We love them just they way they are. At the mere sight of a dog, some of us will get into love mode unprompted, just so we can begin showering our object of interest with as much as we can. We all know how much a dog can love, and it’s only natural for anyone who comes across one to want to reciprocate.

However, we get to see the sides of a dog that they show us based on the limited environment we have put them in. Yes, a dog can be a primary companion and helper to many people, but this is just the conditioning and training that we have raised them with, not what they were meant to do in the first place.

Dogs long descended from wolves and although they have different features and characteristics over several generations of breeding, they still have the wolf instincts as the basis of their characters and personalities. Yes, wolves are also quite loving, and also quite protective of their pack, but they are also known for something else.

Wolves are known to hunt as a pack. This can mean running very fast after the prey that they have set their targets on. If the prey is large enough, then they will attempt to wear the animal down and down them just by sheer endurance. These characteristics are the same ones that a dog will exhibit.

Worlds Apart…

However, not all dogs are the same. From the day dogs were bred from wolves, all manner of breeds have come into existence. Of course, dogs were bred for different characteristics; some to hunt with speed, others to hunt with endurance, others to help the sheep herder deal with errant members of the flock, and others as protection dogs among many other uses.

This selective breeding for specific characters means that the original wolf characteristics would be watered down and the dogs left with specific characteristics. As such, not all dogs can do everything that their wolf ancestors can do, and all these characteristics are spread wide across various different breeds.

How fast can a dog run?

As illustrated earlier, wolves, the dog’s ancestor, is a prolific hunter. With the selective breeding to produce different breeds, the dog does not have all of the wolf’s characteristics. That also means that the speed at which a dog can run will be highly dependent on the type of breed that it is.

However, there are various characteristics that define how well a dog can run. The first is the kind of feet that they have. As dogs have been selectively bred and adapted to the environment they live in, they have developed characteristics suited for their work and environment. Some dogs like the Newfoundland have even developed webbed feet because they are strong swimmers.

A running dog will have good feet that offer the dog excellent traction while the dog is on the move. This traction is aided greatly by the nails on the toes. Also, the way the dog runs is greatly influenced by its gallop. A double suspension gallop would basically mean that that dog can move.

The build of the dog also comes into play. There are dogs that are built for power and taking down huge adversaries. The Caucasian sheep dog comes to mind. It’s huge, almost the size of a small cow. That’s one you wouldn’t expect to run too hard, or too fast.

On the other end of a scale is a sausage dog. The features it has simply limits how fast it can move. The fastest running dogs are therefore of slight and medium build making them light. It is the strength of their muscles that will propel them to the front of the pack while running.

As to how fast a dog can run, the average speed is 16 to 18 miles an hour. Individual breeds do
have varying times on the clock though.

Which dog breeds are the fastest?

This should have been the question from the beginning. Dog breeds are all built different, and that means they will have different results. Look at it this way. At the Olympics, there are humans from all over the world and they are conditioned towards the sport that they are participating in.

Similarly, the fastest dogs all tend to come from a type of dogs that were bred to hunt prey just by the use of sight and their sheer speed. This grouping of dogs is known as the sighthounds. But that is not to say that they are the only ones. Shepherds and guard dogs also make the list.

Here are some of the fastest dogs.

1. Greyhounds.

Straight from the group of sighthounds, they greyhound group of dogs was specifically raised to coral hunts and for coursing game. The breeding for this purpose resulted in a dog that is usually of slender build, with a deep chest and quite narrow at the waist, completed by a long and thin tail.

The greyhounds can reach speeds of up to 45 miles an hour, which also made the quite popular for racing as a sport. The most famous greyhounds originated in England, but there are others from other parts of Europe

2. Russell Terriers.

There are other dogs that are faster than the Russell Terrier, but all are from the sighthound group. This Russell terriers is also three distinct, but very close breeds that include the Parson Russell Terrier, the Jack Russell Terrier and the Russell Terrier. These dogs can be considered to be small, but that doesn’t stop them from reaching speeds of up to 38 miles an hour.

3. German Shepherds.

Well, this would have been an abomination of some kind if this wonderful breed did not appear. This wonderful working dog has been the living fence for farmers, and excellent guard dogs for homes over hundreds of years. As a result of the kind of work it is known for, the German Shepherd has been known to reach speeds of up to 30 miles an hour.

Of course there are some faster dogs in between but a good number of them come from the sighthound group of dogs and surprisingly, the poodle.

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How Fast Can A Dog Run? Which dog breeds are the fastest?