A typical Poodle tops out around 22.7 mph in Fast CAT. The fastest one on record ran 31.47 mph. Right in line with the typical dog (22.7 mph). The fastest Poodles outrun Usain Bolt's top speed by 3.7 mph.
Based on the best Fast CAT run of 2,424 Poodles, a typical Poodle tops out at 22.7 mph, and half of them run faster than 23.4 mph. That makes the Poodle the 81st fastest of the 226 breeds that have run Fast CAT.
Only 9 Poodles have ever broken 30 mph, and 639 have topped 25 mph.
Among the most popular Non-Sporting breeds, the typical Poodle is faster than 6 of 8. The Dalmatian is the quickest of the bunch at 25.1 mph, and the Standard Poodle (22.9 mph) runs closest to the Poodle. Over Fast CAT's 100 yards, the 2.4 mph gap to the Dalmatian is about 0.86 seconds.
Abbott's Miniature Parti Dream Girl Pixie Dust holds the fastest consistent run by any Poodle: 31.47 mph at the Treasure Coast Kennel Club of Florida in Florida on October 9, 2025. That's 100 yards in 6.50 seconds.
AKC's results also show Hillwood Blake at 36.72 mph, but that dog's next-best run is 28.61 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 Poodle is Frosty, with a best of 29.05 mph over 137 logged runs.
Poodles come in more than one Fast CAT height group. 1,888 measured over 18 inches and averaged 23.2 mph; 399 measured 12 to 18 inches and averaged 21.5 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 2017, 58 Poodles ran Fast CAT, typically at 22.9 mph. In 2025 it was 869 dogs at 22.6 mph.
Ohio has the most Poodle runs, 3,324 of them, followed by Florida, Texas, Virginia. The fastest Poodle run in Ohio is 32.73 mph.
Any AKC-registered Poodle 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.