A typical Basset Hound tops out around 14.4 mph in Fast CAT. The fastest one on record ran 31.23 mph. 8.3 mph slower than the typical dog (22.7 mph). The fastest Basset Hounds outrun Usain Bolt's top speed by 3.4 mph.
Based on the best Fast CAT run of 176 Basset Hounds, a typical Basset Hound tops out at 14.4 mph, and half of them run faster than 14.4 mph. That puts the Basset Hound 222nd of the 226 breeds that have run Fast CAT, near the back of the pack.
Only 1 Basset Hound has ever broken 30 mph, and 3 have topped 25 mph.
Among the most popular Hound breeds, the typical Basset Hound is faster than 1 of 8. The Greyhound is the quickest of the bunch at 32.9 mph, and the Dachshund (13.9 mph) runs closest to the Basset Hound. Over Fast CAT's 100 yards, the 18.5 mph gap to the Greyhound is about 7.97 seconds.
Jax's Randall Hank holds the fastest consistent run by any Basset Hound: 31.23 mph at the Dallas/Fort Worth Coursing Club in Texas on October 18, 2020. That's 100 yards in 6.55 seconds.
On Dash-Hound, the fastest Basset Hound is Bailee Ann, with a best of 20.16 mph over 71 logged runs.
Basset Hounds come in more than one Fast CAT height group. 42 measured under 12 inches and averaged 14.5 mph; 133 measured 12 to 18 inches and averaged 14.3 mph. Smaller dogs earn extra points per mph toward their titles, so the shorter ones rack up titles faster.
Not really, but more are running. In 2022, 45 Basset Hounds ran Fast CAT, typically at 14.1 mph. In 2025 it was 64 dogs at 14.4 mph.
Virginia has the most Basset Hound runs, 441 of them, followed by Florida, Tennessee, Wisconsin. The fastest Basset Hound run in Virginia is 21.09 mph.
Short legs don't stop anyone from having a blast. Any AKC-registered Basset Hound over 12 months old can enter, small dogs earn twice the points per mph toward their titles, and the crowd always cheers loudest for the little ones. Have someone your dog will run to waiting past the finish 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.