Rugged XL Pro Kit
$129.95
- One-piece 46-inch rod, 800-lb Dyneema static line
- 5 lures and a spare line
- Dogs 30 lbs and up, free US shipping
4.9 across 306 reviews on 7 platforms
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30-day money-back guarantee
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Free US shipping on Rugged XL
Low stockOnly 17 Rugged XL’s left
- Only 17 Rugged XL’s left
- Rugged XL Pro Kit $129.95 Pole + 5 lures + spare 800-lb line. Free US shipping
- Rugged XL 3-Lure Bundle $94.95 Best value. Free US shipping
- Every kit: 30-day money-back guarantee
Flirt poles from a working dog trainer in Austin, Texas
The flirt pole for dogs that wreck flirt poles
I’m Chris. I’ve been working with high-energy dogs for 10 years now, over 400 of them, and what I’ve found is a dog that gets to hunt is a much better behaved dog. So I built a pole for it. One 46-inch fiberglass rod, a line that doesn’t stretch, and you keep the lure low on the grass so your dog gets to stalk and chase and catch like they want to, in about ten minutes a day.
30-day money-back guaranteeFree US shipping on every Rugged XL kitUsually ships within 2 days
Right now
If your dog is pacing or doing laps around the living room while you read this, you’re in the right place.
What’s your dog doing that made you look this up?
Pick the one that sounds like your house. Each one goes to the page where I walk you through it, and some of those fixes don’t even need a flirt pole.
Still wired after a walkYou did the miles and they came home louder. Hyper at nightZoomies and pacing right when you want to sit down. Chases everythingSquirrels, cats, cars, leaves. High prey drive. Reactive on walksLunging and barking at dogs, people or bikes. Herding breedBorder collie, heeler, Aussie. Eye, stalk, nip. Working breedGerman Shepherd or Malinois with drive to burn. Nothing’s wrong, I just want a good poleSkip ahead and find the right size for your dog.
Something else going on: Jumps on everyone Bites and nips Pulls, won’t come back Never settles down Destroys the house Obsessed with chasing Won’t play or fetch
What a flirt pole is, and why it settles a dog when a walk doesn’t
A flirt pole is a pole with a line and a lure on the end that you drag along the ground like something running away. Your dog stalks it, chases it, catches it and gets the win, and you decide when each round starts and when it’s over.
There are a couple of ways to satisfy what’s in a dog. One is exploration, another is play, and the biggest one is hunting. A walk moves their legs but it never lets them stalk or catch anything. Fetch gets the chase going and then asks for the prize back, and puzzle feeders work the brain but there’s nothing to chase. So whatever’s left over comes out as chewing and pacing and the 10pm zoomies.
And you didn’t get the wrong dog. You got a hunter living in your house, and a flirt pole gives them about ten minutes a day to be one. If you want to read more on channeling prey drive, the AKC has a good piece on it, and here’s my longer answer to what a flirt pole is.
Whimsy Stick at a glance
- Made by
- Whimsy Stick LLC, Austin, Texas. Designed by Christopher Lee Moran, a working dog trainer.
- Rod
- One-piece 46-inch fiberglass, no joints or threads. Two black foam grips. About 8 oz on the Rugged XL.
- Line
- Static, never bungee. 800-lb Dyneema on the Rugged XL, 450-lb Kevlar on the Standard. Those numbers are what the line is rated for, the pole is its own thing.
- Reach
- About 8 feet from your hand on the Rugged XL. Give yourself about 20 feet of grass.
- Sizes
- Standard for dogs under 30 lbs. Rugged XL for 30 lbs and up, or any rough player.
- Price
- $55.95 to $129.95. Free US shipping on Rugged XL kits.
- Guarantee
- 30-day money-back. Breaks during proper play, I’ll fix, replace or refund it.
What each kind of exercise actually gives your dog
Most of what you’re already doing is good for your dog, and I’d never tell you to stop walking them, but every one of these leaves some part of the hunt unfinished and that leftover part is usually what shows up at night on your couch cushions.
| Activity | What it gives them | What it leaves out |
|---|---|---|
| Walk | Moves their legs, burns calories, lots to sniff | No stalk, no chase, no catch |
| Fetch | Gets the chase going | Asks for the prize right back, so there’s no win |
| Puzzle feeder | Works the brain | Nothing moves, so there’s nothing to chase |
| Flirt pole | Stalk, chase, catch and the win, in your own yard | You have to be out there running it with them |
- StalkThe lure sits still on the ground, the eyes lock on and the whole body gets low and coiled up.
- ChaseThen they go full speed after something moving along the grass like real prey would.
- CatchThey get their mouth on it, which is the part a walk or a game of fetch never gives them.
- WinThey get to own it for a minute before you trade for the drop, and that’s when a dog can actually settle.
15,000 years domesticated, and the hunt never left
Dogs share most of their DNA with the gray wolf. We changed their size and their coat and their ears, but the part of the brain that wants to stalk, chase, catch and win stayed right where it was.
That sequence runs in every breed, every day. A walk doesn’t finish it and fetch only gets you about half of it, and whatever’s left over comes out as chewing and pacing and reactivity.
Watch a pet Mexican Red Wolf run the whole hunting sequence on a stuffed toy. That’s the same wiring your couch dog has. The long version is how I handle prey drive training.
How a ten-minute session goes
About 10 minutes total for most healthy adult dogs, done in short bursts with breaks in between. Treat these as a starting point and adjust for your own dog, cause every dog is a little different in how much they need and how fast they recover.
- Hold a wait. The lure goes still and your dog holds a sit or a down before any chase starts. That pause is where you build the off switch.
- Keep it low and wide. Sweep the lure along the grass so they run and turn instead of leaping, cause jumping is hard on knees and backs.
- Let them catch it. Every few rounds they get their mouth on it. A dog that never wins gets frustrated.
- Trade for the drop. Let them own it a moment, then trade for a drop-it and start the next round.
- End it on purpose. Use the same all-done word every time, and put the pole away where they can’t get to it.
On a hot day go early and keep it short. Seniors, dogs coming back from surgery and flat-faced breeds need shorter and easier sessions, so get the okay from your vet first. My training guide goes over how I run one, and here are the impulse control drills.
What to look for over the first couple of weeks
Every dog goes at their own pace, so don’t hold me to a calendar. What my clients tell me most is their dogs are a lot more relaxed after, calmer, and they just seem more satisfied.
Less wrecking
Look for the couch cushions to start getting left alone once they’ve had ten minutes of real chase and catch.
Calmer walks
Run a short session before the walk and look for the squirrels to turn into background noise, with a little less pulling.
Quiet evenings
Look for less pacing and fewer 10pm zoomies, and a lot more of the dog just crashing on the couch.
A closer bond
You’re the one running the game they love most, and that tends to pull a dog a lot closer to you.
Which pole fits your dog?
Pick by your dog’s size and how hard they play. Slide it to about what your dog weighs and tell me what they do when they catch something, and I’ll show you the one I’d buy for them.
45lbs
Standard under 30Rugged XL 30+120+
The kit I’d buy for this dog
Rugged XL Pro Kit
$129.95
- One-piece 46-inch fiberglass rod, 800-lb Dyneema static line
- 5 lures and a spare line, so a worn part never ends a session
- Free US shipping
Big dogs go through lures, so the Pro Kit is the one I’d start with. Want fewer lures? The Rugged XL + 3 Lures is $94.95.
Every kit, side by side
If your dog is under 30 lbs and plays moderate, get the Standard. If they’re 30 lbs and up, or they play hard at any size, get a Rugged XL kit. Right at 30 lbs, go XL. In my own use the Rugged XL holds up to a 120-lb power breed.
Rugged XL + 3 Lures
$94.95
- Same pole and line, 3 lures
- Dogs 30 lbs and up, free US shipping
Rugged XL
$74.95
- Same pole and line, 1 lure
- Dogs 30 lbs and up, free US shipping
Standard
$55.95
- 450-lb Kevlar static line, 1 lure
- Dogs under 30 lbs, $20 shipping
Every kit has the 30-day money-back guarantee and usually ships within 2 days. The Standard ships for $20 cause it goes out in a longer box. If you’re still comparing, here’s every Rugged XL kit side by side, or the whole shop with the lures and lines.
The four things I check on any pole
Most people judge a flirt pole by how tough it looks in a picture, and that tells you about nothing. I’ve tried a lot of flirt poles. Some were too short or bulky, some had a violent bungee cord, and some were just too heavy. So this is what I actually look at, and I hold mine to it too.
1. Field of chase
That’s how far out the lure can go and how much ground your dog gets to cover going after it. It matters a lot for bigger dogs and different breeds, cause an Irish Wolfhound takes long leaps and a herding dog is quick and cuts tight. On the Rugged XL the rod is 46 inches and the line with the lure is about 4 feet, so the lure gets out about 8 feet from your hand. I’d like it longer, but shipping anything over 4 feet costs a whole lot more.
The line being about the same length as the pole isn’t an accident either. I call that pole balance. If the line is a lot longer than the pole it actually shrinks your field of chase, because the lure just comes back to you.
2. A static line, never bungee
I won’t use a bungee line, ever. When the dog grabs, a bungee stretches and loads up and then whips the lure right back at you. A static line just goes where your hand goes. The Rugged XL uses Dyneema rated at 800 lbs and the Standard uses Kevlar rated at 450 lbs.
3. The lure stays on the ground
Prey runs along the ground. If you wave the lure up over your head the whole game turns into leaping and twisting, and that’s hard on a dog’s knees and back. A rod with the right amount of stiffness lets you sweep it low and keep it down there.
4. Holding up to the grab and shake
The hardest moment on any pole is the catch, when a big dog clamps down and shakes. A good pole should be lightweight and somewhat flexible, but not too flexible. Two-piece and collapsing poles lose strength, and if you add metal fittings to get it back the pole gets heavy and it’s not fun to use anymore. So the Rugged XL is one glossy blue rod with no sections and no threads to work loose.
This is for you if
- Your dog has more energy than anything you’ve tried can burn off
- Walks, fetch or daycare still don’t get you a calm dog
- You’ve already gone through a pile of “indestructible” toys
- Your dog won’t fetch, or gets bored of it pretty quick
- Your dog gets restless or destructive without enough exercise
- You’ll put in about ten minutes a day
It’s not for you if
You want a toy you can toss in the corner and walk away from, or your dog is already calm and doesn’t need it. It works cause you work it, and if nobody picks it up it’s just a stick in the garage.
Real sessions, real dogs
These aren’t staged studio shots, every session clip on this page is my own footage from real sessions with real dogs out on the grass.
What owners say, including the one who didn’t like it
Video and written reviews
Every quote below was copied word for word from a real review, and I leave the bad one up too cause you deserve to see that not every dog takes to it right away.
★★★★★
“…it is way more equipped to hold up to the body slamming my shepherd does. Even the string attachment is improved and my girl is VERY happy to have her ‘squirrel’ (now a raccoon) back. … Best purchase I ever made.”
★★★★★
“He’s a working dog mix breed who has energy to spare. We can play with him and his Whimsy for several 15 minute sessions a day; it definitely takes his high drive edge off.”
★★★★★
“I love this lightweight flirt pole! Our dog is super hyper and this pole wears him out in 5 minutes! It’s easy for me to handle even at my age, 74.”
★☆☆☆☆
“My dog doesn’t really like it. He prefers fetch.”
More from owners
Brenda M., Rugged XL 3-Lure Bundle: “Neagley loves it! Engaging, exciting fast paced play that wears her out. She gets so excited just to see us pull out the pole.”
Jake K., website: “I would give 6 STARS if I could.”
Flavia G., pit mix, website: “Life changing since our dog doesn’t fetch. She is also not good with other dogs so now we can get some exercise in our backyard.”
David M., website: “He’s a border collie, so lots of energy. He loves this thing, and it wears him out.”
Ken R., website: “We have an extremely active working dog mix 6 month old puppy and 5 minutes of this tires him out.”
Ben R., posted on the website: “It keeps him engaged, excited, and is one of the few things that can actually tire him out.”
Molly R., pittie lab mix, website: “…she’s constantly overflowing with energy and this is one of the only toys that tires her out.”
D. Richardson, Amazon: “Great training tool! We have used this with our puppy for the past six months and have found it to be very useful for his training as well as for his playtime.”
Mike T., Facebook: “If you’re looking for a fun and very tiresome game for your fur friends? Then this is the toy for you.”
Victor P., Amazon Verified Purchase: “One of the best flirt poles I have gotten for my dog. He loves it.”
Samantha, Etsy: “Very lightweight and good. My pups love it.”
Elaine A., Facebook: “Fantastic toy! My dogs love it!”
Who builds it
Me. I’m Christopher Lee Moran, a working dog trainer. I started out walking and sitting dogs on Wag back in 2016, then ran dog adventures, then went into private training, and it’s been about 10 years and around 400 client dogs since then. Controlled Freedom is the name of the method I train with. I don’t have certifications or vet letters after my name. A lot of what I know came from taking on the dogs other trainers had failed with.
Flirt poles helped those dogs, but the poles I could buy didn’t hold up. I bought the ones I could find, handed them out to clients and watched what broke. Then I built my own and kept testing it on high-drive client dogs for years before I ever sold one. Whimsy Stick is based in Austin, Texas.
Shipping, returns, and what happens if it breaks
Shipping
Orders usually ship within 2 days. Every Rugged XL kit ships free in the US. The Standard is $20 because of the longer box.
30-day money-back
If it isn’t a fit, email me for a refund. You pay return shipping unless the pole failed.
If it breaks
If your dog is over 120 lbs, or under and still breaks it in proper, supervised play, I’ll work with you to fix it, replace it or refund it. Left out with the dog and chewed up isn’t covered.
Wear parts
Lures get shredded and lines fray, that’s normal. It’s why I sell a $12.95 lure and a $19.99 Rugged XL line.
If it’s not working out, email me first. A lot of times I can send you a couple of tips that get a hesitant dog into it. I’m a one-man company and I want you happy with it, so I’ll work with you. Full details: refund and returns policy · contact me
Before you buy: straight answers
What size should I get?
Under 30 lbs and not too rough, get the Standard. 30 lbs or more, or a rough player at any size, get a Rugged XL kit. Sitting right at 30? Go XL.
Will it hold up to my 90-lb power chewer?
The Rugged XL is the one I made for big dogs that grab and shake. It’s one piece of reinforced fiberglass with a Dyneema line rated at 800 lbs, and in my own use it holds up to a 120-lb power breed. It’s not a chew toy though. A dog left alone with it is gonna chew it, and that’s not covered.
My dog won’t fetch. Will a flirt pole work?
A lot of times, yes. Plenty of dogs that ignore a ball light up when something moves along the ground. Some dogs still won’t care for it, and the one 1-star review on this page is exactly that. Email me before you give up on it, cause a couple of tips usually help.
Won’t it make my dog more hyper?
Not if you run it with some structure: a wait before every chase, a catch every few rounds, a drop-it, and an all-done word at the end. It gives chase drive an outlet, but it isn’t a treatment for reactivity or aggression, and if that’s part of the picture bring in a qualified behavior pro too.
Is a flirt pole safe for puppies?
Wait until your puppy is at least 6 months old and ask your vet about growth plates. Until they’re 12 months keep it to 3 to 5 easy minutes with no hard cuts. The AKC’s guide to puppy exercise covers the growth plate side of it.
Can it help with leash reactivity?
It can take the edge off before a walk, and that makes the leash work easier to practice. It won’t fix reactivity on its own. Start with my reactive dog training guide, and if there’s fear or aggression involved work with a qualified behavior pro. The AKC explains reactivity vs. aggression well.
How much space do I need?
About 20 feet of clear grass across works good, since the lure gets out about 8 feet from your hand on the Rugged XL. More room is always better.
What makes it different from a cheap flirt pole?
A cheap pole usually has telescoping joints and a bungee. Mine is one solid rod with a static braided line, and the lure comes off so you can replace it. Honestly, if your dog is small and gentle and plays once a week, a cheap pole is fine. If you’ve got a big dog that plays most days, the build is what you’re paying for. More on that: is a flirt pole safe?
Try it for 30 days, or get your money back
If it isn’t a fit for your dog, email me for a refund. You cover return shipping unless the pole failed. Big dogs go through lures, so the Pro Kit is the one I’d start with.
Got a smaller dog? The Standard is $55.95
Find the page that sounds like your dog
Based on my own experience training dogs. Not veterinary advice. Check with your vet before strenuous exercise for puppies, seniors, dogs after surgery and flat-faced breeds. Exercise disclaimer.
