The Bark Facts
Real facts and honest takes on the dogs we love.

Fastest Dog Breeds, Ranked

Every breed in our Deep Dives, lined up from flat-out fastest to proudly
slowest. A few of these will surprise you. A few really won't.

Speeds are top sprint speed. Numbers marked with a * are our own estimate. Where no reliable published figure exists, mostly the toy and giant breeds, we estimated from size, build, and what the dog was made to do. We marked those so you always know which is which.
1
Greyhound
The undisputed champ. Forty-five miles an hour, then eighteen hours asleep on your couch.
45 mph
72 km/h
2
Saluki
Ancient royalty with a Guinness record to back it up. It only just lost the crown to the Greyhound.
42 mph
68 km/h
3
Vizsla
Velcro at rest, rocket in a field. Blink and it's a dot on the horizon.
40 mph
64 km/h
4
Irish Wolfhound
Yes, this much dog moves that fast. Alarming for about six seconds, then it's over.
40 mph
64 km/h
5
Dalmatian
Bred to run under carriages all day. Your morning jog is a warm-up.
37 mph
60 km/h
6
Borzoi
Built like a Greyhound that went to finishing school. Quietly, deceptively quick.
36 mph
58 km/h
7
Whippet
The Greyhound's smaller cousin, and pound for pound maybe the better deal.
35 mph
56 km/h
8
Weimaraner
The Gray Ghost earns the name. Usually gone before you've registered it left.
35 mph
56 km/h
9
Jack Russell Terrier
All that speed crammed into a dog that flatly refuses to acknowledge its size.
35 mph
56 km/h
10
Doberman
Fast, and it looks fast. The kind of fast that ends arguments.
32 mph
51 km/h
11
Pointer
Built to sweep a field for hours. The speed is almost a side effect.
32* mph
51 km/h
12
Boxer
Goofy right up until it decides to run laps around the yard for no reason.
31 mph
50 km/h
13
Border Collie
Could probably go faster if it weren't so busy managing everyone.
30 mph
48 km/h
14
German Shepherd
Fast, precise, and annoyingly good at this like it's good at everything.
30 mph
48 km/h
15
Great Dane
Thirty miles an hour of horse-sized dog. Give it room.
30 mph
48 km/h
16
Standard Poodle
Under the ridiculous haircut is a real athlete. People keep forgetting that.
30 mph
48 km/h
17
Australian Shepherd
Will run this fast around livestock, around your kids, or around nothing at all.
30 mph
48 km/h
18
Siberian Husky
Quick in a sprint, tireless over distance, and gone the instant the gate opens.
30 mph
48 km/h
19
Irish Terrier
The daredevil of the terrier world. Quicker than a dog that size has any right to be.
30* mph
48 km/h
20
Bull Terrier
That egg-shaped head is hiding a surprisingly serious engine.
30* mph
48 km/h
21
Kerry Blue Terrier
A working terrier under all that grooming. Faster than the show ring lets on.
28* mph
45 km/h
22
Portuguese Water Dog
Quick on land, quicker in the water. It was bred to keep up with boats.
28* mph
45 km/h
23
Basenji
The barkless one. Moves like a cat, then bolts like a hare.
25 mph
40 km/h
24
Shiba Inu
Plenty fast, but only when it personally sees the point. Recall sold separately.
25 mph
40 km/h
25
Akita
Dignified and unhurried, right up until it isn't. Then, briefly, quick.
25* mph
40 km/h
26
Norwegian Elkhound
Built to track moose across cold country. Sturdy and steady more than fast.
25* mph
40 km/h
27
Rottweiler
More power than speed, but you'd still lose the footrace.
25* mph
40 km/h
28
Samoyed
That smile hides a sled dog. Endurance is the gift here, not the sprint.
25* mph
40 km/h
29
Finnish Lapphund
A herder built to dodge reindeer. Nimble more than flat-out fast.
25* mph
40 km/h
30
Corgi
Those little legs turn over shockingly fast. Physics is as confused as you are.
24* mph
39 km/h
31
Bloodhound
The nose sets the pace, and the nose is in no particular hurry.
22* mph
35 km/h
32
Otterhound
A big shaggy hound that ambles along until there's water. Then it commits.
22* mph
35 km/h
33
Leonberger
A lot of dog moving at a gentleman's pace. No reason to rush.
22* mph
35 km/h
34
Beagle
Follows its nose at a steady trot. Speed was never the assignment.
20 mph
32 km/h
35
Alaskan Malamute
Built to haul freight over distance, not to sprint. Truck, not sports car.
20* mph
32 km/h
36
Great Pyrenees
Guardians hold ground, they don't chase. Fast enough when it truly counts.
20* mph
32 km/h
37
Newfoundland
Slow on land, unstoppable in water. Wrong element for a footrace.
20* mph
32 km/h
38
Papillon
The butterfly ears do more than decorate. Tiny, springy, quicker than you'd guess.
18 mph
29 km/h
39
Chow Chow
That stilted walk was not built for speed. It was built for judging you.
18* mph
29 km/h
40
Dachshund
Short legs, long body, one gear. Charming, not fast.
18* mph
29 km/h
41
Mastiff
Two hundred pounds of no thank you. It will sit this one out.
18* mph
29 km/h
42
Saint Bernard
Rescues people from snowbanks. Nobody ever said quickly.
18* mph
29 km/h
43
Chihuahua
The effort of a racehorse, roughly the output of a brisk walk.
15* mph
24 km/h
44
Bichon Frise
The zoomies are real. The top speed is not. Adorable blur, very small radius.
15* mph
24 km/h
45
Bulldog
Sprints in theory. In practice it prefers the shade and a solid nap.
15* mph
24 km/h
46
Japanese Chin
Elegant, cat-like, and completely uninterested in hurrying anywhere.
14* mph
23 km/h
47
Basset Hound
Low to the ground and powered mostly by vibes. Those ears are basically drag.
12* mph
19 km/h
48
Brussels Griffon
Big personality, short stride. It'll supervise the race, not enter it.
12* mph
19 km/h
49
English Toy Spaniel
Bred for laps, not for laps of the track. Perfectly happy with the trade.
12* mph
19 km/h
50
Lhasa Apso
An ancient sentinel, not a sprinter. It patrols the walls, slowly.
12* mph
19 km/h
51
Pug
The spirit is willing. The airway and the little legs are still negotiating.
12* mph
19 km/h
52
Skye Terrier
All that coat over those short legs. Style over velocity, every time.
12* mph
19 km/h
53
Pekingese
Bred for palace laps at a palace pace. The dignified anchor of this whole list.
10* mph
16 km/h
Published speeds drawn from Basepaws, Highland Canine, and LoveToKnow Pets. Individual dogs vary. Your couch potato is not disqualified.
← All Breed Rankings