How Fast Can a Cane Corso Run? Top 5 Fastest Corsos in the World

I always knew that Cane Corsos are highly athletic and agile dogs, but what surprised me is how impressively fast my female Corso can run. On the other hand, my male Corso doesn’t even come close to her speed. So it made me wonder what’s the actual speed of a Cane Corso.

How Fast Can a Cane Corso Run? A Cane Corso can run at a top speed of around 29 miles per hour (or 45 kph). Corsos are agile and have astonishingly strong hind legs that can produce a powerful burst of speed. 

This is their top speed(the absolute peak they can reach) their average speed will always be a little lower than that. It also depends on each individual Corso and on the level of training they received, their body type, height, age, and health.

Measuring Cane Corso’s Top Speed

Since 2016 the American Kennel Club are organizing the Fast CAT®(Coursing Ability Test) tournament. It s a timed 100-yard dash where dogs run one at a time, chasing a lure.

The popularity of this event is spreading like wildfire, and it’s no wonder. Fast CAT is open to all dogs at least 12 months of age, including mixed-breed dogs. And overall it’s a really fun experience. If that sounds interesting you should learn more about AKC Fast Cat.

But what interests us right now is how well do Cane Corsos perform in this agility course. Luckily Fast CAT has a database of every’s breed’s top runners, but for convenience’s sake, I extracted the top five fastest Cane Corsos

Rank	Dog Name	Sex	MPH
1	Jean Lafitte	Male	29.79
2	Princess	Female	29.02
3	Wild Thing	Female	28.87
4	Espresso	Female	28.67
5	Jacopo	Male	27.66

This list reflects the average of each dog’s three fastest runs for the year selected. Dogs will not appear on this list unless they have completed 3 Fast CAT runs in the year.

American Kennel Club

As a matter of fact, the number 4 on this list, Espresso, set an even higher record in 2017, but it’s not on this list, as this list is the calculated average out of 3 runs. Back in 2017, she clocked in an amazing record of 29.86 MPH.

However, not everyone who owns a Cane Corso enters in these AKC events, so the question is: Are there faster Cane Corsos out there? Maybe, no other way to find out than to speed-clock, or even enter the AKC competition if you are confident in your Corsos speed.

Cane Corso Average Speed

The results above were the top speeds, meaning the judges clocked the millisecond when the Corso’s speed was at its peak. It’s not the same as the average speed, average speed is the total distance traveled divided by the total time elapsed.

For example, Usain Bolt’s top speed was measured at 28 mph when he ran the 100-meter dash in 9.58 seconds. But if you calculate the average speed it was around 23 mph. Okay, enough about Usain Bolt, let’s see what’s the average speed of a Cane Corso.

A guy on Youtube by the name of Mark Avellino has made a fantastic video where he measured how fast his 3 Cane Corsos can run 250 feet.

You can watch that video here…

If you don’t have the time to watch the video, you can read this quick summary made by Mark.

I Finally cooled off enough down here in central Florida to where I could break out the lure coursing kit again. I measured off 250 feet (longest straight away in the yard) and broke out a timer.

Here are the results for three of my dogs:

Dog #1 - 4 yr old female: 250 feet in 7.4 secs
Dog #2 - 1.5 yr old male: 250 feet in 7.5 secs
Dog #3 - 2.5 yr old female: 250 feet in 7.0 secs

Doing some simple math it can be extrapolated for a 100-meter dash. Here are those equivalent times:

Dog #1 - 9.71 secs
Dog #2 - 9.84 secs
Dog #3 - 9.19 secs

If we devide the distance traveled by the time elapsed we will get the average running speed:

Dog #1 - 23.05 mph
Dog #2 - 22.70 mph
Dog #3 - 24.34 mph

The fastest man in the world runs 100 meters in 9.58 secs. Considering the first 20 meters are much slower than the last, I would suspect that those extrapolations are extremely conservative. However you look at it, unless you're the fastest man in the world, you don't stand a chance of outrunning one of these dogs. Better find a tree and start climbing - quickly!

How Cane Corso’s Speed Compares to Other Breeds

An average healthy house dog with no training can run 15-25 mph. At 30 mph a Cane Corso is slightly above average in terms of speed, but nowhere near the fastest dog in the world the Greyhound whose top speed is 45-50 mph. Let’s take a look at how a Cane Corso compares to other popular breeds.

• French Bulldog – 10 mph
• Chow Chow – 15 mph
• Saint Bernard – 18 mph
• Rottweiler – 25 mph
• American Pitbull Terrier – 28 mph
• German Shephard: 30 mph
• Cane Corso – 30 mph
• Belgian Malinois – 32 mph
• Doberman Pinscher – 35 mph
• Vizsla – 40 mph
• Greyhound – 45 mph

Cane Corso Speed & Agility Training

When talking about helping your Cane Corso be faster, all of the things you can do will also benefit his overall health. Physical activity will improve your dog’s heart and lung health, and it will also strengthen his muscles. The Cane Corso is a working dog, he will never be happier than when he is working, training, running, or helping you.

Here are ways you can improve your Corsos speed and improve their health on the way.

• Run together – The most obvious one is to run. But I mean run, not walking, or “speed walking.” Running activates and uses different muscles than walking does and it will improve your dog’s speed. The benefits of running also include a stronger heart and lungs for both you and your dog!
• Play fetch – Cane Corsos love to play fetch, and they always give their maximum effort, so basically, playing fetch means that they will run at their top speeds back and forth, which is good training for speed and agility. Find an area with plenty of room, so you don’t have to hold back with your throwing and your Corso doesn’t have to hold back with his running.
• Run with other dogs – Let’s face it, you are not a challenge for your dog in regards to speed, you will need other dogs to really test them. My Donna runs the fastest when she is playing with other dogs in the dog park. Frequent trips to your local dog park will also help your dog with socializing.
• Healthy diet – Feeding your Corso quality food full of nutrients will keep your Corso lean and healthy, which will help in developing his athletic abilities.

Related Questions

How High Can a Cane Corso Jump? – A healthy adult Cane Corso can jump up to 6 feet. They are highly athletic, and their hind legs are extremely powerful.

Are Cane Corsos Faster Than Humans? – The fastest man in the world runs 100 meters in 9.58 secs. Corsos average out at 9.20 secs. at the 100-meter dash. If your name is not Usain Bolt, you have a very small chance at outrunning a Cane Corso.