Gettin' Flirty

Recently our friends over at Erie-sisti-Bulls wrote about one of Ed and Tess' favorite toys: the flirt pole!  We've been wanting to make a flirt pole for some time now, so it was perfect that they posted the instructions for us to follow.  We made a trip to Home Depot last week to purchase all of the supplies which cost us about $8 (it was great to have an actually purpose for visiting Home Depot with Athena other than to just parooz the light fixtures and such for training purposes).

The supplies for making a DIY flirt pole are quite easy to find and are also inexpensive.  They include PVC pipe cut to desired length, rope, two washers, and a toy to attach to the rope.  I pulled up Erie-sisti-Bull's instructions and supply list while at Home Depot and went around the store looking for each item.  After cutting the PVC pipe at the cutting station and getting our rope cut by an employee (annnnddd getting in a bit of training with Athena), we were in and out of the store in less than thirty minutes.

The flirt pole was super easy to assemble at home and Athena couldn't wait to find out why we had attached her bunny carcass to the end of the rope.  She soon found out the rules of the game in the backyard.  Once she mastered the game at home, we took it to the park for even more fun!

Focus, focus, focus:

Before we start a game of "chase the dead bunny," we ask Athena to be in a "sit" or a "down."  The game won't begin until she follows this first rule.

Get it!:

Athena isn't allowed to move toward the flirt pole until we say the magic words, which in this case are "get it!"

The funny thing is, Athena is actually more mesmerized by the rope than she is by the actual toy at the end.

Drop it like it's hot!

After Athena has caught her prey, we give her the "drop it" command.  After much practice with dropping her tug and toys on command, she now knows that she better spit out whatever's in her mouth when we say the words, or it will go into hiding.  She's pretty good about dropping the flirt pole on command, but we won't play with her if she doesn't follow this rule.  Not dropping it = bye, bye, flirt pole!

Here's a video of Athena in action (after about 15 minutes of playing with the flirt pole):

So far we've been loving the flirt pole as a different way to exercise Athena.  The only thing we've found is that at this point, Athena gets bored of the flirt pole after about 15 minutes (maybe it's because she's so totally exhausted that she can't take much more?!).  Apparently it's just not quite as entertaining as her beloved ball.  She does get quite the workout with it though, even in our small backyard!

Has your dog ever tried a flirt pole?  What has your experience been like with it?

One Stop Shopping

Currently we are enjoying a week off in celebration of spring break.  So far our break has consisted of many Athena related activities.  Yesterday we decided to take a trip to Home Depot, not because we needed anything there, but just because they allow dogs in the store.

Usually when we want to get out of the house, we either head to the park or to a pet store because they are the only places that we know of that allow dogs.  Home Depot is one of our go-to places for extra special Athena outings because they also allow dogs in the store.  We first learned about the possibilities for dogs at Home Depot from our good friends at Two Pitties in the City who often take Miss M and Mr. B to the store during the snowy Chicago winters.

The particular Home Depot that we frequent is very dog friendly (and I've heard that most of them are) and it's not uncommon for us to see other dog shoppers around the store.  Many employees will stop to talk to us about Athena and will often share stories of their rescue dogs at home.  Athena also gets lots of exposure to new people because there's always a few people who ask to say hi to her.

Our favorite thing to do in Home Depot is to practice Athena's down-stay.  We pick an aisle with very interesting materials (such as the light fixtures) and think of all of the possibilities for our dream home while Athena quietly lies next to us.  This is great practice for Athena to work on her training commands in a place other than the living room that.  Home Depot is filled with distractions such as people, rolling carts, loud noises, and different smells.  This is a great environment for a Canine Good Citizen in Training!

Not only do we do training exercises while in the store, but we also allow Athena to sometimes lead the way with her nose.  She is always eager to sniff around and poke her nose into different corners and onto different shelves.  You won't ever find her sniffing around the rolls of carpet though.  For some reason, she's completely terrified of those big rolls.

What are some places that you take your dog for extra special training?  Have you ever taken your dog to Home Depot?