[wild_deuce03]

I started using a flirt pole with Athena about a couple weeks ago. To say she loves it would be an understatement! That being said, she wants to do it ALL the time. Right now she goes out for around an hour or two a day. She has to be dragged into the house to stop. Once inside, she sits and whines at the door. We used to leave it on the porch but she just grabs it and runs off with it when she goes outside. So I put it in my closet. Now she'll go back and forth between the front door and my closet whining wanting to get the pole. It literally is all she wants to do now. Is this normal for some dogs? Anything I can do to curb her fixation on it?

 

[Lex's Guardian]

I'd just grab a few treats & start doing basic obedience commands w/ her then change it up a bit w/ new commands & maybe fetch w/ a tennis ball or frisbee.

 

[wild_deuce03]

I'd just grab a few treats & start doing basic obedience commands w/ her then change it up a bit w/ new commands & maybe fetch w/ a tennis ball or frisbee.

Yeah, I haven't tried using treats yet to distract her, but I have a feeling that once the initial distraction wears off (once she gobbles up the treats), she'll go back to doing the same thing. I'll give that a try though.

It's crazy, if she is out front without the flirt pole, everything distracts her. Using the flirt pole, nothing does. There could be 100 dogs at the fence and she'll completely blow them off. Someone walks in the driveway, blows them off. Shoot, someone could break in and just be carrying a flirt pole and they could run off with everything! LOL! Of course, there's the other dogs to worry about.

 

[Lex's Guardian]

Yeah, I haven't tried using treats yet to distract her, but I have a feeling that once the initial distraction wears off (once she gobbles up the treats), she'll go back to doing the same thing. I'll give that a try though.

It's crazy, if she is out front without the flirt pole, everything distracts her. Using the flirt pole, nothing does. There could be 100 dogs at the fence and she'll completely blow them off. Someone walks in the driveway, blows them off. Shoot, someone could break in and just be carrying a flirt pole and they could run off with everything! LOL! Of course, there's the other dogs to worry about.

LoL, yeah, my MIL's lab will get like that over a tennis ball (i swear this dog developed doggy OCD) but he's kind of a different case & that was the ONLY outside time he got far & few between - now they let him get fat & his breathing gets heavy from just sitting. It's sad because it's really not a breed designed for them being labs are so insanely hyper active & intelligent.

I think if you just keep at it, continual distraction & new tricks/games will help curb this overtime. Stubbornness is also a perk w/ the pit bull, lol

LOL, I know what you mean about strangers - Lex never meets one.

 

[MY MIKADO]

Vendetta is that way with a ball. I get my girl to do anything if she thinks she will get a ball as a reward. I have a lot of patience so I just say "NO" and lay down. I hate how fixated she is over her ball and fetch time. On the weekends it is harder because when my sister is home the schedule is different so V knows I will give in and play with her right off the bat as apossed to making her wait.

I think Ryan if you just use "NO" and lay down Athena is smart enough to get it.

 

[k8nkane]

I have to give Kane a cue to let him know we're done playing and there's nothing he can do about it, otherwise he'll do what Athena does, lol. After coming back from outside, I say "All done!" and put whatever we were playing with out of sight and reach. In the beginning, he'd sit and whine in front of wherever I'd put the toy. I'd just repeat "All done!" and make him lay down and stay in a spot away from the toy.

 

[apbtmom76]

Orion is like this with his tennis ball, and I am like Kate, when I bring it in I put it up and say "no more" it took him a couple of times but he got it, and he knows he is not allowed to touch it, right now and for a while now it is on top of his crate with his chuck it. He never touches it. Just work with her, Penny was like this with the springpole, but when she realized she could play with it anytime she wanted too, she quite obssessing as much. Good Luck

 

[wild_deuce03]

Good points all. I'll work on that. It's funny, the wife just got it out of the closet. Athena was knocked out on the couch. Trina put it on the bed and walked out and rubbed Athena. Athena smelled it on her and jumped up looking for it! LOL!