A typical Afghan Hound tops out around 23.9 mph in Fast CAT. The fastest one on record ran 34.09 mph. 1.2 mph faster than the typical dog (22.7 mph). The fastest Afghan Hounds outrun Usain Bolt's top speed by 6.3 mph.
Based on the best Fast CAT run of 494 Afghan Hounds, a typical Afghan Hound tops out at 23.9 mph, and half of them run faster than 24.8 mph. That makes the Afghan Hound the 45th fastest of the 226 breeds that have run Fast CAT.
Only 16 Afghan Hounds have ever broken 30 mph, and 236 have topped 25 mph.
Among the most popular Hound breeds, the typical Afghan Hound is faster than 3 of 8. The Greyhound is the quickest of the bunch at 32.9 mph, and the Basenji (23.2 mph) runs closest to the Afghan Hound. Over Fast CAT's 100 yards, the 9.0 mph gap to the Greyhound is about 2.35 seconds.
Gaston La Gaffe Del Gran Pamir holds the fastest consistent run by any Afghan Hound: 34.09 mph at the National Beagle Club in Florida on November 13, 2016. That's 100 yards in 6.00 seconds.
AKC's results also show Lazul Of Synergon at 34.85 mph, but that dog's next-best run is 30.71 mph. A jump that big is usually a timing or typing error, so we flag it rather than crown it.
On Dash-Hound, the fastest Afghan Hound is Aspen, with a best of 26.56 mph over 6 logged runs.
A little. The typical Afghan Hound ran 23.7 mph in 2016 (44 dogs) and 24.3 mph in 2025 (144 dogs). As more everyday pets join in, the average moves around.
Florida has the most Afghan Hound runs, 560 of them, followed by California, Texas, Ohio. The fastest Afghan Hound run in Florida is 34.09 mph.
Afghan Hounds are sighthounds, built for exactly this: a straight sprint after a lure. Most catch on in a run or two. Any AKC-registered Afghan Hound over 12 months old can enter, and the only real training is a reliable finish: have someone your dog will run to waiting past the line.
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Speeds from AKC Fast CAT results. Photographers: spotted your work? Tell us at [email protected] and we'll credit it or take it down.