Train Your Dog to Run Faster in Fast CAT
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One of the best ways to bond with your dog is through activities together, and one of the most fun activities is Fast CAT! Fast CAT is a timed sprint where dogs run a 100-yard dash while chasing a lure.
If you’ve never heard of Fast CAT, check out this blog post that goes over everything you need to know about this super fun dog sport.
Most dogs “top out” in their speed at some point, but every dog has a range of speeds they are capable of, and it’s possible for dogs to get faster within that range.
Jasper Jones was so fast that his human asked me to stand outside the lane to get his photo!
My Golden Retriever began running around 9 seconds, but these days she usually runs between 8.2 and 8 seconds. Her personal best (so far!) is a quick 7.79 seconds! My American Foxhound’s first run was over 16 seconds, but today she runs almost as fast as her Golden sister!
So how exactly do you get your dog running faster?
Make sure your dog knows the game.
The number one way to improve your dog’s speed is to simply make sure they understand the game! As they understand the game better, they will naturally run faster. Fortunately, it doesn’t take long for your dog to figure out what’s going on.
For dogs who don’t quite understand the game yet, there are a few ways to help speed that process along.
Fun Runs
The best way to help your dog understand the game is PRACTICE. Repetition is the key to helping your dog understand what they should be doing. This goes for every skill, and Fast CAT is no exception!
Fortunately, most Fast CAT events will have fun runs available. Make sure to check the premium (a document that shares details about the event) before showing up because not every event does fun runs. However, the vast majority of them do, and you generally can sign up for as many fun runs as you want!
I recommend doing at least two fun runs per day when you’re introducing a dog to the sport.
Have a Stranger Release Your Dog
Even the most happy go lucky dog is going to be more comfortable with their owner than a stranger. In Fast CAT, you can use that to your advantage!
Having a stranger release your dog while you stand at the other end of the lane, in the catch pen, gives your dog a little added incentive to run quickly to you.
Be aware that this can make some dogs uncomfortable, especially if they are reactive. If you aren’t comfortable handing your dog off to a stranger, you can bring a friend who your dog knows to release them.
The important thing is that your dog likes YOU better than they like the releaser. So if your dog has two owners, make sure their favorite owner is the one catching!
Call Your Dog Before the Lure Begins Moving
For newbie dogs especially, you want to make sure your dog knows where you are. If your dog is uncomfortable and can’t find you, they are more likely to be confused.
Maverick the Labrador Retriever was on the MOVE.
Call your dog’s name loudly. Like, super loud. When you think you’re loud enough, double your volume. After all, your dog needs to clearly hear your voice from over a hundred yards away!
This makes a huge difference for dogs who haven’t figured out Fast CAT yet.
Power Through Your Dog’s Discomfort
Not all dogs are comfortable being separated from their owners, and may be confused by the game on their first few runs. Sometimes these dogs can experience stress at the beginning of the run.
Don’t give up. I have seen so many dogs confused on their first run or two who LOVE the game once they figure it out. The first few times of discomfort are often worth it in the long run to introduce your dog to something they enjoy so much.
Take Hermione for example. This Border Collie can be quite nervous in new situations. The first time she attended an event, I watched her slink down the lane. She wasn’t very fast and she was clearly nervous and uncomfortable.
Her second run that day was better. She was still unsure and uncomfortable, but you could see the gears in her head turning as she thought about what she was doing.
The next day, her body language was more relaxed and she ran a lot faster. I’ve photographed Hermione at many Fast CAT events now, and the difference in this dog is amazing!
She is happy, confident, and super fast! She even grabs the bag at the end of her run. Watching her transformation is inspiring!
Hermione’s first day of Fast CAT:
Hermione running Fast CAT now:
Perhaps most inspiring is Nyx the Malamute. Nyx is very reactive and struggles a lot with confidence.
The first event where I photographed Nyx, she finished her first run, but she was definitely uncomfortable. She didn’t quite understand the game. Her owner was really proud of her for finishing the run. That was the goal: just finish running the hundred yards.
About eight months later, I photographed Nyx at an event again. It was like she was a totally different dog!
I talked to her owner about her progress, and they shared with me that starting Fast CAT had done wonders for Nyx’s confidence and reactivity. She now had a game she loved, understood, and was good at.
Fast CAT had transformed this dog. I had so much secondhand pride watching her run! That initial discomfort Nyx felt on her first run? Totally worth it.
Train your dog to LOVE the “bunny”.
Just like any other creature, the more your dog wants something, the faster they will go to get it. If your dog doesn’t care much about the bag, training them to be enthusiastic for the bag will encourage them to run faster.
If your dog doesn’t naturally care about the bag, they might never care much. But there are some strategies that help other dogs go from not caring to wanting that bag and wanting it NOW NOW NOW:
Play tug with a plastic bag at home.
Make sure you are engaged with and supervising your dog closely when doing this to ensure your dog doesn’t actually consume any of the plastic bag!
Playing tug with the bag helps them associate the bag with fun and playtime. That subconscious association will carry over into their Fast CAT runs and they will run faster so they get to play some tug with you and the bag at the end of the run!
Play with a bag on a flirt pole or RC car at home.
To help your dog want to chase the bag, you can build prey drive for the plastic bag. Chasing activities that mimic live prey will train your dog to get the bag – also known as the “bunny” in Fast CAT circles!
Check out my favorite toys to build prey drive here.
Praise your dog when they grab the plastic bag in their mouth, especially at the end of a Fast CAT run.
The single best thing you can do to help your dog care about the plastic bag is to praise them! Positive reinforcement training is especially important in dog sports, where the point is to have fun together playing a “game” with your dog.
So if you want to encourage your dog to keep running for the bunny, make sure to enthusiastically praise them any time they grab the plastic bag in their mouth! You especially want to praise them for this during a Fast CAT run so they build the association that the point of the game is to chase and “kill the bunny”.
Get your dog amped up.
Dogs engage more enthusiastically with any game when they are super excited and amped up!
For some games, that’s not what you want. For example, in barn hunt, you want your dog to maintain a cooler head to help them think and solve the puzzle of where the rats are.
But Fast CAT is a game of impulse, drive, and excitement. It’s not a “thinking” game. Getting your dog overly excited can really help their speed and performance!
To help your dog get super amped up, make sure you call them excitedly and loudly. If you think you’re loud enough, yell even louder.
Yell encouragement and praise, and keep your tone excited. Make it super fun! Sharing your excitement with your dog will undoubtedly improve their speed!
Stand back from the finish line.
To improve your dog’s speed, make sure you are standing back at least a few feet from the finish line, preferably like 10+ feet.
Many dogs slow down when they get close to you so they don’t crash into you. If you stand right at the finish line, they won’t be finishing their run at their full speed.
To keep your dog sprinting at full speed through the finish line, stand a ways back from the finish line so they finish strong.
Even better, this will help your photographer capture the best photos of your dog running. Many events have a photographer, who will likely be photographing from the catch pen, several yards behind the finish line. The closer the dog gets to the photographer, the higher quality your photos will be.
Get my free guide for tips on getting the best Fast CAT photos of your dog!
Run away from your dog.
It might sound crazy, but running away from your dog is a great way to help them run faster and get a better Fast CAT time!
Dogs have a strong chase instinct, especially if they are prey driven. Many also love playing with their people. The combination of chase instinct plus the reward of playing with the “bunny” or with their human helps them run more quickly. It also contributes to the excitement of the game and can amp your dog up even more!
When your dog. Is about halfway down the course, turn around and RUN. Go as fast as you can!
Exercise your dog regularly.
Unsurprisingly, one of the best ways to improve your dog’s speed in Fast CAT is to exercise them regularly. Your dog can’t run fast if they aren’t in good shape.
Kili the Tibetan Mastiff loves Fast CAT! Luckily she is in great shape - her speed has really improved in the past year!
The good news is that consistent Fast CAT will help your dog stay in shape. Consistent exercise outside of Fast CAT will also help condition your dog and help them reach higher speeds.
Here are a few activities to help your dog stay in shape and build muscle. An added bonus is that they are mostly activities you can do together, which helps you bond with your dog and build your relationship!
Hiking
Fetch
Play dates with other dogs
Weight pull (only do this with an expert trainer!!)
Weight pull is more for building powerful starts than speed, but a good start will improve your dog’s time.
Run uphill
You can build running muscles by having your dog run or sprint uphill.
Put your dog in a wait/stay at the bottom of an incline. Walk to the top of the incline and recall your dog. Better yet, recall them while using a plastic bag as a reward at the end!
Talk to your vet about the safest way to do this exercise. I am not an expert in canine conditioning, so you should always consult your vet. I would say it’s safest to start with a gradual incline and build up to steeper inclines over time.
Practice Fast CAT at home
Use an RC car with a bag tied to it to build drive for the bag and get your dog running around.
You can also purchase a Swift Paws machine to literally practice lure coursing in your yard! Check out the Swift Paws Home Original and the Swift Paws Home Plus!
Good luck with your Fast CAT journey!
Your dog will be the speediest pup on the Fast CAT course in no time! I know you’ve got this!
To learn more about the fundamentals of Fast CAT, check out my Fast CAT for Beginners blog post.
Find Fast CAT events near you using the AKC Event Search tool.
Many Fast CAT events have photographers there to capture your memories! If you want high quality photos of your dog, there’s a few ways to help your photographer. Download my Fast CAT Photo Guide to learn more!
