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Are dogs faster than humans?
Who can run faster?
Is it man’s best friend or is it man himself?
I’ll get straight to the point the fastest human cannot beat the fastest dog in a race.
However, there are many different breeds of dogs that all have different top speeds.
Plus there are many different humans who also have different speeds. I’d guess that most of us have a low top speed moving from the couch to the refrigerator and back.
So, let’s dig a little deeper into the question.
Are Dogs Faster Than Humans?
Now before you go out and race the nearest dog you can find, we have the answer to this question, right here, right now, so save your breath!
Many of you have probably heard of Usain Bolt, the record setting Olympian who holds the “fastest man on Earth” title.
But how fast does he run?
Usain Bolt reached a top speed of 27.8 miles per hour / 44.64 kilometers per hour.
Wow, that’s fast!
The average person however doesn’t run that fast.
While there are many factors that play into how fast we can run such as gender, age, height, fitness level and how healthy you are, the average human can run around the 10 miles per hour mark.
When I pump the treadmill up to 10 mph my heart feels like it’s going to explode and I’m terrified that I might fall off.
My current upper speed limit is probably something a little higher than 10. Let’s say my top speeds is 12 mph.
Now let’s compare that to dogs.
You may have a breed in your mind that you think is the fastest and if you guessed Greyhound, you’re right!
The Greyhound can reach astounding speeds of around 45 miles per hour / 72 kilometers per hour – and you thought humans were fast.
Bet you didn’t see that one coming!
Fastest Dog Breeds
Here’s the approximate top speed of some popular dog breeds:
- Greyhouund – 45 mph / 72 kph
- Saluki – 42 mph / 68 kph
- Ibizan hound – 40 mph / 64 kph
- Afghan Hound – 40 mph / 64 kph
- Vizsla – 40 mph / 64 kph
Yowzers! Most fast breeds would run laps around the average human. I guess chasing after my dog really is a pointless venture if she doesn’t want to be caught.
Do our favorite breeds go over the residential speed limit (25 mph)?
Yep, our three dogs could break the speed limit in our neighborhood if they so desired.
If you’re wondering how I got the upper speed limit for our Goldador, since a Goldador is a Golden Retriever crossed with a Labrador Retriever I added Golden speed plus Lab speed and divided by two
(35 mph + 30 mph) / 2 = 32.5 mph. And round up!
Between our Golden Retriever, Labrador Retriever, and Goldador, our black Lab always comes in first. She’s lightning in a bottle!
Slowest Dog Breeds
Okay, are there any breeds I can outrun?
I gotta be faster than a Bassett Hound or a Bulldog…
Here are some of the slowest dog breeds:
- Cavalier Kings Charles Spaniel – 8 mph / 13 kph
- Bassett Hound – 10 mph / 16 kph
- Bulldog – 15 mph / 24 kph
According to this short list I can probably successfully catch a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and a Basset Hound. While a Bulldog would surprisingly outrun me.
I’m not too sure how accurate these numbers are as I found the speed for a Shih Tzu at 6 mph then another source saying they’ve been clocked at speeds over 21 mph.
Can I Ice Skate Faster Than A Dog?
I’m a hockey player and when I’m gliding on the ice I feel like (cue Forrest Gump accent) I move as fast as the wind blows!
However, I don’t think that’s the case as I saw the top speed of the fastest hockey player on the planet, Connor McDavid is less than the top speed of Usain Bolt.
Connor McDavid top speed = 25.4 miles per hour / 40.88 kilometers per hour
Usain Bolt top speed = 27.8 miles per hour / 44.64 kilometers per hour
Greyhound top speed = 45 miles per hour / 72 kilometers per hour
Yep, the fastest dog still beats me by a country mile in an ice skating battle.
However, me in my ice skates vs a dog on a frozen pond…I like my chances of winning that race.
Final Thoughts
Since we’ve only compared top speeds, you should keep in mind that endurance would play a large role if we were talking about distance or time.
Comparing who could run the furthest or for the longest amount of time at these top speeds would be interesting to find out.
We’ll save that for another article!
Share this and spread the word!
Have you ever raced your dog?
Who won?
Tell us about your experiences in the comment section below.
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