What’s a Normal Dog Heart Rate? How to Check If It’s Too Fast

Have you ever been cuddling with your dog and felt his or her heart racing? Like people, dogs have a normal heart rate range. Keeping their bodies inside this range is a key part of good physical health.

But the reverse is also true. Any deviation from a normal dog heart rate can indicate an underlying health condition such as a heart murmur in dogs.

That's why this article will explain what a normal dog heart rate is and how to check your dog’s heart rate.

What’s the normal resting heart rate?

The heart rate of a dog is also known as the pulse. This is recorded as the number of heart beats per minute, or BPM.

Dog’s hearts work similarly to those of humans. They continuously pump blood throughout the body so oxygen and nutrients get where they need to go. When the heart works too fast or too slow, it can impair this functioning.

When at rest, a dog’s heart rate is as follows:

Bradycardic*/Low	Below 60
Normal	60 to 140
Tachycardic*/High	Over 140

*The term bradycardic simply means slow heart, and tachycardic means fast heart.

Normal heart rates also differ between dog sizes. Smaller dogs’ heart rates are faster, beating between 100 to 140 BPM. In contrast, large dogs’ hearts are much slower, beating 60 to 100 BPM. In puppies, however, the heart rate can reach as high as 220 BPM.

By extension, this means there are different heart rates for different breeds. However, certain breeds are more prone to certain heart conditions than others.

For example, Cocker Spaniels, Dachshunds, Pugs, and West Highland White Terriers are more likely to suffer from sinus bradycardia. In this condition, the dog’s heart rate drops significantly below its normal rate.

On the other hand, a fast heart rate can also be due to the breed. Boxers, in particular, are vulnerable to developing ventricular tachycardia.

What’s the normal heart rate when they’re active?

The more exercise you do, the harder the heart must work to pump blood around the body. It can be perfectly normal if you notice your dog's heart rate is faster while they're active.

Typically, the threshold is greater than 160 BPM in standard-sized dogs, 140 BPM in giant breeds, 180 BPM in toy breeds, and 220 BPM in puppies.

This is called sinus tachycardia, and when it's caused by exercise or excitement, it's perfectly safe.

As long as your dog's heart rate returns to baseline within an hour of exercise, everything is perfectly fine.

How to check your dog’s heart rate

There are two ways to check your dog’s heart rate or pulse: a stethoscope or by hand.

To start, your dog will need to lie on its side. Make sure your dog is comfortable and calm. If they’re too excited or stressed, you won’t get an accurate result.

Next, you will need to find your dog’s pulse or heartbeat. Your dog’s heart is located in the chest near the left armpit. Place your hand in this area, where the dog’s left foreleg meets the body. See if you can feel the underlying beat. If you can’t feel it, move your hand around the area before you do.

Once you’ve found the beat, you’ll need a watch or stopwatch. Count each beat of the heart in a 60 seconds time frame. Alternately, count the beats for 15 seconds and multiply by four.

For example:

There are 23 beats in 15 seconds, so the heart rate is 23 x 4 = 92 beats per minute. This is your dog's heart rate.

What to do if the heart rate is too fast

If your dog’s heart rate is too fast, check it again a couple of times to confirm the finding. Fast dog heart rates are associated with numerous conditions. Here are some other symptoms you may spot:

• Fever (a sign of infection)
• Pale mucous membranes (a sign of anemia)
• Weakness, exercise intolerance, or loss of consciousness (signs of primary cardiac disease)
• Shortness of breath, cough, and pale mucous membranes (signs of congestive heart failure)

If you do not notice any symptoms, it doesn’t mean there isn’t an underlying condition. (However, in rare cases, some dogs’ hearts naturally run a little faster than average.)

Either way, you should take your dog to your local veterinarian. They will perform a full physical exam and ask about any symptoms. They may even conduct several tests, like a blood profile, heart scan, or electrocardiogram (ECG), to determine the cause.

Many of the conditions that cause a fast dog heart rate are chronic in nature. Your dog may need to take medications and change their lifestyle to stay healthy.

How to keep your dog’s heart healthy

Keeping your dog’s heart healthy means two things: diet and exercise. Exactly the same as for us!

The level of exercise will depend on your dog’s breed and size. Smaller dogs will not be able to walk as far as their bigger counterparts. Nevertheless, a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise per day can reduce the risk of heart disease. Some breeds need substantially more exercise, and we recommend all dogs (and their parents) get 60 minutes of exercise 5 days a week.

Herding and sporting dogs like Golden Retrievers or Old English Sheepdogs may need at least an hour a day (and at most two hours) of exercise. These dogs were bred to be highly active. In comparison, brachycephalic dogs, like pugs, may struggle with any more than 30 minutes of exercise a day.

In regards to diet, the biggest problem is overfeeding the wrong foods, which can lead to obesity. Measure out your dog’s food to ensure the proper calorie intake, and avoid dog foods high in carbs which can spike blood glucose.

The best diet for heart health

Maintaining strong heart health comes down to eating foods that promote metabolism and reduce oxidative stress. These foods energize each cell in your dog's body, especially the heart, and protect it from free radicals. 

Keeping your dog's diet high in antioxidants is the first step to maintaining long term heart health. Antioxidants protect against free radicals, which enter your dog's body and effectively destroy your dog's cells. That's why antioxidants are so important to heart health.

Including medium-chain tryglycerides (MCTs) in their diet is another way to protect your dog's heart. MCTs has been shown to inhibit the formation of free radicals [*].

Finally, omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to protect the heart. These can be found in flaxseed and salmon oil. If you'd like to learn more, we wrote an article about the benefits of salmon oil for dogs.

If you're looking for a dog food high in antioxidants MCTs and omega-3, here's one we recommend.