I can’t be the only one that sees a lot of beauty and grace in dogs with very long legs. A dog with long legs will usually be light on its feet and a great runner.
Most dogs with long legs will also have a really great-looking body and a nice way of aging, avoiding the ugly barrel-chested physiques that most dogs with shorter legs will get after they get older.
There are still a lot of people interested in long-legged dogs, even though nowadays all we hear most dog enthusiasts talk about is the crossbreed of poodles and teacup dogs. If you’re interested in owning a dog with long legs, there are a few particular things you will have to be prepared for. For example, long legs in a dog will usually mean that you will have to be very careful when the animal is young, to avoid joint troubles or even worse, leg breaks.
You might also like my articles about the Johnson American Bulldog, The Long Haired Dalmatian, or 5 of the most popular tiny dog breeds for the yard.
Even though owning a long-legged dog comes with a lot of responsibilities, you will also have a lot of fun. They are great runners, agile, fast, and very entertaining.
Below you will find 10 of the most beautiful dog breeds with long legs.
1. Scottish Deerhound
The name ‘deerhound’ already expresses a big breed that has long legs. Dogs from this breed are some of the tallest worldwide and they are fast as well. This is something they have adapted to in many years, being deer hunting dogs in the past.
Nowadays they continue to be very loyal but have slowly adapted for the modern times, and make for great family dogs. They really love to play with their owner and are really fast learners so training them will be pretty easy.
2. Great Dane
One of the most impressive but also among the most famous long-legged breeds of dogs worldwide is the Great Dane. These dogs are so huge, that some reach weights of over 150 lbs. Although they are really beautiful, their very long legs also bring them a lot of issues. As they get older, due to their size, they will most likely run into different health problems.
Even though their height screams danger, Great Danes are pretty good companions and pets for large families. They can be found in a variety of coat patterns and colors.
These dogs have a downside, though. they have very short lives when compared to other dogs.
3. Akbash
The Akbash is so similar to a white bear, that many people will actually confuse it with one at first sight. Their impressive height, coupled with their excessive barking at basically anything that passes their sight and their alertness level make this breed a great guard dog option.
These are dogs that will need extensive exercise so they really aren’t your average apartment dogs. They were initially bred in Turkey.
4. The Saluki
These are dogs that were raised to go with hunters while they were hunting gazelles. The long legs of a Saluki, coupled with the skinny frame, will give an illusion of an even bigger dog. These dogs are always on alert and are very fast and lean so you really don’t want to be running from one of them.
They are somewhat related to the Afghan Hound and they even look very much similar to that breed. They have impressive endurance and will usually run very long distances easily.
5. Komondor Dogs
Komondor dogs are very tall with very long legs, although this isn’t easily noticeable due to their heave corded coats. These dogs are known to be used as guards for homes in Hungary for hundreds of years.
Although very active and particularly strong, they have a toy stuffed animal look that your children will surely love.
One of the most well-known celebrities to own a Komondor is Mark Zuckerberg. These dogs are also known as mop dogs due to their unusual coats.
6. The Afghan Hound
The Afghan Hound is known as one of the best-looking long-legged dogs worldwide. Even if you don’t consider it the most beautiful, you will surely be impressed by its looks and long coat. They will usually live to about 13 years old and can grow to around 30 inches tall.
These dogs are great family pets, although they were initially bred and raised for hunting small animals like rabbits. These dogs are pretty hard to find and when you do find one you might notice it will usually have a pretty steep price. This is why, throughout history, Afghan Hounds were bred by rich people as a sign of wealth.
7. Irish Wolfhound
The Irish Wolfhound is a great breed to own if you’re looking for a dog with very long legs, that is bound to impress. These dogs are pretty unique for their grey, long coat, which makes them look ungroomed.
They are very reliable and were actually bred in the past to use as help for wolf hunting. They are great companions, but their looks might scare your neighbors because their presence is nothing to be ignored.
8. Whippet
The whippet has very long and slim legs, making it look very similar to greyhounds. They are considerably smaller than other dogs with long legs, reaching a weight of just 35 lbs.
This breed will enjoy just wasting time around your home for big parts of the day, although once or twice a day they will need to consume their energy with short bursts of exercise.
These dogs are great for people in big communities or people that live in apartment buildings because these are among the few breeds with long legs that don’t bark a lot.
9. Azawakh
This breed of dog is less known and less common among breeders and owners, but the dogs are very beautiful regardless. The dogs from this breed have a graceful look due to their general proportions. They have long legs, a long tail, all combined with very long bodies.
They have a somewhat unique athletic look, due to all the muscles they have on their bodies. They have a look that somewhat makes you think of antelopes. They were initially bred in the Sahara desert, where they were used for hunting.
10. Greyhound
This is what people usually think of when they hear about long-legged dog breeds. They give out a graceful vibe and have impressive speed. They will be ready to start running whenever you give out the command.
There is also a miniature subspecies of the breed, perfect for people that live in apartments or smaller homes.
