Bella and the Flirt Pole

This is Bella's second time out with the flirt pole, and she has been thinking about it! Last time she wouldn't even touch it but she'd chase it a bit.

Bella came in to rescue and you could tell no one had really played with her (I think someone just left her in the back yard). She would pick up a toy for a brief moment and then put it down. Here I'm teaching her to tug. Once you get the tug going, she will enjoy the game all the while increasing her prey drive. Once you get her focused on a toy/tug, you can use it in drive-based training. For a terrier, this is extremely important.

I made this flirt pole (a negative term thanks to the people who breed/fight pit bulls) out of a long carriage horse whip I got at Tractor Supply and a fuzzy "lifelike" toy tied to the end. Don't attach anything metal or else it will hurt the dog, just keep it all fabric. I found this squirrel tail thingy attached to a rubber ball at either Petsmart or Walmart. Looks real going through the grass, doesn't it?!!

Trick to this game is getting the dog to offer it to you. Never take it out of the dog's mouth. You can exchange for treats and teach the dog "out" or "drop it." Make sure you make the toy look ALIVE to engage the dog. Once the dog gets jazzed over seeing the flirt pole come out, you can teach the dog "leave it" as the flirt pole is in action then say, "okay, go get it!" In this exercise, the dogs learn self control, space respect (no grabbing it out of your hands, they have to wait for it), sit, down, heel, "out/drop it," and "leave it." If you take your dog to places that makes the dog nervous, playing with the flirt pole in that place helps the dog focus on you and burns that nervous energy. The best part is.....they're tired afterwards!!! An excellent game to play with your dog in the morning (BEFORE you feed them) in preparation for leaving them at home while you're at work. A tired dog is a happy dog!!

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• Piece
• Of
• My
• Heart
• Rescue