Easiest Way To Tire Out A Dog (Or Puppy)
Some dogs have a lot of energy. Way more energy than you do. By the time you’ve taken him for a walk and thrown a ball for 30 minutes, your arm is sore, you want to go home, and he’s still got that crazy look in his eyes that says “I will chew literally everything at home if you don’t keep throwing that ball”.
Thankfully for us, a wonderful tool called the “flirt pole” or “flirt stick” exists. It’s a simple contraption that you can make yourself, or buy for cheap.
What is a Flirt Stick?
Have you ever seen those toys for cats that are made up of a bundle of feathers attached to a string, which is tied to a rod? That’s basically a small version of a flirt stick. A dog’s flirt stick will be larger, thicker, more durable, and a lot more fun. Your energetic puppy will be tired out in no time.
How To Use A Flirt Stick To Play?
Using a flirt stick is pretty straight-forward, as you can see from the photo above. You just stand there with the rod in your hand, and make the “flirt” or “tease” at the end of the stick entice your dog into chasing it.
Tons of fun for you and your dog or puppy, and you barely need to move.
Through some experience you’ll probably notice that your dog is more interested in the toy when it moves in certain ways. Some dogs like the tease to move slowly to get the initial chase started, and others like it fast, or in the air, etc.
So just go out to a park or back yard, and play for 20 minutes. Bet you’re dog will be exhausted!
You should always allow your dog to catch the toy every once in while. Not allowing him to catch his “prey” can have a negative impact on your dog’s personality and disposition.
As always, when he succeeds, you should give praise and a low calorie treat.
How To Train Your Dog With A Flirt Stick
A flirt stick is not only an interactive toy but a powerful training tool capable of you to train your dog to control his state of arousal.
For some dogs that are very reactive to outside stimulus such as other dogs walking by, cars, and other distractions, the flirt stick offers a perfect method of training allowing you to completely control the outside stimulus (which would be the tease/toy)
- Decide on the command you want the dog to remember
- STOP
- END
- NO MORE
- Once you’ve decided on the command, just go play with your dog or puppy with the flirt stick
- Every once in a while, draw the toy in, control it, and say your command
- Give your dog a SIT command
- Once the dog sits (assuming you’ve trained him to sit), give a treat
- Slowly put the flirt back on the ground
- If he gets up from sitting, repeat the process
- Once you can place the flirt back on the ground with your dog still sitting, give a GO command, and move the flirt
- Keep playing as normal, letting your dog catch the flirt, and sporadically teaching him your STOP command
After some repetition your dog should be trained to listen to you when he is in a reactive state. Next time he is barking, is highly excitable, etc give your STOP command and watch for any change in his behavior.
