A typical Border Terrier tops out around 20.8 mph in Fast CAT. The fastest one on record ran 27.83 mph. 1.9 mph slower than the typical dog (22.7 mph). The fastest Border Terriers match Usain Bolt's top speed.
Based on the best Fast CAT run of 922 Border Terriers, a typical Border Terrier tops out at 20.8 mph, and half of them run faster than 21.6 mph. That makes the Border Terrier the 140th fastest of the 226 breeds that have run Fast CAT.
Only 3 Border Terriers have ever broken 30 mph, and 49 have topped 25 mph.
Among the most popular Terrier breeds, the typical Border Terrier is faster than 4 of 8. The American Staffordshire Terrier is the quickest of the bunch at 24.0 mph, and the Parson Russell Terrier (21.9 mph) runs closest to the Border Terrier. Over Fast CAT's 100 yards, the 3.2 mph gap to the American Staffordshire Terrier is about 1.31 seconds.
Redwine's Barrel Full Of Licker holds the fastest consistent run by any Border Terrier: 27.83 mph at the Huntsville Obedience Training Club in Alabama on April 18, 2026. That's 100 yards in 7.35 seconds.
AKC's results also show Loch Cu Artful Dodger at 32.22 mph, but that dog's next-best run is 25.89 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 Border Terrier is Jetty, with a best of 22.38 mph over 19 logged runs.
Border Terriers come in more than one Fast CAT height group. 157 measured under 12 inches and averaged 20.0 mph; 763 measured 12 to 18 inches and averaged 21.0 mph. Smaller dogs earn extra points per mph toward their titles, so the shorter ones rack up titles faster.
Not lately. The typical Border Terrier ran 21.5 mph in 2016 (28 dogs) and 20.7 mph in 2025 (280 dogs). As more everyday pets join in, the average moves around.
Ohio has the most Border Terrier runs, 1,605 of them, followed by Missouri, New Jersey, Washington. The fastest Border Terrier run in Ohio is 32.22 mph.
Any AKC-registered Border Terrier 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.
Fast CAT rankings ยท How fast is a dog?
Speeds from AKC Fast CAT results. Photographers: spotted your work? Tell us at [email protected] and we'll credit it or take it down.