diff --git a/client/pull.go b/client/pull.go
index 91c7283a..75cc9af1 100644
--- a/client/pull.go
+++ b/client/pull.go
@@ -4,9 +4,16 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
 
+	"github.com/docker/docker-registry"
+
 	log "github.com/Sirupsen/logrus"
 )
 
+// simultaneousLayerPullWindow is the size of the parallel layer pull window.
+// A layer may not be pulled until the layer preceeding it by the length of the
+// pull window has been successfully pulled.
+const simultaneousLayerPullWindow = 4
+
 // Pull implements a client pull workflow for the image defined by the given
 // name and tag pair, using the given ObjectStore for local manifest and layer
 // storage
@@ -24,59 +31,28 @@ func Pull(c Client, objectStore ObjectStore, name, tag string) error {
 		return fmt.Errorf("Image has no layers")
 	}
 
-	for _, fsLayer := range manifest.FSLayers {
-		layer, err := objectStore.Layer(fsLayer.BlobSum)
-		if err != nil {
-			log.WithFields(log.Fields{
-				"error": err,
-				"layer": fsLayer,
-			}).Warn("Unable to write local layer")
-			return err
+	errChans := make([]chan error, len(manifest.FSLayers))
+	for i := range manifest.FSLayers {
+		errChans[i] = make(chan error)
+	}
+
+	// Iterate over each layer in the manifest, simultaneously pulling no more
+	// than simultaneousLayerPullWindow layers at a time. If an error is
+	// received from a layer pull, we abort the push.
+	for i := 0; i < len(manifest.FSLayers)+simultaneousLayerPullWindow; i++ {
+		dependentLayer := i - simultaneousLayerPullWindow
+		if dependentLayer >= 0 {
+			err := <-errChans[dependentLayer]
+			if err != nil {
+				log.WithField("error", err).Warn("Pull aborted")
+				return err
+			}
 		}
 
-		writer, err := layer.Writer()
-		if err == ErrLayerAlreadyExists {
-			log.WithField("layer", fsLayer).Info("Layer already exists")
-			continue
-		}
-		if err == ErrLayerLocked {
-			log.WithField("layer", fsLayer).Info("Layer download in progress, waiting")
-			layer.Wait()
-			continue
-		}
-		if err != nil {
-			log.WithFields(log.Fields{
-				"error": err,
-				"layer": fsLayer,
-			}).Warn("Unable to write local layer")
-			return err
-		}
-		defer writer.Close()
-
-		layerReader, length, err := c.GetImageLayer(name, fsLayer.BlobSum, 0)
-		if err != nil {
-			log.WithFields(log.Fields{
-				"error": err,
-				"layer": fsLayer,
-			}).Warn("Unable to download layer")
-			return err
-		}
-		defer layerReader.Close()
-
-		copied, err := io.Copy(writer, layerReader)
-		if err != nil {
-			log.WithFields(log.Fields{
-				"error": err,
-				"layer": fsLayer,
-			}).Warn("Unable to download layer")
-			return err
-		}
-		if copied != int64(length) {
-			log.WithFields(log.Fields{
-				"expected": length,
-				"written":  copied,
-				"layer":    fsLayer,
-			}).Warn("Wrote incorrect number of bytes for layer")
+		if i < len(manifest.FSLayers) {
+			go func(i int) {
+				errChans[i] <- pullLayer(c, objectStore, name, manifest.FSLayers[i])
+			}(i)
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -91,3 +67,66 @@ func Pull(c Client, objectStore ObjectStore, name, tag string) error {
 
 	return nil
 }
+
+func pullLayer(c Client, objectStore ObjectStore, name string, fsLayer registry.FSLayer) error {
+	log.WithField("layer", fsLayer).Info("Pulling layer")
+
+	layer, err := objectStore.Layer(fsLayer.BlobSum)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.WithFields(log.Fields{
+			"error": err,
+			"layer": fsLayer,
+		}).Warn("Unable to write local layer")
+		return err
+	}
+
+	writer, err := layer.Writer()
+	if err == ErrLayerAlreadyExists {
+		log.WithField("layer", fsLayer).Info("Layer already exists")
+		return nil
+	}
+	if err == ErrLayerLocked {
+		log.WithField("layer", fsLayer).Info("Layer download in progress, waiting")
+		layer.Wait()
+		return nil
+	}
+	if err != nil {
+		log.WithFields(log.Fields{
+			"error": err,
+			"layer": fsLayer,
+		}).Warn("Unable to write local layer")
+		return err
+	}
+	defer writer.Close()
+
+	layerReader, length, err := c.GetImageLayer(name, fsLayer.BlobSum, 0)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.WithFields(log.Fields{
+			"error": err,
+			"layer": fsLayer,
+		}).Warn("Unable to download layer")
+		return err
+	}
+	defer layerReader.Close()
+
+	copied, err := io.Copy(writer, layerReader)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.WithFields(log.Fields{
+			"error": err,
+			"layer": fsLayer,
+		}).Warn("Unable to download layer")
+		return err
+	}
+	if copied != int64(length) {
+		log.WithFields(log.Fields{
+			"expected": length,
+			"written":  copied,
+			"layer":    fsLayer,
+		}).Warn("Wrote incorrect number of bytes for layer")
+		return fmt.Errorf(
+			"Wrote incorrect number of bytes for layer %v. Expected %d, Wrote %d",
+			fsLayer, length, copied,
+		)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/client/push.go b/client/push.go
index 4b9634e0..a1fb0e23 100644
--- a/client/push.go
+++ b/client/push.go
@@ -11,6 +11,13 @@ import (
 	log "github.com/Sirupsen/logrus"
 )
 
+// simultaneousLayerPushWindow is the size of the parallel layer push window.
+// A layer may not be pushed until the layer preceeding it by the length of the
+// push window has been successfully pushed.
+const simultaneousLayerPushWindow = 4
+
+type pushFunction func(fsLayer registry.FSLayer) error
+
 // Push implements a client push workflow for the image defined by the given
 // name and tag pair, using the given ObjectStore for local manifest and layer
 // storage
@@ -25,60 +32,28 @@ func Push(c Client, objectStore ObjectStore, name, tag string) error {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	for _, fsLayer := range manifest.FSLayers {
-		layer, err := objectStore.Layer(fsLayer.BlobSum)
-		if err != nil {
-			log.WithFields(log.Fields{
-				"error": err,
-				"layer": fsLayer,
-			}).Warn("Unable to read local layer")
-			return err
+	errChans := make([]chan error, len(manifest.FSLayers))
+	for i := range manifest.FSLayers {
+		errChans[i] = make(chan error)
+	}
+
+	// Iterate over each layer in the manifest, simultaneously pushing no more
+	// than simultaneousLayerPushWindow layers at a time. If an error is
+	// received from a layer push, we abort the push.
+	for i := 0; i < len(manifest.FSLayers)+simultaneousLayerPushWindow; i++ {
+		dependentLayer := i - simultaneousLayerPushWindow
+		if dependentLayer >= 0 {
+			err := <-errChans[dependentLayer]
+			if err != nil {
+				log.WithField("error", err).Warn("Push aborted")
+				return err
+			}
 		}
 
-		layerReader, err := layer.Reader()
-		if err != nil {
-			log.WithFields(log.Fields{
-				"error": err,
-				"layer": fsLayer,
-			}).Warn("Unable to read local layer")
-			return err
-		}
-
-		location, err := c.InitiateLayerUpload(name, fsLayer.BlobSum)
-		if _, ok := err.(*registry.LayerAlreadyExistsError); ok {
-			log.WithField("layer", fsLayer).Info("Layer already exists")
-			continue
-		}
-		if err != nil {
-			log.WithFields(log.Fields{
-				"error": err,
-				"layer": fsLayer,
-			}).Warn("Unable to upload layer")
-			return err
-		}
-
-		layerBuffer := new(bytes.Buffer)
-		checksum := sha1.New()
-		teeReader := io.TeeReader(layerReader, checksum)
-
-		_, err = io.Copy(layerBuffer, teeReader)
-		if err != nil {
-			log.WithFields(log.Fields{
-				"error": err,
-				"layer": fsLayer,
-			}).Warn("Unable to read local layer")
-			return err
-		}
-
-		err = c.UploadLayer(location, ioutil.NopCloser(layerBuffer), layerBuffer.Len(),
-			&registry.Checksum{HashAlgorithm: "sha1", Sum: string(checksum.Sum(nil))},
-		)
-		if err != nil {
-			log.WithFields(log.Fields{
-				"error": err,
-				"layer": fsLayer,
-			}).Warn("Unable to upload layer")
-			return err
+		if i < len(manifest.FSLayers) {
+			go func(i int) {
+				errChans[i] <- pushLayer(c, objectStore, name, manifest.FSLayers[i])
+			}(i)
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -93,3 +68,64 @@ func Push(c Client, objectStore ObjectStore, name, tag string) error {
 
 	return nil
 }
+
+func pushLayer(c Client, objectStore ObjectStore, name string, fsLayer registry.FSLayer) error {
+	log.WithField("layer", fsLayer).Info("Pushing layer")
+
+	layer, err := objectStore.Layer(fsLayer.BlobSum)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.WithFields(log.Fields{
+			"error": err,
+			"layer": fsLayer,
+		}).Warn("Unable to read local layer")
+		return err
+	}
+
+	layerReader, err := layer.Reader()
+	if err != nil {
+		log.WithFields(log.Fields{
+			"error": err,
+			"layer": fsLayer,
+		}).Warn("Unable to read local layer")
+		return err
+	}
+
+	location, err := c.InitiateLayerUpload(name, fsLayer.BlobSum)
+	if _, ok := err.(*registry.LayerAlreadyExistsError); ok {
+		log.WithField("layer", fsLayer).Info("Layer already exists")
+		return nil
+	}
+	if err != nil {
+		log.WithFields(log.Fields{
+			"error": err,
+			"layer": fsLayer,
+		}).Warn("Unable to upload layer")
+		return err
+	}
+
+	layerBuffer := new(bytes.Buffer)
+	checksum := sha1.New()
+	teeReader := io.TeeReader(layerReader, checksum)
+
+	_, err = io.Copy(layerBuffer, teeReader)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.WithFields(log.Fields{
+			"error": err,
+			"layer": fsLayer,
+		}).Warn("Unable to read local layer")
+		return err
+	}
+
+	err = c.UploadLayer(location, ioutil.NopCloser(layerBuffer), layerBuffer.Len(),
+		&registry.Checksum{HashAlgorithm: "sha1", Sum: string(checksum.Sum(nil))},
+	)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.WithFields(log.Fields{
+			"error": err,
+			"layer": fsLayer,
+		}).Warn("Unable to upload layer")
+		return err
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}