Dalmatians are highly energetic dogs and are well known for their high energy output and great endurance. That being said, Dalmatians are surprisingly fast and will appear in any top 10 list of fastest dog breeds. A healthy, young and trained Dalmatian at a full sprint can clock in a top speed at around 37mph (60kph). To put this into perspective, the fastest dog in the world is the Greyhound, clocking in at a top speed of 45mph (72kph) at full sprint.
Dalmatians are incredibly fast animals, and with their increased endurance and energy output in comparison to other dog breeds, this makes them a pretty high performer when it comes to exercising outdoors, and the perfect companion for runners.
How dogs run
Dogs use their 4 legs to gallop which is done in 2 stages. The first stage is elongation of their body, allowing their flexible spines to stretch out parallel to the ground with both pairs of legs fully extended. The second stage is the compression of their body so that the front and back legs both overlap beneath the body allowing them to push forward to stage one again. This combined with their grippy feet and high metabolism allow them to run quite fast.
Most dogs can run at a top speed of around 15-20mph (24-32kph) during a short sprint. This depends on the breed, size and health of the dog.
Dalmatians have long legs with a streamlined, muscular body and broad chest. This makes them very effective sprinters and even more effective long distance runners.
Endurance running
Dalmatians are among a small list of dog breeds that make excellent endurance athletes. Because of their high energy output and breeding history, Dalmatians can run at a slower pace around 10mph (16kph) for long periods of time. Their guarding and protecting instincts along with their extreme endurance is what made them excellent at running alongside horse and carriage back in the day, this also helps them become excellent companions for runners.
Dalmatians make excellent pets for people or families with very active and inclusive lifestyles. Because of the Dalmatians’ playful temperament, they will most likely love to accompany you on all your sporting activities. This may be running, cycling, hiking or just playtime down at the local park. If you’re wondering how much daily exercise a Dalmatian requires, give this article a read.
Dalmatians make excellent companions for runners, as they can easily keep pace and will run alongside really well with a little training. To learn how to run with your Dalmatian, give this article a read.
Dalmatians are fast! Their top speed of around 37mph at full sprint puts them at another level in comparison to us humans. The fact that they are extremely fast, and also have excellent endurance is just one of the very unique attributes of the Dalmatian breed.
