A typical Irish Setter tops out around 22.0 mph in Fast CAT. The fastest one on record ran 27.53 mph. 0.7 mph slower than the typical dog (22.7 mph). Even a typical Irish Setter would beat most people in a 100-yard sprint.
Based on the best Fast CAT run of 262 Irish Setters, a typical Irish Setter tops out at 22.0 mph, and half of them run faster than 22.6 mph. That makes the Irish Setter the 105th fastest of the 226 breeds that have run Fast CAT.
Only 1 Irish Setter has ever broken 30 mph, and 60 have topped 25 mph.
Among the most popular Sporting breeds, the typical Irish Setter 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 Irish Setter. Over Fast CAT's 100 yards, the 2.9 mph gap to the Vizsla is about 1.09 seconds.
Pandemonium holds the fastest consistent run by any Irish Setter: 27.53 mph at the Blue Ridge Dog Training Club in Virginia on June 10, 2023. That's 100 yards in 7.43 seconds.
AKC's results also show Northwind's Chip Happens at 31.81 mph, but that dog's next-best run is 23.38 mph. A jump that big is usually a timing or typing error, so we flag it rather than crown it.
Not lately. The typical Irish Setter ran 22.4 mph in 2019 (44 dogs) and 21.3 mph in 2025 (70 dogs). As more everyday pets join in, the average moves around.
Wisconsin has the most Irish Setter runs, 766 of them, followed by Ohio, Missouri, Texas. The fastest Irish Setter run in Wisconsin is 28.92 mph.
Any AKC-registered Irish Setter 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.