# Why do small dogs walk so fast? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 3, 2020, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-small-dogs-walk-so-fast/845889 "2020-01-03T17:14:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-small-dogs-walk-so-fast/845889/1 "2020-01-03T17:14:56Z")
I was watching a guy walk his small dog (not sure what breed) and noticed like almost all small dogs I’ve seen, it was walking fast, but short of running as fast as it could. You rarely see large dogs do this. It’s usually either a casual lope or a full out run. Is it just a illusion because of the length of the legs or maybe because the small dog’s metabolism is higher? Watch the pom in this video versus the bigger dogs in front: [https://youtu.be/yPdZTQHsS7w?t=41](https://youtu.be/yPdZTQHsS7w?t=41), His/her legs are moving twice as fast at the biggest dog. Yes, there’s some factor of needing to keep up (related to pack mentality?), but the black and white dog trailing at the back seems to cruising, but his/her legs are still going a good pace. We used to have five maltese and unless they just got up or were sick, they always seems to be a rush to get anywhere in the house. Edit: On the other hand, cats regardless of size, which of course is less diverse, seem to have two modes: slow gait cruising or frenzied rush. ---
**Author:** ![Ignotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ecc23a/32.png) [@Ignotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignotus)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-small-dogs-walk-so-fast/845889/2 "2020-01-03T17:54:19Z")
This is somewhat simplistic; but as a first approximation you can think of the moving leg as a physical pendulum. The period of the pendulum will vary as the square root of its length: [Pendulum - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pendulum) ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-small-dogs-walk-so-fast/845889/3 "2020-01-03T18:50:12Z")
> [@lingyi](#): > > Edit: On the other hand, cats regardless of size, which of course is less diverse, seem to have two modes: slow gait cruising or frenzied rush. Mine seem to generally have at least four: slow walk, often with pauses; medium trot; easy or sometimes playful gallop; and ZOOM! ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-small-dogs-walk-so-fast/845889/4 "2020-01-03T19:51:34Z")
Their legs are smaller. They need to move them more to stay at the same pace as the much larger human. ---
**Author:** ![Rough\_Draft](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@Rough\_Draft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rough_Draft)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-small-dogs-walk-so-fast/845889/5 "2020-01-03T20:40:28Z")
Those are some poorly trained dogs in that video. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-small-dogs-walk-so-fast/845889/6 "2020-01-03T21:14:04Z")
They’re all walking the same speed, the little one just moves it’s feet faster, which gives the appearance that it’s going faster. Walk from one end of the room your in to the other in 10 seconds. Now do it again, in 10 seconds while only moving your feet at half your normal stride. It’s the same thing. If your feet only go half as far, you have to move them twice as fast. You’ll see the same thing if you watch a parent walk with child. If the parent is moving at something even nearing a brisk pace, the kid has to practically run to keep up. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-small-dogs-walk-so-fast/845889/7 "2020-01-04T02:24:20Z")
To keep up. ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-small-dogs-walk-so-fast/845889/8 "2020-01-04T05:02:09Z")
So it’s an an illusion because of the shorter legs. I just chose a video where there are other larger dogs walking along for comparison, but the dog I saw waking in front, not pulling the lease just cruising, like the one in this video: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qt3MCbdxW\_w](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qt3MCbdxW_w). The long hair exaggerates the gait which I find cute and funny! Sigh, I miss my dogs now. The last two were brother and sister and with me literally all their 15-16 years because I was there for the birth of both of them. I watched the girl being born helped by my Dad’s friend and helped the Mama with the birth of the boy since I now knew what to do. Nothing that the Mama wouldn’t do, but I tore the sac and helped him to Mama’s nipple. _Sigh_ ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-small-dogs-walk-so-fast/845889/9 "2020-01-04T05:06:04Z")
Places to go, people to see… ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2020, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-small-dogs-walk-so-fast/845889/10 "2020-01-05T20:51:44Z")
On my way the supermarket earlier, I saw a guy walking his small dog. A crazy woman was yelling at the clouds and while the guy completely ignored her, the dog turned to look with a WTF! face. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2020, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-small-dogs-walk-so-fast/845889/11 "2020-01-06T02:00:23Z")
Ambulating fast to check their p-mail. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2020, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-small-dogs-walk-so-fast/845889/12 "2020-01-06T02:53:38Z")
Because they really have to go, and it’s a couple of blocks to the next fire hydrant.