Best Flirt Pole for Rottweilers: The Drover Drive Build
The Rugged XL is the only Whimsy Stick I’d put in your hand for a Rottweiler, at any age. AKC lists males at 95 to 135 lbs and females at 80 to 100, so the Standard is the wrong pole from day one. Run a short session on grass, get the drop-it while they’re the most fired up, then say all done and have them settle. A lot of Rotties like having a job, and a session with a clear start and end gives them one.
Rugged XL at a glance: one 46-inch piece of reinforced fiberglass, an 800-lb Dyneema line that doesn’t stretch, replaceable lures, for dogs 30 lbs and up. In my own use it holds up to a 120-lb power breed. From $74.95 with free US shipping, in stock and usually ships within 2 days.
By Christopher Lee Moran, working dog trainer, about 10 years and around 400 client dogs. I’m a trainer, not a vet, and I designed the Whimsy Stick, so I’m not neutral about flirt poles. For high-drive dogs in general, see the high-energy dog guide.
Who this guide is for
- You’ve got a teenage Rottweiler, big body, still a puppy brain
- You’ve got a working-line or German-line Rottie with a lot of drive
- Your Rottie goes off at the door, demands stuff, or is starting to guard things
- You’ve got a Rottweiler and another dog in the house, especially two of the same sex
- You want to give that drive somewhere to go without getting into Schutzhund or IPO
Signs your Rottweiler needs a daily job
- Can’t hold a sit-stay when people come to the door
- Barks at you, the door or other dogs when they don’t get what they want
- Leans hard into you when excited or nervous
- Guards food, toys, beds or certain spots in the house
- Won’t let go of a toy or a chew when you ask, even when things are calm
- Lunges or gets worked up on leash around other dogs
- Seems stubborn or checked out in training even though you know they’re smart
New to the tool? Start with what a flirt pole is and come back.
The Rottweiler drive profile: work, guardian, drover
Rottweilers are their own thing, even next to other guardian breeds. A lot of them want to work, they’ll chase, they watch you close, and they look after their place. AKC calls the breed a robust working breed of great strength descended from the mastiffs of the Roman legions, and says that if there are jobs to do, Rottweilers learn easily to cart and are excellent workers in herding, tracking and obedience. They came back as police dogs in the early 1900s too.
That wanting-to-work part shapes how I run the session. A lot of Rotties seem to actually enjoy doing a job right instead of just putting up with it. Every dog is different, but I’d plan the session like it’s their job, with a clear start and a clear end.
Working line vs American show line
People usually talk about two kinds of Rottweiler now, kind of like Labs. Working-line dogs, sometimes called German or European line, tend to be leaner with more drive and get bred for work and sports like Schutzhund and IPO. American show-line dogs tend to be stockier and calmer, bred more for the show ring and family life. How they act matters more than how they look.
So go off the dog in front of you. Still buzzing after a long walk and some obedience work? Run them like a working-line dog, whatever the papers say. Flops on the couch after a normal walk and leaves you alone all day? That’s more show-line. The session is the same for both, only how often changes. I’d do it most days with a working-line dog, and a show-line dog a lot of times does fine with a few sessions a week.
| What to watch | Working-line Rottie | American show-line Rottie |
|---|---|---|
| Build | Usually leaner and more athletic | Usually stockier and heavier |
| Drive | Lots of drive to work, and they’ll chase | Less drive, calmer in the house |
| Daily needs | A job most days to settle down | Walks and easy play are a lot of times enough |
| Flirt pole | Most days | A few times a week |
| Watch out for | Guarding if they don’t get structure | Extra weight, cause it’s hard on joints |
For a Rottweiler, the flirt pole session becomes the dog’s job. Keep it the same every day so they know what’s coming, and a lot of times they start offering the wait on their own once they figure out it’s how the game works. For more on the chase, see the predatory motor pattern explained.
Joint and health rules for Rottweilers
A Rottweiler is a big, heavy dog, so I’d be more careful with them than with a lot of breeds. AKC says responsible breeders test potential parents for hip dysplasia, eye diseases and heart conditions, and that cancer sometimes occurs in the breed, as in all dogs. AKC also notes that excess weight isn’t good for any dog. I’m not a vet, so before any hard chase work, get your vet to check your Rottie over and ask what they’re OK doing. That goes double for an older dog or one that’s been hurt before.
Joint rules for a heavy dog
- Grass, dirt or good rubber only, never concrete, asphalt, hardwood or tile. A heavy dog stopping and turning hard on a slick or hard floor is asking for trouble.
- Keep the lure on the ground the whole time. No flicking it up where the dog has to leave the ground, cause jumping and landing is the part I’d be most careful with on a dog this heavy.
- Run wide circles and skip the tight spins, so your dog runs smooth curves instead of slamming on the brakes to pivot.
- If your Rottie starts limping and it doesn’t go away, stop the flirt pole and see the vet.
Ask about the heart, and watch the heat. You can’t see a heart problem from the outside, so ask your vet if your dog’s heart should get checked before a lot of hard chasing. If your dog ever gets tired way too fast, struggles to breathe or seems off during a session, stop and call the vet. On hot days keep it really short or skip it, cause a big dark dog in the sun heats up fast.
When I’d skip the chase
A joint problem, coming back from surgery, or a health issue your vet hasn’t cleared? Then I’d skip it. A young puppy gets a still or barely moving lure until your vet says they can go full speed, cause these dogs grow for a long time. For those dogs I’d do scentwork, some obedience or a food puzzle instead. The flirt pole safety guide has the rest.
The teenage Rottweiler stretch
The teenage stretch with a Rottweiler can go on a while. They get big way before they grow up, so you end up with a huge dog that still acts like a puppy. That’s a common time for guarding, leash reactivity and trouble with other dogs to start showing up, so I’d get the structure in early.
With a teenage Rottie I’d change three things. Keep sessions short while they’re still growing, cause a short session every day beats a long one every so often. Start the wait at just a few seconds and build it slow, so you’re not setting them up to fail. And be patient with it, cause a lot of them fight the wait at first and then start offering it once they get that it’s part of the game.
What it usually looks like
At first it’s gonna feel like your dog is testing every rule. They’ll break the wait, ignore the drop-it and grab the lure early, just to see if you mean it. That’s normal. Every calm reset teaches them the rules are real. Then the waits get steadier, the drop-it gets easier, and a lot of times they start offering the wait before you ask. Every dog moves at its own speed, so don’t hold them to a schedule. What clients tell me in general is their dogs are a lot more relaxed and calmer and seem more satisfied once this is part of the day.
The Rottweiler protocol and daily schedule
It’s the same five steps I use with every breed: wait, chase, catch, drop it, then all done and settle. With a Rottie I treat the session like their job for the day, keep the catch short, and put a lot of work into the drop-it. The full method is in the flirt pole training guide.
1. Wait, built up slow
Put the lure on the ground and keep it still. Ask for a sit or a stand and have them wait, a few seconds with a young dog and a little longer with an adult. Only take a full wait, and reset calmly if they break. Good looks like: eyes on the lure, no creeping forward, holding it the whole time.
That’s the motor you’re working with. A Rottweiler bounding across an open field. The wait is what puts a brake on all that.
Impulse control drills2. A controlled chase, smooth and steady
Give the release word and drag the lure along the ground nice and steady, changing direction smooth and stopping here and there. Don’t whip it around. A lot of Rotties do better with steady movement than wild flicks, and they’re reading your voice the whole time, so keep it calm. Good looks like: goes hard but follows the lure in wide circles and stays on the ground.
3. Catch and hold, kept short
Every couple of rounds, stop the lure and let your Rottie catch it and hold it a few seconds before you ask for the out. I keep the hold short with these dogs, cause a long hold can start turning into guarding, and that’s the opposite of what you’re building. Good looks like: a clean grab, a happy hold, and a little loosening before you ask for the out.
4. Drop it on cue, the most important part
Ask for the out, reward the let-go and start over at the wait. A drop-it while your Rottie is fired up is the most important thing you’ll practice here. It helps with letting go of other stuff too, like something they found on a walk or a bone with another dog around, so put a lot of reps in early. Good looks like: lets go the first time and looks back at you. The full progression is in flirt pole impulse control drills.
5. All done, lure away, settle
After a few minutes, shorter for a young dog, end with one last catch and drop. Say all done, put the lure where they can’t see it, and ask for a down or place with a calm reward. Don’t walk off and leave your Rottie to wind down alone. You want them to learn the job has an ending and you’re the one who calls it, and that’s how an off-switch starts.
A daily schedule for a working-drive Rottweiler
Morning: a short session of the full routine before they eat, so your Rottie gets their job right at the start of the day. Midday: some obedience, scentwork or place practice. It’s not a second flirt pole session, just something else for that brain. Evening: an easy sniffy walk when it’s cooler, cause these big dogs heat up fast. On the crazy days, a short evening flirt pole session can take the place of the walk. For more, see why dogs get hyper after walks.
Why a flirt pole isn’t Schutzhund or IPO practice
People sometimes ask if a flirt pole can take the place of Schutzhund, IPO or French Ring. It can’t. Bitework sports teach a dog to target bite gear and let go on cue while really worked up, and that takes a trained decoy, special gear and a handler who knows what they’re doing. Trying it without that can leave you with a big dog that has holes in its control, which is a real problem at this size. The flirt pole is chase and catch with rules, so your dog learns to calm down when you ask. Most pet Rottweiler owners need that, not bitework. If you do both, keep them totally separate, with different gear and different sessions.
What I’d never do with a flirt pole and a Rottweiler
- Use it to work them up into defense, or to target anything shaped like a person. It’s a chase game, that’s all.
- Skip the wait and the drop-it to let them “get it out.” Skip those and your Rottie learns the flirt pole means anything goes, the last thing you want with a guardian breed.
- Run a session when you’re upset or wound up yourself, cause a Rottie is reading you the whole time.
Rottweiler behavior problems this can help with
A lot of common Rottweiler problems come back to a dog with plenty of drive and nowhere to put it. This isn’t a cure for anything, but it gives that drive somewhere to go and builds some self-control.
Resource guarding, prevention and management
A lot of guardian breeds can lean toward guarding stuff, and the fired-up drop-it is the skill I’d lean on, so put a lot of reps into it. If your dog already guards things and has bitten, this isn’t enough by itself. Get a qualified trainer or a vet behaviorist, and use this alongside that work.
Door-charging and territorial barking
A big Rottie charging the door is a real problem. The all-done and settle at the end of every session teaches your dog to calm down when you ask, and you can start using that at the door. Practice place when somebody knocks. For more, see reactive dog training.
Same-sex trouble and leash reactivity
Some Rottweilers have trouble with other dogs of the same sex. A flirt pole won’t change who your dog is, but a dog that’s had its chase usually handles other dogs better. A reactive Rottie on leash is dangerous just cause of how strong they are, and while the flirt pole doesn’t teach leash manners, a dog that heads out calm is a lot easier to walk. If there’s been a bite, get a professional involved.
Demand barking and leaning
Demand barking is a smart, pushy dog that hasn’t learned self-control yet. The sessions teach that the fun comes from the routine, not from barking at you, but you have to stop answering the barking every time or it won’t stick. A lot of Rotties lean on their people, and I wouldn’t try to get rid of that. If it’s constant and pushy, real time with you every day can take some of the edge off.
Where this stops. It won’t fix fear aggression, a dog that’s already bitten a dog or a person, or guarding that’s gone past warnings to bites. Those need a qualified trainer or a vet behaviorist, and with a dog as big and strong as a Rottweiler I wouldn’t skip that. Use the flirt pole alongside that work, not instead of it.
A Rottweiler going hard on a tug
Here’s a real Rottweiler hanging on to a ring toy. That grab and pull is exactly what a light pole isn’t built for.
Which Whimsy Stick fits your Rottweiler
For a Rottweiler I’d only use the Rugged XL, at any age. Adults are way past the 30-lb line, and a Rottie puppy that starts out under it won’t stay there long. The XL is one 46-inch piece of reinforced fiberglass with no joints and an 800-lb Dyneema static line, so there’s no bungee and nothing that snaps back. A joint is the weak spot when a big dog grabs and shakes, so I left the joints out, and in my own use it holds up to a 120-lb power breed.
I bought the flirt poles I could find, handed them out to clients and watched what broke, then designed my own and tested it on high-drive client dogs for years before I ever sold one. With a puppy, use the XL nice and easy with a still or barely moving lure, and work the wait, the drop-it and trading for a treat. You buy one pole and it grows with them. Your vet tells you when the puppy is ready for full speed.
Rugged XL + 3 Lures
- One 46-inch piece of fiberglass · 800-lb Dyneema line
- 3 lures for a dog that goes hard on gear · free US shipping
Rugged XL Pro Kit
- The XL with 5 lures and a spare line
- For dogs that shred lures · free US shipping
Rugged XL
- Same pole and line, 1 lure
- Dogs 30 lbs and up · free US shipping
Every order has a 30-day money-back guarantee, and you pay return shipping unless the pole failed. A pole that breaks in normal play gets replaced, but one that gets chewed while nobody’s watching isn’t covered. For build details, see the complete flirt pole buying guide and why the Whimsy Stick is built the way it is.
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Best flirt pole for Rottweilers, FAQ
What is the best flirt pole for a Rottweiler?
I’d go with the Rugged XL at any age, cause adult Rotties are way over 30 lbs and puppies get there fast. At that size you want a one-piece rod with no joints and a line that doesn’t stretch, cause when a cheap telescoping pole breaks the parts can come flying back at the dog.
Is a flirt pole safe for Rottweilers given the joint and cancer risks?
It can be, but I’d be stricter with a Rottie than with a lot of breeds. AKC says breeders test for hip dysplasia and heart conditions, and that cancer sometimes occurs in the breed, as in all dogs. Ask your vet first, keep it on grass with the lure on the ground and wide circles, and stop and see the vet if your dog starts limping.
At what age can I start flirt pole training with a Rottweiler puppy?
Start a young puppy with the lure sitting still and work the wait and the drop-it for a couple minutes. As they get older, add slow drags and real short chases. Hold off on full speed until your vet says their body is ready, cause these dogs grow for a long time.
Does working line vs American show line matter for flirt pole use?
It does. Working-line Rotties tend to be leaner with more drive, and American show-line dogs tend to be stockier and calmer. If yours is still buzzing after a long walk and some obedience, run them like a working-line dog. I’d do most days with those, and a few times a week is a lot of times enough for a show-line dog.
Does the Rottweiler’s work drive change how the protocol works?
It does. AKC calls them excellent workers in herding, tracking and obedience, and a lot of them do best with a job every day, so the flirt pole session can be that job. A lot of times they fight the wait at first and then start offering it once they get how the game works.
Will a flirt pole help with my Rottweiler’s resource guarding?
It can help from the side, cause you’re practicing the drop-it when your dog is the most fired up, and letting go of something they want is the skill that matters with guarding. If your dog already guards and has bitten, get a qualified trainer or a vet behaviorist. I wouldn’t count on the flirt pole alone.
How long should flirt pole sessions be for a Rottweiler?
Keep it short, a few minutes for a healthy adult when it’s cool out and shorter for a young dog. When it’s hot, cut it way down or skip it, cause a big dark dog heats up fast. A lot of driven dogs will keep going way past when they should stop, so watch the clock, not the dog.
Can I use a flirt pole instead of Schutzhund or IPO work for my Rottweiler?
No, they’re different things. Schutzhund and IPO teach a dog to target bite gear and let go on cue while worked up in defense. The flirt pole is a chase game with rules that teaches your dog to calm down when you ask. If you do both, keep the gear and the sessions totally separate.
My Rottweiler is reactive to other dogs. Will the flirt pole help?
It can help some. The flirt pole doesn’t teach dog manners, but a Rottie that isn’t already wound up usually handles other dogs better. If there’s been a bite, get a professional to help and use this alongside that.
How long until I see behavior changes in my Rottweiler?
I can’t give you a date, cause every dog is different. Usually the wait shows up first and the drop-it gets steadier after that, and a lot of times it carries over to walks, the door and the house. The biggest thing is doing it most days.
What if my Rottweiler has zero prey drive or has never chased anything?
Some dogs need warming up to it. Go through the 5-session ramp, short sessions where they just check it out, then slow drags before any chasing. If yours seems scared of it, sort that out first and don’t push the chase.
For a Rottweiler, the session becomes the job.
Soft ground, a low lure, most of your time on the drop-it, and an all-done with a settle at the end of every one. One 46-inch piece of fiberglass and an 800-lb Dyneema line, free US shipping and 30 days to try it.
Add the Rugged XL + 3 Lures, $94.95Not sure? Read about the predatory motor pattern
Based on my own experience training dogs. Not veterinary or behavioral medical advice. Exercise disclaimer.
