This is my dog training blog, about prey drive and reactivity and impulse control, breed guides and how to use a flirt pole, and I wrote it for owners of high-drive dogs where the usual advice hasn’t worked.
A lot of high-drive dogs don’t really have behavior problems so much as unmet instincts. Everything in here is about giving that instinct somewhere to go. It comes from about ten years and around 400 client dogs at my private training practice.
Your dog isn’t bad. They’re underemployed.
New here? Every protocol on this site builds on what’s in this guide. Start with it before anything else.
The Foundation
If you only read one thing in here, read this one. It’s how to run a flirt pole session start to finish, with how much room you need, how long to go, the cues that matter, why your dog has to get to catch it, and how to end it on purpose. Pretty much everything else on the site builds off it.
Read the full guide →
№ 001
A lot of reactivity is about how worked up the dog is, more than what cues he knows. Why counter-conditioning by itself can stall out, and a 5-phase plan for working on what’s going on inside him.
№ 002
Handing them a toy only works for so long. This is about giving a puppy some structure so he learns to turn it off, and how to work on bite inhibition and self-control.
№ 003
Jumping a lot of times is more about self-control than manners. How to burn off some drive first and then work the four-corner drill so he keeps his feet down when people come over.
№ 004
What people call boredom chewing a lot of times is drive that never got used. And that changes what you’d actually do about it.
№ 005
For some high-drive dogs a walk winds them up more instead of less. Why that happens, and what I’d do instead.
№ 006
It sounds backwards, but a dog that’s too worked up a lot of times needs more play with structure to it, not less. How that works and how to set up the session.
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№ 007
Four common reasons a dog is hyper all the time, and why just more exercise can make some of them worse. Plus how to figure out which one you’ve got.
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№ 008
It’s not just walk him more. A three-stage plan for a dog that’s always amped up, and it starts with giving him a real outlet.
№ 009
Why a short flirt pole session can do more for a high-energy dog than a long leash walk. How hard he works matters more than how long.
№ 010
Being in the same room isn’t the same as doing something together. Why playing with your dog with some structure to it does more for your bond than just hanging out.
№ 011
Why puzzle feeders don’t do much for a lot of high-drive dogs, and how to match the right kind of enrichment to the problem you’ve got.
12 ways to do it, ranked, plus a 15-minute routine inside for bad weather, an injury or days you can’t leave the house.
№ 013
You can’t train prey drive out of a dog. A 5-phase plan for working with it instead, for better focus and recall and a calmer dog.
№ 014
How flirt pole sessions with some structure can take the edge off a reactive dog, and the step by step method I use.
№ 015
Starts with a simple wait and release and works up to stringing cues together, so he learns self-control when his prey drive is up.
№ 016
The steps a dog goes through when he hunts, orient, eye, stalk, chase, catch and win. Why it matters and what can happen when he never gets to finish.
№ 017
A pole with a line and a lure that lets your dog stalk, chase, catch and win. What it is, how it works and why trainers use it.
№ 018
A lot of dogs need the right kind of exercise more than they need more of it. Why the type matters, and how to match it to your dog.
From the first sniff to using it every day, over 5 sessions. How to bring it in slow so he doesn’t get too worked up and he likes it from the start.
How often to use it based on your dog’s age, how much drive he has and what you’re working on. A straight answer, since most places don’t give one.
Why fetch can turn into ball obsession instead of a satisfied dog. With a flirt pole he gets to finish the chase, and fetch never lets him.
№ 022
Where the breed guides start. What makes a flirt pole hold up to a high-energy dog, and what tends to break first on the ones that don’t.
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№ 023
Working line vs show line drive, how the pole fits a retriever, taking care of a Lab’s joints, and getting through the teenage phase.
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№ 024
How drive shows up in a guardian breed, why self-control comes first, going easy on a big Corso’s joints, and why two short sessions are better than one long one.
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№ 025
The velcro dog with a lot of drive. Giving that prey instinct somewhere to go, the long teenage phase, and an outlet for a dog that follows you everywhere.
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№ 026
Boxers stay puppies a long time. How their drive comes out, going easy because of their short noses, and a routine that puts some structure on the chaos.
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№ 027
Guardian drive with a working background, why you go slow with a young Rottie, giving that drive a structured outlet, and health stuff to ask your vet about.
№ 028
If you’ve got a Pit Bull, Staffy, Amstaff or bully mix, a lot of regular flirt poles don’t last. What holds up to the grab and shake, and a short session to give that drive an outlet.
№ 029
For the high-drive working breeds. How to set up a session, how hard to push, and building self-control step by step.
№ 030
Border Collies do a lot better with structure. A daily routine that gives their drive somewhere to go without feeding the obsessive side.
№ 031
A short backyard session for high-drive Huskies, the dogs that could run all day if you let them.
№ 032
Keeping a Corgi’s back safe, Shelties that fixate, and how intense a cattle dog can get. Five breed breakdowns for the herding dogs.
№ 033
How to run a flirt pole session in a small apartment. Setting up the room, dialing it back, and still getting him tired without a yard.
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№ 034
The 5-minute rule, 10 ways ranked, and a stage by stage guide for tiring out a puppy while going easy on growth plates.
№ 035
Why your dog seems to forget everything during the teenage months, and a 6-step reset to get you through it.
Flirt pole designs ranked, and the 5 things to look at that tell you if it’s a real tool or just a toy.
№ 037
Field of chase, what kind of line, how the lure moves and how it’s built. The four things that decide if a flirt pole works at all.
A straight answer from a trainer with around 400 client dogs. What it looks like when it’s working, 3 reasons it might not, and what to watch for.
№ 039
What you can build yourself, what you can’t, and three safety problems that show up a lot on homemade flirt poles.
№ 040
Telescoping vs one piece, bungee vs static. What it’s made of and how it’s built decides whether a flirt pole holds up or not.
№ 041
What makes a chase toy actually work. It moves low like prey and makes him really run, and that’s where a lot of toys miss.
№ 042
Real reviews from owners using the Whimsy Stick with their high-drive dogs, good and bad.
№ 043
You want to know it won’t hurt your dog before you buy one. Four safety rules, which dogs should skip it, and the mistakes that get dogs hurt.
№ 044
A straight answer on whether it’s fair to the dog. When it’s fine, the ways people misuse it, and the difference between a frustrated dog and a satisfied one.
Every guide here is about a problem people bring to a trainer all the time, like reactivity or chewing everything or a dog that won’t settle. So I wrote it down. It’s about ten years of working with dogs, put in order.
Start with the Flirt Pole Training Guide. Pretty much everything else in here builds off that one. After that, read the behavioral problems guide and the prey drive training guide to see how it all fits. If you just bought a flirt pole, read how to introduce a flirt pole next.
A lot of it works for any dog, but I wrote it for high-drive dogs where the usual advice like more walks, puzzle toys or basic obedience isn’t cutting it, so if your dog settles easy and doesn’t wreck things you probably don’t need most of this.
I write all of it myself. I’m Christopher Lee Moran, a working dog trainer, about 10 years and around 400 client dogs, and a lot of them were high-drive dogs other trainers had failed with. I don’t have certifications or vet credentials. You can read more about my private training practice.
For most healthy adult dogs they are, as long as you use it right and use the right pole. Keep the lure on the ground and go in short rounds with breaks, end it on purpose, and use a pole that fits your dog’s size, and I’d match how hard you go to your dog’s age and breed and ask your vet if you’re not sure. The full flirt pole safety guide covers which dogs should skip it and how to avoid injuries.
There are guides for German Shepherds, Malinois, Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, Dobermans, Cane Corsos, Boxers, Border Collies, Huskies, Labs, Australian Cattle Dogs, Corgis and Shelties, and they’re in Section 06 above. But the main stuff like prey drive and impulse control and reactivity works for any breed, cause every dog has some hunting instinct in it.
No you don’t. Everything in here is free and works with any flirt pole, cause it’s more about how you play than what you play with. I built the Whimsy Stick and I’m gonna recommend it, but if you already have a flirt pole, read the Training Guide and start there. If you’re shopping for one, the buying guide goes over what to look for.
A lot of the guides in here use a Whimsy Stick for the sessions. Standard, $55.95 for dogs under 30 lbs, $20 shipping. Rugged XL Bundle, $94.95, free US shipping. 30-day money-back guarantee.
