A typical Icelandic Sheepdog tops out around 22.0 mph in Fast CAT. The fastest one on record ran 29.47 mph. 0.7 mph slower than the typical dog (22.7 mph). The fastest Icelandic Sheepdogs outrun Usain Bolt's top speed by 1.7 mph.
Based on the best Fast CAT run of 254 Icelandic Sheepdogs, a typical Icelandic Sheepdog tops out at 22.0 mph, and half of them run faster than 22.8 mph. That makes the Icelandic Sheepdog the 102nd fastest of the 226 breeds that have run Fast CAT.
Only 1 Icelandic Sheepdog has ever broken 30 mph, and 50 have topped 25 mph.
Among the most popular Herding breeds, the typical Icelandic Sheepdog is faster than 3 of 8. The Belgian Malinois is the quickest of the bunch at 26.9 mph, and the Miniature American Shepherd (22.4 mph) runs closest to the Icelandic Sheepdog. Over Fast CAT's 100 yards, the 4.8 mph gap to the Belgian Malinois is about 1.67 seconds.
Hundacres Influence The Tide holds the fastest consistent run by any Icelandic Sheepdog: 29.47 mph at the Doberman Pinscher Club of Columbus Ohio in Ohio on April 30, 2023. That's 100 yards in 6.94 seconds.
AKC's results also show Caradoc & Hundacres Urban Legend at 32.30 mph, but that dog's next-best run is 23.54 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 Icelandic Sheepdog is Eldi, with a best of 27.75 mph over 134 logged runs.
Not lately. The typical Icelandic Sheepdog ran 22.6 mph in 2018 (30 dogs) and 22.0 mph in 2025 (112 dogs). As more everyday pets join in, the average moves around.
Ohio has the most Icelandic Sheepdog runs, 1,691 of them, followed by Maryland, Virginia, California. The fastest Icelandic Sheepdog run in Ohio is 32.30 mph.
Any AKC-registered Icelandic Sheepdog 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.