Flirting! (PIC HEAVY)

Nope, not that kind of flirting.

Because the weather is getting better and Logan is a bit older and able to do more exercise I decided to make him a flirt pole. In between snow showers it was quite nice outside so he got his first go at it today. It works a treat and they are very easy to make, I made it out of things I found in the garage.

Here's a few pics. (Sorry about the dodgy looking skinny fella with the big fringe, I dunno who he is)

1. He has to sit and wait before I say "go".


2. Then I release him to go mental and chase the toy (or socks in my case).


3. Stop and take a break and make him sit and wait again.


4. Release the monster again.


5. Stop and make leave drop the toy, without fighting him.


It's a really good way to get some quick fast exercise and he loved it, I was really surprised how well he behaved.

Great pics mate ... and yeah they are a great idea, I've used one with Max for age's

Thats pretty cool Mat Logan looks like he loved it. How did you make it? Your gardens looking healthy too!!

It really was good for him. He is a bit bonkers some time and it worked well to calm him down.

Lovely pictures Mat, you dont look skinny or dodgy and Logan is very handsome,

inez maria wrote:How did you make it?

Literally just thread a piece of tow rope through a bit of guttering pipe. Nothing fancy. I read up about them on the net and it seems better just to keep them simple. Logan will chase anything but loves socks so I used them.

good pics mat.. decent activity too.

they say owners look like there dogs but in your case your probably the opposite to a staffy

Thanks Jason!






Cheeky wee sh***

Mat's definitely a greyhound.

I put the "Great" in "Great Dane" Paul.

MatLogan wrote:

inez maria wrote:How did you make it?

Literally just thread a piece of tow rope through a bit of guttering pipe. Nothing fancy. I read up about them on the net and it seems better just to keep them simple. Logan will chase anything but loves socks so I used them.

thats a fab idea! tyke would love something like that! ***nudge nudge OH****

logan looking very well matt!!! and we can put a name to face!

rebeccaleanne wrote:thats a fab idea! tyke would love something like that! ***nudge nudge OH****

All anyone needs to be able to do is tie a knot at the end so the rope doesn't come through. It's super handy. It gives them more variety in their exercise.

Logan is doing loadsa different things these days.

Aww he looks so good clever boy!

Also don't you know it's snowing you crazy person!

Hayley wrote:Aww he looks so good clever boy!

Also don't you know it's snowing you crazy person!

Thanks Hayley. He has only started to behave lately but he is shaping up to be very good. He is very good at games etc, especially hide n seek. He can sniff out anything.

He's still a bit of a barker at times though to be honest...

And you're right it's bleedin baltic out there, but I had a lot of layers on.

Both looking good Mat!

great pics Matt i might have a bash at that with our 2 wont be much lawn left though

Thanks Eleanor!

Mark wrote:great pics Matt i might have a bash at that with our 2 wont be much lawn left though

That's the reason I stopped Mark lol. My fella tears big lumps of grass out with his back legs. I'm gonna go to the football pitches on the next dry day and do it.

Sorry footballists but your pitch will most likely disappear!

Ah that looks great Mat!!

1 more until you hit the big 1,000 Ellie

You should post more pics of logan

EllieSmith wrote:You should post more pics of logan

I post fairly often. But he's hard to get a photo off. He's pretty bonkers on walks and doesn't really like the camera. I'm very jealous of the photo taking skills on this forum.

He's looking great it's nice to see pictures of him! Looks like a great game to play too, I'll have to try that out when it stops snowing!! I felt like my face was gonna shatter up the field with the dogs today

It was serious cold here but only slight snow showers so not too bad. It's a great game and all the dog needs to know is Sit, Wait, and Give.

MatLogan wrote:It was serious cold here but only slight snow showers so not too bad. It's a great game and all the dog needs to know is Sit, Wait, and Give.

Well he's most certainly looking very well behaved in those pictures I love the look on his face in the fourth one mmm, lucky for some! It's snowed all day here; just hasn't stuck! I need a scarf like yours!

Can't wait until Loki's old enough to do more exercises like this, great way to tire them out ...but he's too hyperactive, he'll probably find a way to kill me Logan did look like he enjoyed himself and also like he was well-behaved

My phone just double posted so I edited to get rid it sorry!

great pics matt handsome dog

He's looking well matt, looks like he had fun :-)

Looks brill, I'll have to give that a go with daisy (now were getting her trained!)

Sazzle wrote:Looks brill, I'll have to give that a go with daisy (now were getting her trained!)

You should. It's really easy and tires them out. I'm no pro at dog training but Logan managed it really well

Yeah he looks like he enjoyed it!

Great pics

Aw looks like he loves that, dogs are like giant cats when it comes to flirt poles. I made mine by tying a washing line to the end of my ball launcher with a rope for bait which makes it look less conspicuous when I take it out on walks

Great pics Matt Logan is looking very fit

Looks like loads of fun and a great way to burn energy and work on some obedience training!

That looks really cool...I bet he will have loads of fun this year doing that

looks like alot of fun, i wonder if spike would even be interested if i made something like this up, he isnt a very playful dog doesnt play fetch or anything so may have to give this a god and see how it goes

spike123 wrote:looks like alot of fun, i wonder if spike would even be interested if i made something like this up, he isnt a very playful dog doesnt play fetch or anything so may have to give this a god and see how it goes

I'm sure he would be. Logan isn't very toy oriented but if I make it a challenge rather than a game he enjoys getting involved. It's easy to do and costs nothing. I went for a walk, then 20 mins or so with this, then another short walk to let him calm down after chasing and he basically slept for the rest of the day/night.

Thanks for all the nice comments everyone

Mat, is this different to a spring pole? I always assumed they were the same thing, but saw in another thread someone mentioned both separately.

A spring pole is like a pulling/tug exercise. Like on a spring or bungee cord and attached to a tree or bar. It's more to do with the dog actually tugging.

Whereas the flirt pole is more to do with chasing. Once the dog catches the toy of the flirt pole he isn't meant to tug. He has to "drop it" then start again.

http://www.cosmos-staffords.com/Training/Spring_pole/spring_pole.html

That's spring poling. I will be doing that too, but not for a while yet because he's too young.

Oh, I see, thanks for the link so would I be able to use a flirt pole with Loki at his age (provided there's no jumping), or does he still have to wait till he's older?

Logan is now 15 months and I'm starting him off lightely with the flirt pole. Just for a few minutes at a time. Even though it's a quick paced activity it isn't forced really. With all exercise I give him breaks as much as possible. You could start soon enough with Loki, as long as you said he wasn't jumping etc. But again for short spells. I was doing it for a few minutes at a time and it was more than enough.

We skate too and I always take breaks for him

Found this, it's quite good

•We recommend briefly walking your dog both before and after using a flirt pole to help prevent muscle strains.
•The Flirt Pole is a powerful tool and should be used responsibly. Never use it for extended periods of time without letting your dog take breaks and drink water.
•Causing any dog to jump can be hazardous; especially dogs under one year of age, whose bones are still growing.
•Never use a flirt pole with dogs who have joint and/or hip problems.
•We highly recommend only using the Flirt Pole outdoors on a grass or earth surface.
•Wearing closed toe shoes is recommended if your dog has a tendency to run over your feet, with claws digging in, like ours do.
•Do not release your grip when your dog catches the lure. Letting go while the bungee cord is stretched can result in the pole section flying towards your dog at a high rate of speed.
•Never attach a hard or heavy lure to the bungee cord. If your dog releases it with the cord stretched, you will have a dangerous projectile flying towards you.
•The Flirt Pole is not designed to be used as a tug toy.
•Never let your dog play with the Flirt Pole unsupervised. It will not survive as a chew toy. Always put it away after use.
•Do not allow your dog to chew on the bungee cord. Check cord frequently for damage and discontinue use if damage is found.
•For best results, also use the Flirt Pole as a training tool. Train your dog to sit, lie down, and wait to go after the lure until you give the command to do so.
•Let your dog briefly catch the lure every few minutes and give them praise when they catch it, but then make them release the lure and start over.

Thanks Mat, that's very helpful ah, you should record a video of Logan skating

Tara wrote: you should record a video of Logan skating

I will.

It's great too. And it means I can get skating more. I bought a long board so I could go over crappy pathways etc with him. The flexi lead is great too with it. But again I only let him go for a short distances atm, and he can have a break whenever he wants.

Ahhh Matt Logan is looking great there flirting with the pole, he will also have the figure of a racing snake very soon I've no doubt

Kathy wrote:Ahhh Matt Logan is looking great there flirting with the pole, he will also have the figure of a racing snake very soon I've no doubt

Haha thanks Kathy.

That's the plan with any luck. He is starting to get into better shape now. He is quite a big Stafford which I always knew he would be. I just want him to be fit and healthy. Flirt pole seems to be excellent for obedience too, because he's constantly waiting for instructions.

I'm the opposite, just need to keep putting weight on