A typical Australian Kelpie tops out around 24.5 mph in Fast CAT. The fastest one on record ran 28.59 mph. 1.8 mph faster than the typical dog (22.7 mph). The fastest Australian Kelpies outrun Usain Bolt's top speed by 0.8 mph.
Based on the best Fast CAT run of 16 Australian Kelpies, a typical Australian Kelpie tops out at 24.5 mph, and half of them run faster than 26.9 mph. That makes the Australian Kelpie the 31st fastest of the 226 breeds that have run Fast CAT.
11 Australian Kelpies have topped 25 mph, but none has reached 30 yet.
Among the most popular Herding breeds, the typical Australian Kelpie is faster than 6 of 8. The Belgian Malinois is the quickest of the bunch at 26.9 mph, and the Border Collie (24.8 mph) runs closest to the Australian Kelpie. Over Fast CAT's 100 yards, the 2.4 mph gap to the Belgian Malinois is about 0.73 seconds.
Duke holds the fastest consistent run by any Australian Kelpie: 28.59 mph at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Kennel Club in Mississippi on April 5, 2025. That's 100 yards in 7.15 seconds.
Florida has the most Australian Kelpie runs, 59 of them, followed by Georgia, California, Missouri. The fastest Australian Kelpie run in Florida is 27.64 mph.
Any AKC-registered Australian Kelpie 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.