A typical Boston Terrier tops out around 20.9 mph in Fast CAT. The fastest one on record ran 31.52 mph. 1.8 mph slower than the typical dog (22.7 mph). The fastest Boston Terriers outrun Usain Bolt's top speed by 3.7 mph.
Based on the best Fast CAT run of 664 Boston Terriers, a typical Boston Terrier tops out at 20.9 mph, and half of them run faster than 21.4 mph. That makes the Boston Terrier the 138th fastest of the 226 breeds that have run Fast CAT.
Only 2 Boston Terriers have ever broken 30 mph, and 75 have topped 25 mph.
Among the most popular Non-Sporting breeds, the typical Boston Terrier is faster than 4 of 8. The Dalmatian is the quickest of the bunch at 25.1 mph, and the Miniature Poodle (20.4 mph) runs closest to the Boston Terrier. Over Fast CAT's 100 yards, the 4.1 mph gap to the Dalmatian is about 1.61 seconds.
Gaines' What You Do To Me holds the fastest consistent run by any Boston Terrier: 31.52 mph at the Lexington Kennel Club in Kentucky on September 1, 2022. That's 100 yards in 6.49 seconds.
On Dash-Hound, the fastest Boston Terrier is Pearl, with a best of 26.84 mph over 20 logged runs.
Boston Terriers come in more than one Fast CAT height group. 198 measured under 12 inches and averaged 19.6 mph; 458 measured 12 to 18 inches and averaged 21.5 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 2017, 35 Boston Terriers ran Fast CAT, typically at 21.3 mph. In 2025 it was 217 dogs at 21.2 mph.
Georgia has the most Boston Terrier runs, 1,405 of them, followed by North Carolina, Florida, Wisconsin. The fastest Boston Terrier run in Georgia is 27.79 mph.
Any AKC-registered Boston 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.
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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.