We all have achievements that we’re proud of, but there’s nothing quite like the honour and prestige of holding a world record. Whether you’re the best in the world at yo-yo tricks, you’ve bathed in the most baked beans, or you have the longest moustache anyone has ever seen, having a certificate from the Guinness World Records officials allows its holder to rightfully exhibit a smug smile from time to time. And for dogs it’s not different. While the average pooch may not appreciate the nuances or gravity of holding such a record, they’re allowed to be proud too, and in this post, we’re going to tell you which world records are held by dogs.
Crowns and collars
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when dogs started notching up world records, but it’s relatively safe to assume it all started with the basics. These tend to involve size and these records are still being broken in the 21st century.
Zeus, a Great Dane, is the tallest dog ever recorded, standing on all four legs at an enormous 44” which is about 112cm in metric. It’s a wonder no-one has tried to put a saddle on Zeus and ride him off into the sunset!
On the other end of the scale, we have Milly, a teeny tiny Chihuahua that is only 4” (or 10ish cm) in height, and she’s fully grown!
Over the years, some record categories that dogs compete in appear to have developed to be dominated by particular breeds.
The longest ears on dogs, for example, is very much dominated by Coonhounds and Basset Hounds, with current record holder Harbor (a Coonhound) having ears that are over 30cm in length! Greyhounds are pretty dominant in the fastest category too, but then there are records that seem a bit more, well, unique.
Odds and ends
As mentioned, there are some truly surprising categories of record that are open to any dog willing to make a challenge. We won’t run through all of them here, but we’ve picked out a few categories that have earned their dogs a Guinness World Record certificate:
- Longest wave surfed by a dog
- Fastest 30m on a scooter by a dog
- Most bottles recycled by a dog
- Highest jump by a dog
- Most skips performed by a dog and a person in one minute (single rope)
- Most tennis balls held in the mouth by a dog
