A typical Bull Terrier tops out around 21.5 mph in Fast CAT. The fastest one on record ran 28.19 mph. 1.2 mph slower than the typical dog (22.7 mph). The fastest Bull Terriers outrun Usain Bolt's top speed by 0.4 mph.
Based on the best Fast CAT run of 144 Bull Terriers, a typical Bull Terrier tops out at 21.5 mph, and half of them run faster than 22.0 mph. That makes the Bull Terrier the 120th fastest of the 226 breeds that have run Fast CAT.
19 Bull Terriers have topped 25 mph, but none has reached 30 yet.
Among the most popular Terrier breeds, the typical Bull Terrier is faster than 5 of 8. The American Staffordshire Terrier is the quickest of the bunch at 24.0 mph, and the Border Terrier (20.8 mph) runs closest to the Bull Terrier. Over Fast CAT's 100 yards, the 2.6 mph gap to the American Staffordshire Terrier is about 1.01 seconds.
Kc's Beautiful Moonbeam Astrid holds the fastest consistent run by any Bull Terrier: 28.19 mph at the Mid South Fox Terrier Club of Memphis in Tennessee on April 23, 2023. That's 100 yards in 7.26 seconds.
On Dash-Hound, the fastest Bull Terrier is Zero, with a best of 25.99 mph over 59 logged runs.
Bull Terriers come in more than one Fast CAT height group. 63 measured over 18 inches and averaged 21.6 mph; 78 measured 12 to 18 inches and averaged 21.4 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, 26 Bull Terriers ran Fast CAT, typically at 21.3 mph. In 2025 it was 67 dogs at 20.9 mph.
Pennsylvania has the most Bull Terrier runs, 327 of them, followed by Wisconsin, Ohio, Illinois. The fastest Bull Terrier run in Pennsylvania is 27.60 mph.
Any AKC-registered Bull 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.