Flirt pole... yes or no?

[Jules]

Being a pit mix, T-bone is really energetic. I can walk her for hours and she'll be good to go after an hour again. So I made a simple flirt pole for T-Bone yesterday. She loved it and was chasing her old to like crazy...after 15 minutes, she was done for quite awhile. It just seems perfect to entertain her and wear her out in between walks since she does not really play by herself with her toys.
What do you think about it? I read that this will increase her prey drive... something I don't really "want" to do. But whenever she catches her toy, I make her drop it, sit , and wait until she can go after it again. So do you think it is okay to use a flirt pole as an exercise tool when putting up rules?

T-Bone going at it

Mom, what did you do to me? I'm never going to move again!

 

[MomOf7]

Like I always say..A tired puppy is a good puppy! Very cool!

 

[JennSLK]

As long as she know the difference between play in the back yard and other things she should be OK

 

[SummerRiot]

That is so cool!

How'd you string it together?? Riot needs one lol hes ALWAYS moving somewhere ad carrying his toys around lol

 

[Jules]

Yes, I am definitely letting her know where the game stops and I give her limits.
Hehe, thanks
I simply bought a piece of PVC Pipe at Lowe's and some rope. I put the rope through the pipe and made a huge knot at one end, so it wouldn't slide through again. On the other end I attached an old toy, voila

 

[SummerRiot]

Very cool! how did you anchor the PVC pipe down so she doesn't rip it down?

 

[Jules]

Oh, that's the thing I'm holding it...I don't have the space to mount it somewhere. I think that works better though, because I can swing it around, from side to side and she has to run more So basically it's like a big cat toy

 

[SummerRiot]

hehe I'd love to anchor one in our backyard, but i have no clue how.. RIot would tear anything down that wasn't strong enough.. lol

 

[smkie]

we had a tether ball a long time ago when our Labrador Virgil fixated on it. He would send that ball all the way to the end of the rope and hit it again on the other side. You would have to go out and haul him away and considering his size that wasn't easy! EVen in the winter when the ball was hard as a rock he still played with it everytime he went out. Good or bad, i don't know but it kept him busy.

 

[gaddylovesdogs]

Great idea!! I'm teaching my border collie mix to play fetch (I don't think she had many toys as a pup, so she's really not a toy dog right now) so I don't feel guilty when I can't walk her much.

 

[Barb04]

We have the same thing. It definitely is a great thing to use for exercise.

 

[casablanca1]

So I made a simple flirt pole for T-Bone yesterday...What do you think about it? I read that this will increase her prey drive... something I don't really "want" to do. So do you think it is okay to use a flirt pole as an exercise tool when putting up rules?

Depends. I do think you're taking a chance. I don't think it neccessarily increase her prey drive, but it encourages it - basically, this game allows her to practice the best way to attack and kill prey. If she ever does go after another animal someday (or, I suppose, a person) she'll be that much better at doing damage to them quickly because of this game. If you think there's any chance she might be the sort of dog who would use those skills to actually hurt another animal (predatory, dog-aggressive, dominant, etc.) you might want to find a different way to exercise her.

But whenever she catches her toy, I make her drop it, sit , and wait until she can go after it again.

It's good training, but I think it's irrelevant to whether or not the game will be a bad influence on your dog. I think you need to honestly asses whether she's likely to become a problem and that assesment should include how you intend to handle her. If you want to take her to dog parks, for instance, I wouldn't continue this game. I play a slightly similar game with my dominant collie mix, but I don't go to dog parks and I keep her leashed in public - no offleash runs in parks at dusk, etc.

 

[CanadianK9]

lol decieving title j/k

Theyre good if they wear out ur pup, but be sure to be consistant to pay close attention to what habits u want to make her have or not.

 

[champagne]

We use a flirt pole with Kaine. It is a good form of exercise for him. I made one out of my old lunge whip I had laying around from my horse days. I tied a toy at the end of it. He loves it.
As far as increasing his prey drive, no ....I think that any dog that chases down a tennis ball, frisbee, toys or anything else is using his prey drive..right? thats what a flirt pole does. I see it as being the same.

And using a command like drop it or leave it works well with the flirt pole as it does with a game of retrieving.

 

[Gempress]

I think that any dog that chases down a tennis ball, frisbee, toys or anything else is using his prey drive..right?

Exactly. All "doggie games" are variations of hunting/fighting training. I don't see the difference between chasing a flirt pole or chasing a tennis ball. As long as T-Bone knows what is acceptable to chase and what isn't, there should be no problems.

 

[pocket warmer]

sorry I`m not sure what a flirt pole is exactly,I`ve got a rough idea from reading your posts but could someone please explain it to me.

 

[oc_spirit]

Deffinately a great idea!!! They''re great excercise tools! Thought of getting one for OC he LOVE to chase down and catch.