How Fast Is The Fastest Dog?

The fastest dogs are the Sighthounds: Greyhounds, Salukis, Whippets and their kin. Many of these dogs are ancient breeds. These Sighthounds or gazehounds were developed for hunting different animals over different terrain.

Greyhound

Most people consider the Greyhound to be the world's fastest dog. These dogs have been not only used for hunting but they are also used for dog racing. They are able to reach speeds of 45 mph over short distances. The breed dates back to at least 2900 BC in ancient Egypt where they were used on all kinds of prey, from deer to mountain goats. Their natural prey is the hare.

Saluki

However, Saluki owners often claim that their dogs are faster than Greyhounds. As proof, they claim that Salukis were bred to hunt gazelles and gazelles can reach speeds faster than 45 mph. Therefore, they say, Salukis must be faster than Greyhounds since that is faster than a Greyhound's speed.

Salukis are not used for racing so they aren't timed at short distances. This makes it harder to estimate their speed. Salukis may excel at speeds over endurance distances.

Whippet

Whippets are another very fast dog. They have been used for dog racing, too. Smaller than Greyhounds, they are estimated to travel at speeds over 35 mph.

The cheetah is generally accepted to be the fastest land animal. They travel at an estimated 70 mph. Lions have been clocked at 50 mph. A Quarter Horse can travel at 47.5 mph.

Afghan Hound

Other members of the Sighthound family of dogs include the Afghan Hound - a relative of the Saluki from the cold mountains of Afghanistan. These dogs are thousands of years old and were used to hunt gazelles and hares. Even today these dogs still have a very high prey drive and it may not be safe to have them in a home with other small pets.

Irish Wolfhound

The Irish Wolfhound and the Scottish Deerhound are also Sighthounds, although because of their large size they are not as fast as some other members of the group. These dogs from the British Isles were used to hunt wolves, boar and deer. These are very

Scottish Deerhound

ancient breeds that may date back to Iron age times. The Borzoi, a tall, graceful Sighthound from Russia, was likewise used to hunt wolves.

All of these dogs are known for being fast. They had to be in order to chase and bring down their prey. Unlike some other hunting dogs which worked with humans, these dogs both found and killed their quarry, whether it was a hare, a wolf, a deer, or something else.

Borzoi

Beagle

At the opposite end of this spectrum are the scent hounds. Scent hounds, such as the Beagle, the Foxhound (American, English), Coonhounds, the Bloodhound, and so on, work by gathering scent, usually from the ground. This is often a slower process

American Foxhound

and the dogs often have their nose to the ground. They may work more closely with humans to follow and find their prey. Where a Sighthound may be out of sight of the hunter, the scent hound is usually in touch with the hunter, or at least can be heard.

Bloodhound

Today most Sighthounds excel at being great pets and wonderful couch potatoes. There is little call to use them for hunting wolves or even hares. However, lure coursing makes a fun activity that Sighthound owners can enjoy with their dogs. Lure coursing uses a piece of plastic attached to a wire and runs it across a field like it's "prey." The dogs are turned loose to chase it. Lots of Sighthounds love lure coursing. If you have a Sighthound you and your dog might enjoy lure coursing.

https://ezinearticles.com/?How-Fast-Is-The-Fastest-Dog?&id=8149457