The world’s fastest dogs are not always the ones most pet owners would assume were genetically bred just for speed, in fact just the opposite is often true. While it is true that many of the world’s fastest dogs were created by breeders with the primary thought of speed in mind, many of the world’s fastest dogs are more commonly known as pets or working dogs, and even a few have become quite popular on the dog show circuit because of their beauty and poise. In any case, the majority of the world’s fastest dogs have the ability to reach speeds of over 33 miles per hour, and a small few can top the speedometer at over 40 miles per hour.
Without question the greyhound is undoubtedly the world’s fastest dog. Long ago considered a sporting dog, in more recent times the greyhound has been specifically bred for racing and has been known to top speeds of 45 miles per hour while racing. The afghan hound is much more well-known for it’s presence as a beautiful and popular show dog, but it’s appearance belies the power it possesses as one of the world’s fastest dogs. A relative of the greyhound known as the galgo espanol is yet another amazingly fast dog and can also run at a speed of over 40 miles per hour.
Some of the world’s fastest dogs are actually ones that have become well-known as family pets, and others have found a niche within the military and police communities as contributing working dogs. Dalmatians and belgian shepherds are extremely swift of foot, and even the boxer possesses incredible speed for a dog of it’s strength and bulk. The doberman and German pincher and the German shepherd are strong and fierce guard dogs that also have the ability to display explosive speed when necessary, and are easily among the world’s fastest dogs. All of the aforementioned dogs are not only the world’s fastest dogs, but are intelligent and are excellent companion dogs as well.
The one common trait that all of the world’s fastest dogs possess is the ability to cover ground in a hurry that is uncommon to the canine species. While there is no singular body type that is necessary to be considered among the world’s fastest dog, most of these dogs have a long, smooth stride that can be over 5 yards in distance when at full speed. Regardless of their position among the world’s fastest dogs, each is an athlete that owns power, strength, grace and usually superior intelligence when compared to their peers.
