens his mouth his lower jaw is on the ground and his upper jaw hits the sky.
* Black Shuck, the mysterious [[Hell Hound|Black Dog]] from Norfolk folklore, is sometimes said to be the size of a horse. Smaller than some other examples here, but still much bigger than a dog should be.

== [[Tabletop Games]] ==
* ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]'' has [http://magiccards.info/shm/en/68.html Hollowborn Barghest], a very big dog. That's not dry grass it's standing in—those are ''trees''.
* The [[Space Wolves]] of [[Warhammer 40,000]] ride giant wolves. How giant? Well, they're big enough for a seven-foot-tall Viking [[Space Marine]] in [[Power Armor]] to ride, some reaching the size of a [[Awesome Personnel Carrier|Rhino]] ([[Up to Eleven|whose carrying capacity is ten of the aforementioned]] [[Power Armor]]-wearing [[Space Marines]]).
* Worgs and winter wolves in ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'', wolf-like creatures big enough to be mounted by humans. ''[[Pathfinder]]'' allows druids and other classes with access to wolf animal companions to get it to Large size (equivalent to a horse) at level 7, and the mammoth rider [[Prestige Class]] gives an even more ridiculous option with a Huge wolf mount (as big as an African elephant).

== [[Video Games]] ==
* Giant wolves in the ''[[Castlevania]]'' games.
* The Mystic Beasts in the ''[[Disgaea]]'' series are large horned canids, and seemingly a popular form of transportation, judging from some scenes in ''[[Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten]]''. In the same game, they can [[Make My Monster Grow|become even bigger]] in battle if another monster merges with them.
* Orcs in ''[[Warcraft]]'' games ride large wolves too.
** Some bosses in [[World of Warcraft]]. Mostly [[Meaningful Name|Fenrus the Devourer.]] That thing is MASSIVE.
* The ''[[Pokémon]]'' Arcanine, which is big enough to ride around on.
* The mutated dog-boss in ''[[Fur Fighters]]''. An unusual boss as it saw two mutated spouses instead of one. The other rode around on-top of the beast.
* The Great Grey Wolf Sif in ''[[Dark Souls]]'', a giant wolf with [[BFS|an equally giant sword]].

== [[Web Comics]] ==
* Wally the werewolf in ''[[Zebra Girl]]'' is much larger in canine form than an ordinary wolf.
* The Sarghress from ''[[Drowtales]]'' breed extra large riding wolves.
* In ''[[The Order of the Stick|Order of the Stick]]'', Hinjo's mount Argent is a rather oversized dog/wolf. Also subverted when Belkar wishes for a [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0140.html riding dog].
* In ''[[Gunnerkrigg Court]]'', Reynardine's true form is that of a large fox, and Ysengrin is an even larger wolf. But it is Coyote himself who can [[Shape Shifter|become]] [http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=286 truly massive,] towering over even Ysengrim.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120720144040/http://rhapsodies.wpmorse.com/?m=20051019 Mitzi] from ''[[Rhapsodies]]''.
* ''[[Questionable Content]]'' author Jeph Jacques is the proud owner of a Great Pyrenees, one of the huge breeds, named Shelby. Inevitably, she's appeared in his non-canon work a [http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1661 couple] [http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1730 times].
* Giant dogs serve as draft animals and guard dogs in ''[[Unsounded]]''
* Battlepug, follows the life of a barbarian and his oversized dog, many other oversized creatures also appear

== [[Western Animation]] ==
* In the episode "Ace in Hole" in ''[[Batman Beyond]]'' Terry (aka Batman) is locked in the dog fight ring with a vicious gigantic mutated mastiff.
* The ghost dog in ''[[Danny Phantom]]'' has the ability to grow several size its normal height whenever its threatened. Lots of destruction occurs.
* In ''[[The Fairly OddParents]]'' Timmy needs some enemy that would scare Catman enough to [[Rivals Team Up|team up with his rival]] Crimson Chin. Cosmo has one [[Dumbass Has a Point|bright]] moment and summons a [[Humongous Mecha]] Dog.
* In ''[[The Legend of Korra]]'' Korra's [[Canine Companion]] is Naga, a [[Mix-and-Match Critters|polar-bear dog]] so massive that she easily serves as Korra's [[Horse of a Different Color]], [http://www.toplessrobot.com/2011/07/avatar_the_legend_of_the_biggest_damn_dog_and_to_a.php as seen here].
* Due to the shifted scale Toby from [[The Great Mouse Detective]] qualifies. He's an ordianry pup, but all the other characters are mice.
* Dinah from the ''[[My Little Pony]]'' episode "Pony Puppy" is in Clifford's size league.
* Commodore Puddles (a gigantic poodle) from the ''[[Kim Possible]]'' epsidoe "Rufus vs Commodore Puddles".

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[[Category:Trope Names from Latin]]
[[Category:Bigger Is Better]]
[[Category:Canine Tropes]]
[[Category:Animal Tropes]]