What do you do for fun?

So today I was thinking about trying something new with Ebony, but I'm not sure what! Up the field she plays with her frisbee, her big ball, we play tag and chase each other we play tug of war with her frisbee, play hide and seak, I throw big dirt balls for her to chase cause she can never find them when they break it's so funny to watch In the house we just play with her squeaky ball or play tug of war and in the garden she has her agility stuff but sometimes things get a bit boring as we do them everyday (not the same things of course). She has a hour and a half of SOLID at home play (agility, tug of war ect), sometimes more if she wants it and we play random games through out the afternoon if she's not sleeping and about 2 hours up the field non stop running, chasing being a loon so something new to excite her and mix things up would be great! I'm thinking about adding another walk when it's a bit later too, but not as long just round the block which is about 20 minutes to calm her down cause she gets a bit unsettled later on when we're all watching TV and she brings toys for you to play with, or will wriggle around on her back making weird noises trying to bite her tail and thighs in the middle of the room which she does before walks I've also made a flirt pole for her after reading so much about them What do you guys play with you doggies? Have any ideas of something new we could try? I'm going to get a boomer ball when I'm payed next too

Eb's is a lucky little girl! I can't think of anything else to add

Haha thanks Janey! I do try she'd be mad if we didn't do so much though, she's a loon as it is

WE play alot of tug of war Suki can't get enough of it.

When she gets just a bit older you can try backpacking. Suki loves it

Ooo thanks for the tip! I've seen quite a few people doing it on here ebony will just pester you to play until she's had enough hence the hour and a half + playing haha

Flirt poling is the way forward I think, but I only do it when Logan seems like he wants an extra bit of high energy play. Only ever for a few mins at a time.

Play fighting is also one of his favourite games.

Yeah I've only used the flirt pole once so far, I haven't got round to using it properly yet hmm I try to play fight with her but she doesn't seen to understand she'll just hold my arm with her paws and lick me!

CodlingKid wrote:Yeah I've only used the flirt pole once so far, I haven't got round to using it properly yet hmm I try to play fight with her but she doesn't seen to understand she'll just hold my arm with her paws and lick me!

When I started flirtpoling with Logan I got him super excited first. Then got him to sit and wait, and then he was bursting to play.

He has no problem enjoying play fighting either lol, he doesn't bite but his wee paws leave me with scrapes all over

Ah thanks for the tip Mat! The first time I tried I tied a treat to the end and made her chase it now I've trimmed the grass we can get out there and do it properly Awwww, your poor arms >< at least Logan has fun! I saw Logan on the Facebook page too the other day with his bumble bee

What is flirt poling?
I can't fight with Lou as she is a bit too rough for my liking, bites ALOT.
She loves her Boomer Ball, however im worried about her playing with it for too long, this morning she cut her lip, so was bleeding quite a bit.

Mrs McFisher wrote:What is flirt poling?

It's just like a cat flirtpole but heavier duty, basically a toy on the end of a stringed stick in which you teach obedience and get rid of a lot of energy in the process. Check youtube out, the best vids come if you type in "pitbull flirtpole" as it seems to be very popular in the States.

You can buy them for an absolute ridiculous amount of money, or make them for pennies.

All you need is a bit of pvc pipe. You might have it in the garage or you can buy a bit from B&Q for a couple of quid, and a bit of thick rope. I used a bit of tow rope for a car, again a couple of quid tops.

Basically, thread the rope through the pipe like this.

Then, tie a knot at the end so it can't get through like this.


Read this too. It's important to only do it for a few minutes at a time and for 10-15 mins in total. It really doesn't take much of this to totally burn them out.

•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.

Daisy's favourite is tug of war, she's mad for it!! We also play fetch (well sort of) and Daisy like me to chase her around!! Boomer ball is on it's way and I really need to try the flirt pole, I think she'd love it

I shall check this out, thank you x

Aww how is Daisys bringing the ball back going Sazzle? I really need to order one yeahh deffo try it, the one time eb did she loved it

Loki would love play-fighting, but he still uses his teeth. He's much better than he was, not as hard and if I tell him to stop he will, but I don't want to confuse him, so I don't do any play-fighting until he knows to be softer.

Anyway, we play tug-of-war, fetch, he plays with his Boomer Ball on his own or with us kicking it away from him, catch with his frisbee (which he's useless at), or finding treats. He loves food and he loves smelling, so I combined the two where he sniffs out some treats. I want to build it up so he finds non-food items but not sure how to go about it. Also some hide-and-seek, but not very often because he's more enthusiastic about the other games. Want to try the flirt pole and some agility too, and a spring pole when he's old enough, but not for a good while yet.

Erm weight pulling, spring pole, flirt pole, play fighting, go running things like that!

CodlingKid wrote:Aww how is Daisys bringing the ball back going Sazzle? I really need to order one yeahh deffo try it, the one time eb did she loved it

She's not bad now, she'll fetch for a bit then gets bored and just lays down and starts to chew the ball!!
I think our boomer ball is here, got packages to collect from the delivery office tomorrow, exciting

lucky girl all that... Koda does love to play fight.... i wrap 2 work teeshirts round my arms then she knows.... FIGHT... lol little hard hence the tees but she stops and sits at the first stop or oww... i have been looking at how to make a spring pole for koda to try and wear her out a bit more... think shed like that cos she loves a tug a war

Playing tuggy is Ledgers reward at agility it is extremely high value to him though only started using it a couple of weeks ago and at first he would be launching himself at it/my arm part way round think we have just about managed to train that out of him today though otherwise at the moment it is agility homework we have a disc for touch drills now placed randomly on the floor and on command he has to go to it touch with his nose then with an 'ok' he can move away for a treat. We are also learning 'tunnel' I have a kids play one and building up that on the word he will look for and go through it eventually I wont have to face it.

Having him think seems to wear him out as much as chasing a ball for the same amount of time

Wow what brilliant replies everyone! I've been looking into a spring pole too, seems pretty easy to make one but probably won't do it for a while, plus she needs to be older i think? I'm not sure plus she's only really started learning how to pull things properly cause she thought it was naughty took a lot if encouragement!

Tara: ohh that sounds like a great idea for Loki, I'm glad you've found something he likes so much Not the same thing, but if you line up a long line of objects which she knows and you say one of them she'll run to the one you say and sit next to it; if you count out treats and give them numbers and throw them in the garden she'll run to the number treat you shouted too! I'm sure Loki would like that deffo try agility and flirt pole though! I took my home made one up the field today, looked like I was going fishing for dogs

Ella: weight pulling looks super interesting! I was watching a pitbull pulling tournament the other day actually! Do you just make your own items to pull or do you go to a proper place?

Steve: haha wow that sounds like great fun at least she knows when to stop ect! I've really been looking into spring poles too! They seem fairly easy to make if I'm honest; there's some real good tutorials on YouTube if you make one be sure to tell me how she likes it

Jules: first off, what a fantastic chap! He sounds very clever well done Ledger for being a brainy boy the disk thing sounds great though! How did you train him to do that? I'm sure he loves it too. Good luck on training him tunnel, I'm sure he's gonna pick it up quickly though

CodlingKid wrote: the disk thing sounds great though! How did you train him to do that?

start by holding it in your hand eventually pup will be nosy and go to sniff it as they touch it with their nose say touch praise and give a treat from the other hand then move it at different heights/between both hands

the concept is that when they are on a frame etc where they need to have definite contact they will pause with rear paws on equipment and front paws off so 'touch' trains the discipline as if you put treat there they will learn to stop and look for treat this way they 'touch' (using the disc until the 2 paws on 2 off position is learnt) then you use release word 'ok' for them to move on and get treat/toy

Blue loves playing hide n seek with treats. He has got really good at it now I will let him out in the garden and then run around putting them in places like resting on a kitchen cupboard handle then turn the lights off and let him back in. You can't see anything but you can hear him grunting like a pig

I'm not degrading my dog but honestly lexi is too thick to do anything like the suggestions here. She will just about sit for a treat and even then i usually have to push her * down shes so special. her best trick is to run away when i put food in her bowl cause i have taught her that i won't tolerate a mouth in the bowl when im filling!

Codling Kid - you put me to shame. I can't believe how many things you do with your dog. We do walks, hide and seek, and low level fun and games through the day but Rupert certainly doesn't get the amount of variety and intensity that Ebony does. You've given me something to live up to. Lucky Ebony.

Mike: how cute! I love hearing about people's dogs learning new things I love the piggy noises they make too you should post a video

Hayley: awwww bless her little furry socks

Jules: ohh thanks a bunch, think I might steal that idea it'll give us something to work on till we find a new game anyway

Sazzle: ahh yeahh, go Daisy! At least you know she can do it till she gets bored that's always a bonus OH I'm jealous that yours has came!!! You deffo need to take pictures (and videos )

Rupertsbooks: wow, thank you so much! This really made my day how kind of you to think that! We do so many things because she's the best dog she can be when she's learning! Whether it's tricks or a new game she thrives! So I'm constantly looking at new things for us to do together; since I worked with her in the kennels, she literally didnt stop running around and bouncing everywhere and on walks she'd STILL go bonkers, so I knew she'd be a very high energy pupster! I personally think because I do so much with her she responds to me a lot more than she ever would if I didn't do the things I do; maybe not but that's how I feel I think it's really given us a stronger bond, understanding and gives her better awareness of boundaries. I do plenty of other things with her too though, and plan to do more now she's getting older I think that no matter how little or much excerise you do, if they enjoy it and are happy with what you give them then you're doing it right Ledger looks very happy and healthy so well done good luck on trying him with new things if you do, and be sure to post all about it

Ok, I have remembered one thing.

Rupert loves playing with an aerobie that I found in the park. It is like a super fast frisbee with a hole in the middle. I throw it and it goes for miles. He catches it round his neck and trots back to me wearing it as a necklace.

Do not throw near trees as it will get tangled in the branches.

CodlingKid wrote:Tara: ohh that sounds like a great idea for Loki, I'm glad you've found something he likes so much Not the same thing, but if you line up a long line of objects which she knows and you say one of them she'll run to the one you say and sit next to it; if you count out treats and give them numbers and throw them in the garden she'll run to the number treat you shouted too! I'm sure Loki would like that deffo try agility and flirt pole though! I took my home made one up the field today, looked like I was going fishing for dogs

I do that too can't believe I forgot that one. We don't do it as much, but he has a stick toy, and I taught him to pick the stick out of a line of toys. It's actually how I taught him to learn fetch. I have a video of it (he was still getting the hang of it, hence he doesn't seem very good at it ):

Hayley wrote:I'm not degrading my dog but honestly lexi is too thick to do anything like the suggestions here. She will just about sit for a treat and even then i usually have to push her * down shes so special. her best trick is to run away when i put food in her bowl cause i have taught her that i won't tolerate a mouth in the bowl when im filling!

Ah, Zac was the same had him for 7 years and he only knew to sit and give a paw and sometimes lie down. His best behaviour was his recall, thankfully

Aww that's a fab video Tara! Thanks for sharing I've been looking through all of Lokis YouTube videos lately too he still looks quite young there I can't believe his first bath was in the bowl behind him, look how big he is compared to it now bless him!

Yeah, he was four months old in that video. He can barely get two paws into that bowl now thanks for reminding me about that trick though, I think I'll start it up again

Tara wrote:Yeah, he was four months old in that video. He can barely get two paws into that bowl now thanks for reminding me about that trick though, I think I'll start it up again

Awww no wonder he looks so small he really is such a clever lad; he seems super responsive and no problemo I hope you guys have fun doing it again

He's too responsive, if you show him a treat he'll sit, throw his paws at you, beg and then play dead before you even say anything, just in case he's done something right what a loon. Ebony's very clever too, seen some of the videos of her, you work very hard with her

Hahaha bless him! I love it when he spins Ebony gets like that sometimes, especially when my aunty comes round every Wednesday with a bag of treats for her and thanks Tara, I do work hard with her, hopefully now I have a YouTube I can show what she can do better