# Flirt Pole Obsessed!



## Rylee13 (Nov 21, 2013)

I purchased my first GSD puppy two months ago (I have adopted older GSDs but never purchased a puppy) and she is now almost six months old. She is fantastic, and I don't think I could have found a better puppy to be my first. Thanks to all the posters here, I was able to do a lot of reading and a lot of learning and I think we're off to a great start. We're having kitty troubles, but I think that'll be a work in progress for some time.

As I mentioned, I did a lot of reading and all of you said your dogs LOVED their flirt poles, so that's one of the first toy purchases I made. Now I'm here to solicit some advice because you all have created a monster!! 

She plays great with toys inside... we play bring, tug, she loves her squeaky toys, bottle toys, and giant dragon toy. Outside, though, she wants nothing to do with balls, giant eggs, squeaky toys, or tug toys. It's all flirt pole, all the time. Even after we play with the flirt pole until her tongue is dragging on the ground, she won't even 'unfocus' long enough to get a drink of water. We have to end play time and go inside the house. Then she drinks like a crazy dog.

I love the flirt pole too because it has been great for teaching her to sit, down, wait, give, take, release, and to burn off energy, but it's such a high energy game that sometimes I worry about it being too much for her. She often ends up doing faceplants, and I have to run all over the yard at full speed or she can catch the felt toy on the end way too quickly. I love that she loves it, but I wish I could get her interested in a game of bring with the Chuckit.

I've tried not even bringing it out, and not letting her see it, but she knows it lives on the screen porch, so she'll just sit by the door and wait. And wait. I can be having a great time with balls and toys, and she just stares at me from the stoop, like "stop messing around and get the flirt pole, lady." I'm trying to teach her the command 'done' so she has a flirt pole off button and learns that means play time is over, but so far it's not working. Until we're back inside, she's in full on flirt pole mode. 

Should I just embrace the flirt pole, or make it disappear for a while until she has found joy in other outside toys? Any ideas to get her interested in them?


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

When using the flirtpole, instead of just playing to wear her out, use it for training, start asking for positions. 
Bring up the toy to your side and get her in heel position(use whatever command you'll use for that position)...or bring it up to your chin and have her sit in front and focus on you for a few seconds before you reward her. Again use the command so she knows you want her to front. 
She needs to learn to cap her drive some, though extending her focus right now is going to be minimal. 

If you really think she's obsessed get rid of it for awhile & get her on some other toys...what is on the end of the flirtpole right now? Maybe change up the toys if you haven't already. Ball on string is what I'd use now that she's almost done teething. Especially if you want her to transfer to a ball.
One place where I train, the flirtpole is what everyone uses with their puppies to build the drive and then cap it with commands. Pups learn quickly about expected positions with the flirtpole as their reward. It is also used in the restrained recalls(handler has the poles toy up under chin so pup runs right up and fronts) They don't use a buggy whip type pole but a shorter one, easier to maneuver.


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## Rylee13 (Nov 21, 2013)

Thank you for the ideas! She has a really good 'look' command and will focus on me hard waiting for the release word that I use to let her chase the toy. We have the sit and down commands pretty well covered, but I hadn't thought of using it for other positions. As you suggested, using it for a reward might be a better use for it now, rather than just playing and running around the yard. It'll be a challenge to get her to into those positions that are close to me, as I anticipate she'll just want to jump at the toy, but I'll give it a shot. 

Using it for recall is a great idea! She'll fly to me like a bullet when I have the pole, so that will be perfect. 

Right now, it has the blue felt toy attached to the end. I was thinking about trying a new toy too... perhaps I can drill a hole in one of her balls and thread the bungee cord through it. Maybe that'll get her excited about the ball.


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## boomer11 (Jun 9, 2013)

the flirt pole is great for bringing out prey drive and also great at burning off energy quickly. what its not great at is keeping your dog engaged with YOU. right now your dog thinks the flirt pole is fun, not you. you need to work on engagement. it shouldnt matter what you have in your hand, your dog should want it. the toy isnt what is fun. you are the thing that makes the toy fun. if your dog is fixated on a certain toy then work on engagement! no toy should be more fun than you.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

get a ball on a string(or more!) and tie it on the end of the flirtpole. Then use the ball on string for bringing up the drive when you train. Eventually the pole will have no meaning, because the ball is connected now to you. 

Flirtpoles are great for dogs that are a bit inhibited in interacting, they let their drive come out when the human isn't so close to the toy. But it isn't something that I'd use all the time.

I like the diceball for younger dogs, it is small enough for their mouth and they can grip it easily. I would not order a small round ball, go with the medium so choking isn't a problem. 
Hallmark K9 - Premium Dog Training Equipment - BALLS


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## Rylee13 (Nov 21, 2013)

Boomer, you're correct... she wants that toy! Right now I'm just a tool for her to use to have some fun. She sticks by me like glue when I have the flirt pole, but not when I have anything else. The value is the toy. I'll work on engagement too.

Onyx, thanks for the link! I'll definitely get one of those ordered and see how she likes it. I can't imagine she wouldn't like it if I start out putting it on the end of the pole bungee. It'll be easier to train with that instead of the flirt pole!


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