Dogs with long legs are great runners and appear stately and graceful. They avoid many of the health issues associated with short-legged and barrel-chested breeds and can be great active dogs.
If you’re interested in one of these tall dogs for whatever reason, here are ten dog breeds with long legs to consider!
Dog Breeds With Long Legs
Long-legged breeds are often bred for hunting, as hunting dogs need to move quickly and over far distances.
Long legs help a dog’s stride to keep up with various forms of prey without making them tired too quickly. They also allow the dogs to keep up with notably quick-footed prey like rabbits and deer.
There are many dog breeds of different sizes that have long legs when measured against their bodies.
Today, we’ll be covering the following breeds:
- Scottish Deerhound
- Greyhound
- Komondor
- Afghan Hound
- Sloughi
- Irish Wolfhound
- Azawakh
- Great Dane
- Saluki
- Whippet
10 Dog Breeds With Long Legs
1. Scottish Deerhound
The Scottish Deerhound, as its name suggests, was bred for deer-stalking and hunting red deer. It wasn’t until the end of the 19th century that the advent of the modern rifle slowly phased out the need for fast-paced, far-running hunting breeds.
These tall dogs boast crisp coats and are majestic in their appearance; even the AKC says so! A male Scottish Deerhound of breed-standard size stands at about 32 inches.
Despite their stature, dogs of this breed are known for their eagerness, gentleness, and highly friendly personalities.
Scottish Deerhounds are true sighthounds, and you can see that in the length of their legs. Their hind legs, especially, are long enough to give the illusion of being as long as their whole torsos!
They absolutely love pursuing prey and chasing things, which means they have high exercise needs and can run very quickly and for a very long time.
2. Greyhound
Greyhounds were originally bred as sighthounds, coursing for sport and meat and eventually becoming very common hare coursers.
They’re quite tall and have a unique S-shaped body that makes them extra speedy with the aid of their very long legs. This is why they can catch up to prey as fast as rabbits.
Greyhounds are independent and noble dogs, with a gentle sweet temper that has made them common family dogs. Greyhounds are so renowned for their long legs that, today, they’re commonly used for racing.
In fact, Greyhound racing is a relatively popular sport, and many people have chosen to adopt retired racing Greyhounds, making them a popular pet.
The combination of a slim, lean body, flexibility and notably long legs allows these dogs to reach 43 mph speeds!
Their long legs have given them incredible sprinting prowess, too. Their paw pads also absorb shock impressively well, which further boosts the utility of their legs for running and jumping.
3. Komondor
The Komondor dog, also called the Hungarian sheepdog and often called a mop dog, is a livestock guardian with a long history and a high importance to the country of Hungary.
Despite not being bred for hunting, these dogs have relatively long legs, especially when compared to their short backs.
Komondors are dignified dogs with high loyalty and bravery, and they’re quite gentle and steadfast: important traits in livestock herders. Despite their long fur that can give off the impression of clumsiness, Komondors are majestically agile.
Their long legs give them the ability to move with very long strides, and they’re quite light on their feet.
4. Afghan Hound
Afghan Hounds were originally bred as hunting breeds and are a basal breed that predates most modern dogs.
They were selectively bred for the cold conditions of their home lands. Despite their origins as prey-stalking animals, they are now prized for a different reason: as show dogs for their gorgeous, long-haired coats.
These dogs are believed to be one of the oldest dog breeds, going back to ancient times. This long legacy is seen in the breed’s temperament, which is often aloof, independent, and dignified.
Still, they’re loyal, can be goofy in play, and are notably sweet with their owners. However, they’re also not particularly intelligent and can be difficult to train.
The power and strength of the Afghan Hound are visible in its long legs. It boasts huge paw pads and a tall, 27-inch height that supports agile activities.
The breed can push various forms of difficult terrain easily thanks to these legs and has a very high prey drive, remembering that its legs can take it across far distances at impressive speeds.
5. Sloughi
The Sloughi is a sighthound commonly used as a guard dog. The medium-large breed boasts long legs and a long head, with lean muscles and a slim build that allows for long-distance running.
They were originally bred to course wild pigs, foxes, hares, and gazelles, and their legs needed to be strong enough to chase these animals with ease.
Essentially, this dog is as no-frills as it gets when it comes to a coursing hound with swift movements and long legs.
They have a nobility and elegance about them that makes them even more reliable as hunters, coupled with their sturdy and long build.
6. Irish Wolfhound
The historic sighthound breed of the Irish Wolfhound has been an inspiration to many works of literature and art.
Its primary strength is speed, granting it the ability to pursue prey at impressive rates and across far distances. It pursues its quarries with diligence and bears some similar DNA to the Scottish Deerhound.
There’s no one defining personality trait that describes an Irish Wolfhound’s temperament. They’re well-known for being individualistic, with many personal quirks that make them interesting and unique.
However, some commonly used terms to describe them relate to their surprisingly calm, relaxed demeanor and tendency towards dignified and intelligent behavior.
The long legs of the Irish Wolfhound played a crucial role in their hunting days. They gave them the power to run over great expanses and still defeat a wolf in direct combat upon catching up with their prey.
They can reach heights of three feet, which only further promotes their lengthy limbs.
7. Azawakh
The Azawakh is a dog breed with ancient origins, owned and bred today by various ethnic groups as companions capable of performing crucial work.
Despite its status as a sighthound, it is primarily used for protection, performing both loyally and with independence to keep its owner safe.
The tall West African sighthound is known for many different personality traits, ranging from extremely gentle to rather aggressive. Socialization at an early age improves the dog’s temperament.
The dog is also capable of forming strong and complex social bonds, with unique hierarchies and strong memories of those they meet.
As an ancient hunting hound, the Azawakh is capable of chasing speedy prey animals like gazelle over long periods of time and across far distances.
Their long legs help them to perform remarkably well as sprinters, with a deep chest and S-shaped body further aiding their movements. They’re very durable dogs and their long legs give them a light gait with a double suspension gallop.
8. Great Dane
The Great Dane, a relative of the Irish Wolfhound, is a giant dog breed and one of the world’s largest. Their descendants were hunters of wild deer, boars, and bears, which required them to be able to move quickly and for long periods of time without tiring.
Great Danes often held the role of a catch dog, meaning they’d catch and hold down prey for hunters and other dogs to attack. This required a lot of speed and strength.
The massive sighthound can reach heights of 32 feet and can easily dwarf the average human when standing on two legs.
They’re known for being dependable, patient, and surprisingly friendly, akin to gentle giants despite their intimidating appearance.
Great Danes’ long legs come from the importing of long-legged breeds to Europe during the Middle Ages for breeding capable hunters. To support its large body, which needed to be able to rival a bear’s, these legs come in extra handy.
9. Saluki
The Saluki, or the Persian Greyhound, is a breed that evolved from sighthounds. It was bred specifically for the hunting of game animals, a valuable asset to various nomadic tribes. It is related to the Afghan Hound and a close relative of the Sloughi.
Salukis maintain a lot of the typical personality traits of hunting hounds. They’re reserved and independent, with a dignified manner of holding themselves and a penchant for chasing after small animals and items.
The Saluki is known as a long-legged, deep-chested breed. Males reach heights of 28 inches, though females are notably smaller.
Their long limbs have allowed these dogs to enjoy a capacity for long-distance running, though they prefer moderate, even paces to rough sprints.
10. Whippet
Whippets are sighthound breeds that come from Greyhounds, often resembling smaller versions of that breed. Like Greyhounds, they’re known as both coursing, hunting dogs and as sporting or racing dogs.
Their slender, unique builds and long legs give them the ability to perform well in activities like dock diving, lure coursing, flyball, and agility courses.
These dogs are calm in nature but can be playful, with an affectionate and loyal personality. Whippets are fast dogs, often considered one of the fastest accelerating breeds out there.
For a dog of their weight, the breed is extremely fast, due in part to those aforementioned long legs! Their legs are also sturdy and they’re blessed with an impressive fleetness of foot that serves them well in the world of dog sports.
Conclusion
Dogs with long legs make for amazing companions, and their history of hunting and livestock herding make them calm, reasonable, independent breeds. For most of these dogs, good socialization is needed to prevent excessive shyness or aggression.
The reward for caring well for these dogs is their utmost loyalty and surprising friendliness.
Do note that most long-legged dogs have high exercise needs and will require a good amount of time spent walking or running outdoors, so plan accordingly if you want to bring one home with you!