A typical Irish Terrier tops out around 23.4 mph in Fast CAT. The fastest one on record ran 31.61 mph. 0.8 mph faster than the typical dog (22.7 mph). The fastest Irish Terriers outrun Usain Bolt's top speed by 3.8 mph.
Based on the best Fast CAT run of 99 Irish Terriers, a typical Irish Terrier tops out at 23.4 mph, and half of them run faster than 24.2 mph. That makes the Irish Terrier the 59th fastest of the 226 breeds that have run Fast CAT.
Only 1 Irish Terrier has ever broken 30 mph, and 36 have topped 25 mph.
Among the most popular Terrier breeds, the typical Irish Terrier is faster than 6 of 8. The American Staffordshire Terrier is the quickest of the bunch at 24.0 mph, and the Rat Terrier (23.4 mph) runs closest to the Irish Terrier. Over Fast CAT's 100 yards, the 0.6 mph gap to the American Staffordshire Terrier is about 0.21 seconds.
Red Branch Voyager Of Kinsale holds the fastest consistent run by any Irish Terrier: 31.61 mph at the Rocky Mountain Borzoi Club in Colorado on March 17, 2019. That's 100 yards in 6.47 seconds.
On Dash-Hound, the fastest Irish Terrier is Deuce, with a best of 27.46 mph over 72 logged runs.
Irish Terriers come in more than one Fast CAT height group. 58 measured over 18 inches and averaged 23.1 mph; 41 measured 12 to 18 inches and averaged 23.9 mph. Smaller dogs earn extra points per mph toward their titles, so the shorter ones rack up titles faster.
Not lately. The typical Irish Terrier ran 24.1 mph in 2022 (29 dogs) and 23.3 mph in 2024 (27 dogs). As more everyday pets join in, the average moves around.
California has the most Irish Terrier runs, 224 of them, followed by Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio. The fastest Irish Terrier run in California is 28.62 mph.
Any AKC-registered Irish 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.