A typical Leonberger tops out around 20.3 mph in Fast CAT. The fastest one on record ran 26.88 mph. 2.4 mph slower than the typical dog (22.7 mph). Even a typical Leonberger would beat most people in a 100-yard sprint.
Based on the best Fast CAT run of 201 Leonbergers, a typical Leonberger tops out at 20.3 mph, and half of them run faster than 21.1 mph. That makes the Leonberger the 150th fastest of the 226 breeds that have run Fast CAT.
20 Leonbergers have topped 25 mph, but none has reached 30 yet.
Among the most popular Working breeds, the typical Leonberger is the slowest of the 9. The Boxer is the quickest of the bunch at 25.2 mph, and the Samoyed (21.4 mph) runs closest to the Leonberger. Over Fast CAT's 100 yards, the 4.9 mph gap to the Boxer is about 1.97 seconds.
Harbor View's Christmas Eve holds the fastest consistent run by any Leonberger: 26.88 mph at the Greater Columbia Obedience Club in South Carolina on November 19, 2023. That's 100 yards in 7.61 seconds.
AKC's results also show Siempre Sarita A Little Bit Stronger at 29.86 mph, but that dog's next-best run is 24.29 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 Leonberger is Whiskey, with a best of 25.04 mph over 32 logged runs.
A little. The typical Leonberger ran 19.5 mph in 2022 (54 dogs) and 20.5 mph in 2025 (67 dogs). As more everyday pets join in, the average moves around.
California has the most Leonberger runs, 543 of them, followed by New Jersey, Texas, New York. The fastest Leonberger run in California is 26.53 mph.
Any AKC-registered Leonberger 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.