A typical Cocker Spaniel tops out around 17.3 mph in Fast CAT. The fastest one on record ran 24.32 mph. 5.4 mph slower than the typical dog (22.7 mph). Even a typical Cocker Spaniel would beat most people in a 100-yard sprint.
Based on the best Fast CAT run of 370 Cocker Spaniels, a typical Cocker Spaniel tops out at 17.3 mph, and half of them run faster than 17.9 mph. That makes the Cocker Spaniel the 192nd fastest of the 226 breeds that have run Fast CAT.
2 Cocker Spaniels have topped 25 mph, but none has reached 30 yet.
Among the most popular Sporting breeds, the typical Cocker Spaniel is the slowest of the 9. The Vizsla is the quickest of the bunch at 24.9 mph, and the English Springer Spaniel (22.2 mph) runs closest to the Cocker Spaniel. Over Fast CAT's 100 yards, the 7.6 mph gap to the Vizsla is about 3.61 seconds.
Little Buffalo Scout holds the fastest consistent run by any Cocker Spaniel: 24.32 mph at the Shawangunk Kennel Club in New York on April 7, 2024. That's 100 yards in 8.41 seconds.
AKC's results also show Seasmoke Heartbreak Kid at 26.33 mph, but that dog's next-best run is 21.26 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 Cocker Spaniel is Ani, with a best of 22.16 mph over 42 logged runs.
Not lately. The typical Cocker Spaniel ran 19.3 mph in 2019 (31 dogs) and 17.6 mph in 2025 (139 dogs). As more everyday pets join in, the average moves around.
New Jersey has the most Cocker Spaniel runs, 1,111 of them, followed by Missouri, California, Ohio. The fastest Cocker Spaniel run in New Jersey is 22.28 mph.
Short legs don't stop anyone from having a blast. Any AKC-registered Cocker Spaniel 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.