# Fast CAT?



## ArkansasGold (Dec 7, 2017)

Hey Lisa! FastCAT is really fun and I think your old girl and your boy would love it. Answers below: 

1. Most FastCATs offer both pre-entry and day of entry. Day of entries are sometimes not available if the trial fills with pre-entries. 
2. I don't know of any matches. FastCAT in general is pretty laid back and dogs either will or won't chase the lure. No one is going to judge a dog that doesn't chase it and there is literally no training required whatsoever. 
3. FastCAT is always a straight 100-yard dash. It's not like regular coursing ability tests where there are sharp turns and the dogs usually run about 600-yards. 
4. Nothing can be 100% safe, but I've never seen a dog trip on the lure line before. Before you are allowed to run, you have to trot your dog in front of the stewards for soundness. Any dog that shows signs of lameness of any type won't be allowed to run. Dogs do not have to be in the best condition ever to run FastCAT. 100 yards to a Golden is NOTHING. lol 
5. Not really. FastCAT is easy and straight forward. The dogs just run in a straight line for 100 yards and that's it. There is a releaser (person holding the dog at the start line) and a catcher (person who catches the dog past the finish line) and there is usually at least an additional 30 yards for stopping. 
6. FastCAT is probably the most expensive sport in dogs if you go by dollars/second competing and your dog is really fast. LOL 

Scoring is done by converting the dog's time into MPH and you need a cumulative 150 speed points to get the BCAT title. Basically, super fast dogs can get the title in 4 or 5 runs. Most dogs it probably takes 6 to 7. Eevee has two runs right now, but I probably won't go out of my way to finish the title. It may just be a thing we do when they have it at conformation events. She flippin loves it though. I think I will probably spend my money on the CA title instead. She's generally not a bad leash puller, but she will throw her entire 65 lb into the lead to get to those lures. Almost knocked me over at a regular CAT a few weeks ago!


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## DevWind (Nov 7, 2016)

Looks like Meagan has answered all your questions! My girl LOVES it. I've never seen a dog get hurt, but I'm sure it happens. Just like any other sport. Mine was the number 12 golden last year. It's a great sport to do as a family. We take our 10 year old granddaughter out there to do it. She released last time. We all have jobs. I get her to the line, granddaughter releases, husband catches.


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## Lovin'Goldens (Feb 17, 2021)

I just started cracking up when I saw this title, then I realized it is not what I was thinking. LOL.


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## aesthetic (Apr 23, 2015)

I just tried fastCAT with Eden over the weekend! It's a lot of fun, and everyone is super nice. She was a little nervous for her first run and took a good 30 seconds to actually start chasing the lure - everyone was cheering for her and gave her all the love when she (finally) got to the finish line. She was much faster the second run LOL. I also had an issue with my releaser and a lot of people stepped up to replace her which was really nice.


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## Tagrenine (Aug 20, 2019)

It’s so much fun and so easy. CAT is also a lot of fun and more of a challenge plus cheaper!! I dislike that you have to convert your own FCAT seconds, but it is what it is.

edit: here are videos from FCAT and Felix’s first CAT, which was also his first exposure to the lure


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## Coastal Pup (Jan 30, 2021)

How does the lure move? Is there someone that controls the speed? It looked like it was moving at varying speeds when Felix was running. Is the course the same speed/pattern for every dog that runs?


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## Tagrenine (Aug 20, 2019)

Coastal Pup said:


> How does the lure move? Is there someone that controls the speed? It looked like it was moving at varying speeds when Felix was running. Is the course the same speed/pattern for every dog that runs?


It depends on the lure master really. In CAT it changed depending on the lure master and the dog. I have another video where he ran into the pulley and got confused so they pulled it back to get his attention again and others where he starts to slow down so they slow it down to keep his interest on it. For FCAT, I think they can slow it down? But in FCAT, if the dog stopped running they really couldn’t get it back. Sometimes they could in CAT.
FCAT requires 150 points for the first level and points are per mph. CAT requires the dog to finish the course and the first title is earned after three qualifying runs. 
For big dogs that course is 600m and they can go in either direction. For little dogs it is 300m. It is always an “oval” roughly.


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## ArkansasGold (Dec 7, 2017)

@Tagrenine they made you calculate your own mph? They did it for me, wrote it on the label on the back of the ribbons.
The lure and pulley system is essentially the same for both CAT and FCAT. The lure master can choose speeds based on the dog and even make it do little short jumps to get their attention. It wouldn’t be very fair for the lure to be the same speed for a bull dog as a whippet for FCAT.

When Eevee ran her first regular CAT, the lure operator got a little ahead of her and it went behind a tree and she lost it. She immediately started sprinting full blast back to me, so I walked out and showed her where it was and she finished the course with no other problems.


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## DevWind (Nov 7, 2016)

ArkansasGold said:


> @Tagrenine they made you calculate your own mph? They did it for me, wrote it on the label on the back of the ribbons.
> The lure and pulley system is essentially the same for both CAT and FCAT. The lure master can choose speeds based on the dog and even make it do little short jumps to get their attention. It wouldn’t be very fair for the lure to be the same speed for a bull dog as a whippet for FCAT.
> 
> When Eevee ran her first regular CAT, the lure operator got a little ahead of her and it went behind a tree and she lost it. She immediately started sprinting full blast back to me, so I walked out and showed her where it was and she finished the course with no other problems.


Maybe we are lucky here! I always get her MPH. I worry about injuries, so we don't do CAT.


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## ArkansasGold (Dec 7, 2017)

Abeille said:


> Maybe we are lucky here! I always get her MPH. I worry about injuries, so we don't do CAT.


I don't worry about injuries now that Eevee has all of her clearances. Also, she's a beast of a bitch so I know she can handle it. LOL You'll get to meet her in about a week and a half hopefully!


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## DevWind (Nov 7, 2016)

ArkansasGold said:


> I don't worry about injuries now that Eevee has all of her clearances. Also, she's a beast of a bitch so I know she can handle it. LOL You'll get to meet her in about a week and a half hopefully!


Winx is also my granddaughter's 4-H dog so I'm extra careful and only run her in a straight line. 

Are you bringing her to Cincy? I won't be at the ring because I help with the eye clinic. We are having a pot luck one of those days. Don't remember which! I would love to meet her though! (and you too!)


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## ArkansasGold (Dec 7, 2017)

Abeille said:


> Winx is also my granddaughter's 4-H dog so I'm extra careful and only run her in a straight line.
> 
> Are you bringing her to Cincy? I won't be at the ring because I help with the eye clinic. We are having a pot luck one of those days. Don't remember which! I would love to meet her though! (and you too!)


I understand that! Winx has a more important job now.  

Yes, I will be there both days! The specialties pulled 5 point majors in bitches and 4 points for the all-breed shows. I will try to find you if I have some down time. Or I'll be with the Sunnyside crew if you end up with some down time.


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## Coastal Pup (Jan 30, 2021)

Tagrenine said:


> It depends on the lure master really. In CAT it changed depending on the lure master and the dog. I have another video where he ran into the pulley and got confused so they pulled it back to get his attention again and others where he starts to slow down so they slow it down to keep his interest on it. For FCAT, I think they can slow it down? But in FCAT, if the dog stopped running they really couldn’t get it back. Sometimes they could in CAT.
> FCAT requires 150 points for the first level and points are per mph. CAT requires the dog to finish the course and the first title is earned after three qualifying runs.
> For big dogs that course is 600m and they can go in either direction. For little dogs it is 300m. It is always an “oval” roughly.


Thanks for clarifying! I want to try it one day with Beckett when he’s old enough


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## Tagrenine (Aug 20, 2019)

ArkansasGold said:


> @Tagrenine they made you calculate your own mph? They did it for me, wrote it on the label on the back of the ribbons.
> The lure and pulley system is essentially the same for both CAT and FCAT. The lure master can choose speeds based on the dog and even make it do little short jumps to get their attention. It wouldn’t be very fair for the lure to be the same speed for a bull dog as a whippet for FCAT.
> 
> When Eevee ran her first regular CAT, the lure operator got a little ahead of her and it went behind a tree and she lost it. She immediately started sprinting full blast back to me, so I walked out and showed her where it was and she finished the course with no other problems.


Yes! All they did was write the seconds it took to finish. And you can’t just calculate MPH, you have to use the way they do in the rulebook.


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## ArkansasGold (Dec 7, 2017)

Tagrenine said:


> Yes! All they did was write the seconds it took to finish. And you can’t just calculate MPH, you have to use the way they do in the rulebook.


The formula they use just takes most of the math out of it - it's a conversion factor. 204.545 = [(300 ft)*(3600 s/hr)] / (5280 ft/mi)


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## Tagrenine (Aug 20, 2019)

ArkansasGold said:


> The formula they use just takes most of the math out of it - it's a conversion factor. 204.545 = [(300 ft)*(3600 s/hr)] / (5280 ft/mi)


What I did was Google a conversation calculator 🤣 but it wasn’t the same value as theirs, so when I found out they had their own, I had to go back.


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