Discover Fast CAT

Fast CAT — short for Fast Coursing Ability Test — is a timed 100-yard dash where a dog runs alone down a fenced lane, chasing a white plastic lure pulled ahead by a motorized line. Electronic timers capture the run; the time is converted to miles per hour using a fixed formula, then multiplied by a height-based handicap to produce points toward titles. Dogs run one at a time, off-leash for the sprint, with a handler at the start and a catcher at the finish. The whole thing is over in seven to nine seconds for most dogs.

The sport is engineered for accessibility. Any breed or mix with an AKC number — AKC registration, Canine Partners, PAL, or FSS — can compete from 12 months of age. There are no qualifying tests, no on-field judging of style, no required obedience prerequisites. The dog needs to chase the lure, run a straight line, and let a catcher secure them at the finish. Sighthounds, herding breeds, and terriers dominate the speed leaderboards, but border collies, mixed-breed rescues, and retired conformation dogs all run regularly. Reactive dogs benefit from the one-dog-at-a-time format, though the staging area is loud — generators, lure machines, and dogs on the fence watching every run.

Fast CAT has six moving parts. Knowing what each one does makes the whole sport readable from the sidelines on your first day.

Unlike most dog sports, Fast CAT has no parallel governing organizations in the United States. AKC writes the rules, licenses every titling event, maintains the records, and publishes the breed rankings. Independent clubs and non-AKC lure operations may run straight-line "fun runs" using similar equipment, but those events do not produce Fast CAT titles. There is one ladder, one rulebook, and one database. AKC launched Fast CAT in April 2016 under its Coursing and Herding department, building on the earlier Coursing Ability Test (CAT) framework. Eligibility runs through AKC's registration system: dogs need an AKC number via full AKC registration (recognized purebreds), Foundation Stock Service (FSS, for emerging breeds), Purebred Alternative Listing (PAL, for purebreds without papers), or Canine Partners (mixed breeds and ineligible purebreds). The one rule newcomers get wrong: the gate is registration, not reproductive status. Intact purebreds with full AKC or FSS registration can compete. Dogs entered through PAL or Canine Partners must be spayed or neutered as a condition of those programs. Bitches in season may not compete and are checked at inspection.

Fast CAT titles are cumulative-point suffixes earned across the dog's lifetime. There is no minimum points-per-run threshold and no qualifying score in the conventional sense — every run that the dog completes safely produces points, which accumulate toward the next title. AKC limits each dog to two qualifying Fast CAT runs per day. Clubs commonly hold two tests on a given day (Test 1 in the morning, Test 2 in the afternoon), and a dog can enter both. Most clubs require a minimum 45-minute rest between same-dog runs.

Because Fast CAT has no parallel sanctioning body, the side-by-side comparison most handlers actually need is between Fast CAT and AKC's other coursing programs — Coursing Ability Test (CAT) and traditional Lure Coursing. They use similar equipment, share volunteers, and sometimes run on the same weekend, but they test different things.

Fast CAT has the lowest barrier to entry of almost any AKC sport. Many handlers' first official run is also their dog's first time on a Fast CAT field. The work happens before the trial — building chase drive, getting an AKC number, and confirming the dog is fit to sprint.

Fast CAT trials are outdoor, casual, and built around long stretches of waiting punctuated by seven-second sprints. The atmosphere is more relaxed than a conformation show but louder than a Nose Work trial. New handlers often report that their dog handles the day better than they do.

Fast CAT is one of the cheaper AKC sports to enter — the per-run price is low, no specialized training is required, and equipment is minimal. The cost stops being trivial when you start chasing DCAT, FCAT, or Top 20 rankings.