Clean Run - November 2016 - 37

Q&A
Canine Training
and Behavior Q&A: Flirt Poles
By Tom Mitchell BSc, BVSc, MRCVS , photos by Mel Taylor except where noted
© CLEAN RUN

I have seen you work with dogs using a flirt pole
toy. Why and how do you play this game?

I use a flirt pole in my "Whip-It" game, which teaches a dog
many important skills and forms part of the way I work with
dogs, both those with and without behavioral problems.
Skills the game builds include:
* Impulse control
* Thinking while in arousal
* Tolerance of frustration
* Susceptibility to reinforcement
* Movement efficiency and different movement types
All you need to play Whip-It is a reasonably open space,
although the smaller the dog the smaller the space can be,
and a flirt pole (stick, lunge whip, or something similar) with
a toy attached.

For very fast dogs, it is easier to stay a step ahead by rotating your entire body so that periodically the dog circles your
body. Occasionally your dog will manage to grab the toy on
his own, other times you want to make sure you give him an
opportunity to get it while he's chasing-it's important to
keep a nice balance between the dog chasing the toy and
allowing him to grab it so that you keep his motivation high
and maintain the intensity of the pursuit.
When your dog grabs the toy, stop moving the pole and let
him have the toy. Don't ask him to drop the toy or release it.
Instead, when your dog releases his hold on the toy to regrip it, simply whip the toy away from him. This builds even
more desire in the pursuit and grabbing.
Keep sessions very short and high energy.

There are three parts to the game. It is crucial that the steps
are followed in order, and that you do not progress from one
step to the next until you are seeing exactly what you want
in that step. Rushing through the step can compromise the
valuable concepts that are being taught.
Step 1: Chase
This is the most important step and it should be lots of fun!
Animate the toy on the end of the flirt pole and get your
dog chasing it along the ground. Keep the flirt pole low and
ahead of your dog. You'll need to experiment with how far
ahead you can have the toy and keep the dog in hot pursuit;
many dogs will slow down if the toys is too far ahead.
November 16 | Clean Run

37



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run - November 2016

Table of Contents
Clean Run - November 2016 - Cover1
Clean Run - November 2016 - Cover2
Clean Run - November 2016 - Table of Contents
Clean Run - November 2016 - 4
Clean Run - November 2016 - 5
Clean Run - November 2016 - 6
Clean Run - November 2016 - 7
Clean Run - November 2016 - 8
Clean Run - November 2016 - 9
Clean Run - November 2016 - 10
Clean Run - November 2016 - 11
Clean Run - November 2016 - 12
Clean Run - November 2016 - 13
Clean Run - November 2016 - 14
Clean Run - November 2016 - 15
Clean Run - November 2016 - 16
Clean Run - November 2016 - 17
Clean Run - November 2016 - 18
Clean Run - November 2016 - 19
Clean Run - November 2016 - 20
Clean Run - November 2016 - 21
Clean Run - November 2016 - 22
Clean Run - November 2016 - 23
Clean Run - November 2016 - 24
Clean Run - November 2016 - 25
Clean Run - November 2016 - 26
Clean Run - November 2016 - 27
Clean Run - November 2016 - 28
Clean Run - November 2016 - 29
Clean Run - November 2016 - 30
Clean Run - November 2016 - 31
Clean Run - November 2016 - 32
Clean Run - November 2016 - 33
Clean Run - November 2016 - 34
Clean Run - November 2016 - 35
Clean Run - November 2016 - 36
Clean Run - November 2016 - 37
Clean Run - November 2016 - 38
Clean Run - November 2016 - 39
Clean Run - November 2016 - 40
Clean Run - November 2016 - 41
Clean Run - November 2016 - 42
Clean Run - November 2016 - 43
Clean Run - November 2016 - 44
Clean Run - November 2016 - 45
Clean Run - November 2016 - 46
Clean Run - November 2016 - 47
Clean Run - November 2016 - 48
Clean Run - November 2016 - 49
Clean Run - November 2016 - 50
Clean Run - November 2016 - 51
Clean Run - November 2016 - 52
Clean Run - November 2016 - 53
Clean Run - November 2016 - 54
Clean Run - November 2016 - 55
Clean Run - November 2016 - 56
Clean Run - November 2016 - 57
Clean Run - November 2016 - 58
Clean Run - November 2016 - 59
Clean Run - November 2016 - 60
Clean Run - November 2016 - 61
Clean Run - November 2016 - 62
Clean Run - November 2016 - 63
Clean Run - November 2016 - 64
Clean Run - November 2016 - 65
Clean Run - November 2016 - 66
Clean Run - November 2016 - Cover3
Clean Run - November 2016 - Cover4
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