A typical Russell Terrier tops out around 19.2 mph in Fast CAT. The fastest one on record ran 27.57 mph. 3.5 mph slower than the typical dog (22.7 mph). Even a typical Russell Terrier would beat most people in a 100-yard sprint.
Based on the best Fast CAT run of 361 Russell Terriers, a typical Russell Terrier tops out at 19.2 mph, and half of them run faster than 19.4 mph. That makes the Russell Terrier the 165th fastest of the 226 breeds that have run Fast CAT.
Only 2 Russell Terriers have ever broken 30 mph, and 20 have topped 25 mph.
Among the most popular Terrier breeds, the typical Russell Terrier is faster than 3 of 8. The American Staffordshire Terrier is the quickest of the bunch at 24.0 mph, and the Miniature Schnauzer (18.8 mph) runs closest to the Russell Terrier. Over Fast CAT's 100 yards, the 4.8 mph gap to the American Staffordshire Terrier is about 2.14 seconds.
Reinn holds the fastest consistent run by any Russell Terrier: 27.57 mph at the White River Golden Retriever Club in Ohio on June 26, 2020. That's 100 yards in 7.42 seconds.
AKC's results also show Cedar Creeks Dixie Chick at 33.72 mph, but that dog's next-best run is 25.96 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 Russell Terrier is Dicey, with a best of 27.38 mph over 4 logged runs.
Russell Terriers come in more than one Fast CAT height group. 321 measured under 12 inches and averaged 19.1 mph; 38 measured 12 to 18 inches and averaged 19.7 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, 39 Russell Terriers ran Fast CAT, typically at 18.6 mph. In 2025 it was 117 dogs at 18.7 mph.
Ohio has the most Russell Terrier runs, 1,010 of them, followed by New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia. The fastest Russell Terrier run in Ohio is 27.57 mph.
Any AKC-registered 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.