A typical Akita tops out around 21.6 mph in Fast CAT. The fastest one on record ran 28.55 mph. 1.1 mph slower than the typical dog (22.7 mph). The fastest Akitas outrun Usain Bolt's top speed by 0.8 mph.
Based on the best Fast CAT run of 197 Akitas, a typical Akita tops out at 21.6 mph, and half of them run faster than 22.5 mph. That makes the Akita the 119th fastest of the 226 breeds that have run Fast CAT.
34 Akitas have topped 25 mph, but none has reached 30 yet.
Among the most popular Working breeds, the typical Akita is faster than 1 of 8. The Boxer is the quickest of the bunch at 25.2 mph, and the Portuguese Water Dog (21.6 mph) runs closest to the Akita. Over Fast CAT's 100 yards, the 3.6 mph gap to the Boxer is about 1.35 seconds.
Skylar Ellis holds the fastest consistent run by any Akita: 28.55 mph at the Chintimini Kennel Club in Oregon on July 1, 2017. That's 100 yards in 7.16 seconds.
On Dash-Hound, the fastest Akita is Lilith, with a best of 20.25 mph over 8 logged runs.
Not really, but more are running. In 2018, 25 Akitas ran Fast CAT, typically at 22.3 mph. In 2025 it was 45 dogs at 21.7 mph.
Virginia has the most Akita runs, 1,435 of them, followed by Wisconsin, New Jersey, Florida. The fastest Akita run in Virginia is 27.09 mph.
Any AKC-registered Akita over 12 months old can enter, and your dog runs alone down a straight 100 yards. Most dogs figure out the lure fast. Have someone your dog will run to waiting past the finish line, because a dog that stops to check on you can lose a second or two.
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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.