A typical Parson Russell Terrier tops out around 21.9 mph in Fast CAT. The fastest one on record ran 28.73 mph. 0.8 mph slower than the typical dog (22.7 mph). The fastest Parson Russell Terriers outrun Usain Bolt's top speed by 0.9 mph.
Based on the best Fast CAT run of 342 Parson Russell Terriers, a typical Parson Russell Terrier tops out at 21.9 mph, and half of them run faster than 22.5 mph. That makes the Parson Russell Terrier the 106th fastest of the 226 breeds that have run Fast CAT.
Only 2 Parson Russell Terriers have ever broken 30 mph, and 41 have topped 25 mph.
Among the most popular Terrier breeds, the typical Parson Russell Terrier is faster than 5 of 8. The American Staffordshire Terrier is the quickest of the bunch at 24.0 mph, and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier (22.5 mph) runs closest to the Parson Russell Terrier. Over Fast CAT's 100 yards, the 2.1 mph gap to the American Staffordshire Terrier is about 0.82 seconds.
Dana's Oxford Comma Ampersand holds the fastest consistent run by any Parson Russell Terrier: 28.73 mph at the Tibetan Terrier Club of America in Pennsylvania on April 27, 2024. That's 100 yards in 7.12 seconds.
AKC's results also show Red Rock Just Bite Me at 32.18 mph, but that dog's next-best run is 22.78 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 Parson Russell Terrier is Cinch, with a best of 26.12 mph over 26 logged runs.
Parson Russell Terriers come in more than one Fast CAT height group. 44 measured under 12 inches and averaged 20.9 mph; 297 measured 12 to 18 inches and averaged 22.1 mph. Smaller dogs earn extra points per mph toward their titles, so the shorter ones rack up titles faster.
Not really, but more are running. In 2018, 49 Parson Russell Terriers ran Fast CAT, typically at 22.3 mph. In 2025 it was 100 dogs at 21.8 mph.
California has the most Parson Russell Terrier runs, 874 of them, followed by Ohio, Virginia, Georgia. The fastest Parson Russell Terrier run in California is 32.18 mph.
Any AKC-registered Parson Russell 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.