'He's a big softie, he'll cry at the TV if another animal is getting hurt, I think he's more emotionally connected than most dogs,' Jessica reveals

'People are crossing the road to avoid us, they're grabbing their kids - like he's going to eat them or something,' says Jessica

Owners Nick Helms and Jessica Williams of Reno, Nevada got him when he was just 8 weeks old and he was already about the size of six-month-old Labrador

Rocko is a two-year-old Great Dane who measures 40 inches from paw to shoulder


Meet Rocko the Great Dane.

Standing seven feet tall on his hind legs and measuring 40 inches from paw to shoulder - Rocko is vying for a place in the Guinness Book of Records as the World's Tallest Living Dog.

For owners Nick Helms and Jessica Williams their giant pet - almost the size of a pony - is proving to be more than a handful.

'We had no idea he was going to be this freakishly large,' Jessica, 26, tells Daily Mail Online exclusively.

'He was bigger than his sisters at eight weeks but we knew that males were usually bigger so we thought it was normal.

'But my best friend has Great Danes and she's had them for a long time and they kept saying how big he was.

'One of their males is larger as well and Rocko surpassed him quickly so we were like, 'holy cr*p he's bigger than him' - it's crazy. We have a giant freak on our hands.'

Colossal canine: Rocko the Great Dane is seven feet tall on his hind legs, measures 40 inches from paw to shoulder and is 167 pounds

Big appetite: The seven foot tall dog eats through about eight cups of dog food a night and loves snacks like jerky, reveals owner Nick

No match: Owner Jessica Williams hopes Rocko, the two-year-old Great Dane, will make it into the Guinness Book of World Records for the title of the tallest living dog

Boyfriend Nick, 25, adds: 'He was so big we were like - oh my God, is he half Dane or half pony? We couldn't believe it.'

When they got Rocko at eight-weeks-old, he was about the size of a six-month-old Labrador.

And he hasn't stopped growing since.

Now the two-year-old, who is the definition of a gentle giant, can open doors at home and drinks water straight from the kitchen sink.

He munches through about eight cups of dog food a night and loves snacks like jerky.

But for Nick and Jessica, having such a large animal living with them in their small two bed apartment in Reno, Nevada does have its pitfalls.

Jessica, who works as an aesthetician, stands at just five feet three inches and is regularly knocked around by her giant pet.

She's already suffered a black eye when Rocko accidentally head-butted her, and the couple are regularly 'whipped' by the canine's enormous tail.

And the few times Rocko has escaped from his leash he has caused mayhem among passers-by.

Nick, a metal worker and blacksmith, says: 'He's gotten off the leash once or twice.

'We'll take him up to Lake Tahoe with us and we usually leave them off the leash there.

'And he is okay until he finds something that's way cooler than us and he just runs down the beach. There's screaming people. It's a disaster.'

'The worse part is little kids,' Jessica adds. 'People are crossing the road to avoid us, they're grabbing their kids - like he's going to eat them or something.

'It goes from one extreme to the other - it's pretty funny. People want pictures - they'll ask about him.'

'Horse' play: Owner Nick Helms playing with Rocko. His favorite toy is his rope, which he loves to play tug of war with, but he also loves to hide food bowls in the couple's bed

Dapper dog: Rocko at two years old is almost the size of a pony and lives in 2-bedroom apartment in Reno, Nevada with his owners

No lap dog: 'He was so big we were like - oh my God, is he half Dane or half pony? We couldn't believe it,' Helms says of Rocko

Scary sight: 'People are crossing the road to avoid us, they're grabbing their kids - like he's going to eat them or something,' says Jessica

Nick and Jessica, who also have another - smaller - Great Dane named Daisy certainly have their work cut out.

Although Rocko has his own bed, on the floor in the spare room, he has also claimed Nick and Jessica's double bed as his own.

'He thinks our bed is his bed,' Jessica says. 'We made the mistake when he was a baby, we let him sleep up on the bed and he just assumes now that that's where he sleeps.

'Both dogs sleep on their beds on the floor but Rocko tries almost every single hour during the night to get up.

'So he'll try to sneak up, but as you can tell he's not very sneaky. 'His huge paw shakes the bed and then he waits for us to yell at him to go lay down.

'And if we don't he tries to creep up the rest of the way.'

And while Rocko's favorite toy is his rope, which he loves to play tug of war with, the creative pooch has invented another game that drives his owners up the wall.

'His other favorite thing to do is take both of the dogs' food bowls and hide them in our bed, Nick adds. 'Under the pillows, under the sheets. I don't know why he does that, it's pretty funny.'

The couple has also had to buy a number of spare comforters because Rocko regularly drags them into the back yard and ruins them.

'He does it especially when my friends are over. He's a troublemaker that's for sure,' says Jessica.

But Rocko's worst habit?

'When he breaks wind in this apartment there's no way of getting away from it - and they do a lot, they're gassy creatures,' laughs Jessica.

Despite the obvious problems associated with owning a giant pooch, the dog lovers wouldn't have it any other way.

Stand out: 'It's just for fun. Just to see. Because ever since he was younger everyone has always said how tall he is - even for a Dane. We thought it would be fun to try it out,' Jessica reveals about bid get to him named world's tallest dog

Helping himself: Rocko is no match for the kitchen sink as he can get his own water. The larger-than-life dog can also open doors at home

'Gentle giant': 'When he gets in trouble it's like he's a child. He'll bury his face in the couch and start whining and crying, it's hilarious,' Jessica tells Daily Mail Online

Vying for title: Zeus, the Great Dane, was last title holder for the Guinness World Records world's tallest dog but passed away in 2014. This means Rocko is a contender measuring at seven feet tall on his hind legs and 40 inches from paw to shoulder

The couple bought Rocko from a local breeder two years ago after Jessica had been 'obsessed' with the breed for years.

Jessica recalls: 'We clicked with him as soon as we saw him and he's been a handful ever since.

'He hasn't changed from a puppy - he's still acting like a puppy even at two.

'He likes attention and he talks back to you. Sometimes when a friend of mine comes over we'll be talking and hanging out and he comes over and does this obnoxious high pitched bark at me so I'll pay attention to him.

'When he gets in trouble it's like he's a child. He'll bury his face in the couch and start whining and crying, it's hilarious.

'He's very needy, he thinks he's a lap dog like a chihuahua or something .

'He sits on my lap a lot - everyone who comes to our house is fair game for lap sits.

'He's a big softie, he'll cry at the TV if another animal is getting hurt, I think he's more emotionally connected than most dogs.'

Now the couple are hoping that Rocko, who weighs 167 pounds, will be awarded the title of the World's Tallest Living Dog.

'It's just for fun,' says Jessica. 'Just to see. Because ever since he was younger everyone has always said how tall he is - even for a Dane. We thought it would be fun to try it out.'

Playful puppy: At eight weeks old, when Nick and Jessica got Rocko, he was already about size of six-month-old Labrador Retriever

Softer side: Rocko's owners reveal he's quite a softie and will cry at the TV if another animal is getting hurt. This is a photo from Rocko's puppy days

Larger-than-life: 'One of their males is larger as well and Rocko surpassed him quickly so we were like, 'holy cr*p he's bigger than him' - it's crazy. We have a giant freak on our hands,' Jessica says

According to Guinness World Records the last dog measured as the world's tallest dog passed away in 2014.

The Great Dane named Zeus measured 44 inches from paw to shoulder and was the same size as an average donkey.

He lived with his owners in Otsego, Michigan, where he died from symptoms of old age at five.

While Rocko isn't quite as big yet (he's still got some growing to do), with Zeus no longer around, he is certainly a contender to be the next record holder.

While Nick and Jessica wait to hear back from Guinness, they're keeping Rocko fighting fit.

'He's still growing at a proper rate,' tells Nick.