A typical Norfolk Terrier tops out around 16.5 mph in Fast CAT. The fastest one on record ran 26.98 mph. 6.2 mph slower than the typical dog (22.7 mph). Even a typical Norfolk Terrier would beat most people in a 100-yard sprint.
Based on the best Fast CAT run of 103 Norfolk Terriers, a typical Norfolk Terrier tops out at 16.5 mph, and half of them run faster than 16.6 mph. That makes the Norfolk Terrier the 201st fastest of the 226 breeds that have run Fast CAT.
3 Norfolk Terriers have topped 25 mph, but none has reached 30 yet.
Among the most popular Terrier breeds, the typical Norfolk Terrier is faster than 1 of 8. The American Staffordshire Terrier is the quickest of the bunch at 24.0 mph, and the West Highland White Terrier (16.1 mph) runs closest to the Norfolk Terrier. Over Fast CAT's 100 yards, the 7.6 mph gap to the American Staffordshire Terrier is about 3.91 seconds.
Margail Tylwyth Tally Ho holds the fastest consistent run by any Norfolk Terrier: 26.98 mph at the Rhode Island Kennel Club in Rhode Island on May 6, 2023. That's 100 yards in 7.58 seconds.
Not really, but more are running. In 2023, 33 Norfolk Terriers ran Fast CAT, typically at 16.5 mph. In 2025 it was 44 dogs at 16.4 mph.
Wisconsin has the most Norfolk Terrier runs, 473 of them, followed by Virginia, Maryland, Texas. The fastest Norfolk Terrier run in Wisconsin is 21.99 mph.
Short legs don't stop anyone from having a blast. Any AKC-registered Norfolk Terrier 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.