By Heidi Clayton
One of the fastest-growing performance sports in the American Kennel Club is called Fast CAT. The “CAT” stands for “coursing ability test”. Of course, “fast” refers to the speed at which it is done. Fast CAT was developed for sight hounds to chase a lure that is attached to a mechanized pulley system and to compete for the fastest speeds. It has become an extremely popular sport that any size, shape, or type of dog can participate in.
Your dog doesn’t have to be a purebred, but you do have to register your mixed breed with the AKC. Fast CAT is easy and fun to get involved with and to start training at home. An actual Fast CAT event will use a piece of white plastic that will be affixed to an electric pulley system. The pulley system quickly releases the white plastic, and the dog’s goal is to chase it 100 yards to the finish line.
When trying to train for Fast CAT at home, you can use a piece of a white plastic trash bag tied to the end of a long rope or string and encourage your dog to chase it. Terriers and hounds are naturals at wanting to catch the plastic. For dogs less inclined to chase things, you can try to put treats inside the bag to make the game more enticing. A company seen on the television show named “Swift Paws” sells an actual Fast CAT-like pulley system designed just for dogs. It is rather pricey, so I suggest going to a Fast CAT event first to see if your dog is into it.
While it may be instinctive for some dogs to enjoy running fast after a lure, there is still some level of obedience needed for your dog to do well. Fast CAT events are usually fenced in, but your dog will be off-leash to run.
When you arrive at the starting line, someone will inspect your dog to make sure that they are not injured at all and physically able to run the 100-yard dash. If you have a girl dog, they also are unable to run if they are in heat.
You will also need two handlers to compete: One to release the dog at the start and another to catch the dog at the end. People at Fast CAT are very good about helping each other out if you need someone once there.
Many of the dogs that I see participating in Fast CAT get pretty excited about their run. At times, there may be a lot of noise that can overstimulate some dogs or even scare shy dogs. I always recommend taking your dog to an event before you enter one to see where they are mentally, so to speak. If they can handle the controlled chaos, most events allow you to enter the day of.
Fast CAT trials are timed for winners by converting the times to miles per hour. Small dogs are given a handicap, so they can compete against larger dogs with longer legs. Titles are earned by how many points you accumulate. The AKC does keep records of them for you and will let you know when you’ve achieved a title.
If you are looking for a fun sport to keep your dog in shape, check out Fast CAT. You can learn all about it and how to enter your dog at AKC.org.
If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at heidi@fouronthefloordogtraining.net.
Heidi Clayton started Four On the Floor Dog Training to provide positive, reward-based dog training in South Jersey. She breeds, trains and shows bull terriers under the SoraBully’s Bull Terriers kennel name. Email questions to heidi@fouronthefloordogtraining.net or learn more at https://fouronthefloordogtraining.net
