Flirtpole, Springpole, etc - Just for Pit Bulls?

I've been thinking about having my husband put up a Spring pole outside so that Allie can jump on something that doesn't mind it That, and she gets bored with fetch about 15 min in. I might put together a flirt pole, it looks like fun, and something that all three girls would really love

Our lot would probably benifit from a flirtpole or spring pole. lol we tend to use palm fronds or tree branches when we find them for the same thing as a flirtpole.

I don't keep a breaking stick handy just because none of our lot are really grab and hold type dogs, except Sophie. She has the kindest, most tolerant nature but in one of our old houses, the next door neighbours dogs used to pick on her a lot through the fence untill she eventually grabbed one of them.
I now wish I knew then what I know now because she just grabbed and held, I shouldn't have yelled or pulled back with her. Eventually all we did was push her hard agianst the fence to slacken the force on the other dog until she let go. A breakstick now would be my first thought.

It was only after that happened that we finally put 2 and 2 together and relised all the unexplained scratches, skin off and marks she was getting all over her face and shoudlers were form the dog next door attacking her through the fence, she could only take so much.

Puppies are started on flirtpoles (its jsut a stick with a burlap sack attached) to build prey drive until they move on to the tug and then the bite pillow then onto the sleeve.

I do use a springpole, but am very careful until he is fully mature. He is VERY high drive with a VERY high threshold for pain. I tether him alot (when using a flirtpole to add frustration although I have to be careful, he gets very wound up and makes himself bleed, has torn up his pads (completely my fault, I'm an idiot at times). I never thought of prey drive excersizes as abnormal. Its a part of our daily routine.

Breaking stick, I had one for my previous male, but cant find it. I think it would be wise to find it in the next few months as he matures because he has a genetic full mouth crushing grip (which I LOVE, for what I plan to do with my dog).

Here's Lizzie with her flirt pole...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRTxAUp0wnY

I started using flirt poles in the beginning of jrt race training, it is a common way to get them chasing the lure and building drive.

I don't have a break stick, if a fight does happen and they lock on, we choke them off with hands around the neck, good method, effective and fast. I have heard of people that have stock prods on hand for fights, apparently it only has to be used once. When the dogs hear it come on after that they scatter, fight over. And without having to use the prod.

I also don't believe in the tugging causes aggression, but for people who don't know how to train it correctly it is best that they don't. Because then the myth is carried on due to their own failure of not educated in the method and the rules of training it correctly.

I only use the flirtpoles. Sophie has a huge, reinforced one and she just loves it. For my small dogs, a flirtpole is really just a glorified cat toy. I carry a flirtpole in my tool kit and use it in many training situations.

Or people dont understand or have never seen TRUE agression. Prey drive, shaking, growling, rumbling while in prey drive is NOT agression, not even close.



oowww...he's so agressive, he's foaming at the mouth watch out Cujo's back, if only you could have heard his high pitch bark :rofl1:

Agreed, fully. I'm not comfortable with encouraging a pup to do a whole lot of jumping until they're well over a year old... but there are so many other things you can do with flirt poles than letting them jump.

You need to build one for 'Lulla!

And I personally don't like my dogs feet to be off the ground when on the springpole. Unless they jump up on their own just to go after the rope itself, the hide is always at a height where the dog is tugging with all 4 feet on the ground. On rare occasion I would raise it to where the front 2 feet are slightly off the ground, but hanging and swinging from it with no ground contact? I think not.

As for flirt poles, maybe others are hoity-toity about it with their dogs....but what about the cats? Hmmmmm? You know those long poles with the feathers on the end are flirt poles!

All 3 of my non-APBT dogs LOVE the springpole and flirtpole (however the damned flirtpole is why I know have an OEB with a torn ACL).

Sawyer would love a flirtpole, I've used a version of one with him and he thinks it's the best thing ever.

Don't have breaksticks though.

I was a little surprised to come back and see this thread at 3 pages. Cool! I'm just reading and taking it all in. Trying to decide whether I want to enter the debates or not. I think for now I'll just say that if you truly want to see aggression, try going a while without giving Terra an outlet like flirtpole for her high drive. LOL!

ETA: Mia, I had to raise mine to the 2-feet-on-the-ground level because if it's low enough, Terra will chew the hide until she saws off half of it, and then she'll eat it. Little %@#$&. :rofl1:

I had a spring pole for Reggin when he was only 8 weeks. It was just inches off the ground. No jumping. He would just grab on and pull.

Just recently I made a new one. Its a couple feet off the ground. He does like to jump up and grab the rope part though.

That's actually what I tried first. He liked to pounce after it (sometimes I wonder if my dogs are really cats in disguise since they have a lot of catlike mannerisms). But tying the blue bear to a rope works better for him. He gets into it a lot more. He loves 'killing' the bear.

Maybe I should invest in a break stick for my two! :rofl1:

I use a flirt pole for them, they have a total ball with it, and so far neither of them has savaged me as a result.

Treadmill? Yes.
Break sticks? No.
Springpole? No, not exactly.......LOL, we have hung things just out of reach in the tree so Orson had to work to get them, but not a real spring pole where he can catch and hang on.
Flirt pole? Sort of........we have attached things to a rod and "teased" him with it making him run around to get it.

I would seriously consider a springpole if we had more room in the back yard. He has a sandpit to dig in that expels plenty of energy though

Breaksticks? No, don't have any

Spring pole- I used to, but don't use it any more. I like the interaction I have with my dogs playing tug and swinging them around more and find it more beneficial to what i'm training for. But a spring pole is a great way to exercise a dog.

Flirtpole- Yes, but It's just a buggy whip with leather or tugs tied to the end, and with puppies you never need to bring it off the ground to have them jumping. it's all about the chase

Treadmills for dogs - stupid imo.

How about getting off your be-hinds and going for a walk... take a ball and do some running activities.

Get both you AND the dog fit.

Spring/flirt - mucho fun for any breed and good exercise!

My dog could run for 10 miles a day. I could not, and I don't have a great off leash area. A treadmill would keep us both sane. Unfortunately, he does not like them, and we are currently driving each other mad.

I'd love to have a treadmill - I don't know who would benefit more, Kharma or Tallulah. There's no way any one human could possibly walk/run enough for either of those two. I've seen Kharma literally go at a full gallop for over an hour in the pasture.

The treadmill was more for conditioning for showing. He was really in good shape back then. (Now he's back to his scrawny self!)