Great Toy For Dogs: Tail Teaser

Sorry about the unfortunate Google Term. Flirt Pole is a type of toy that looks like a glorified cat toy, but made for dogs to chase. These are fantastic tools for high drive dogs who like to chase things, but happen to live in small places.

Tail Teaser isn't much better...it's the brand name of a specific flirt pole.

I know, the jokes write themselves

That said,  I have to say that this toy has served as a lifesaver this winter with all the snow we've had in New England, and the dreaded colds that keep contaminating our household!

Video on Tail Teaser - To be fair, I was a bit nervous typing in "Tail Teaser" into Google. Who knew what crazy things could have come up...and did. Search with caution!

Dogs Using the Tail Teaser : There are a couple things I dislike about this video, but this is the only video I could see where the dogs were using the toy. I'll go point by point:
 1. Multiple dogs going after one toy: Ideally, you'd work one dog at a time, in a space without other dogs present to prevent resource guarding.
 2. The floor: You don't want to injure your dog if they are jumping up to get the toy. Instead, use a carpet, or get a portable play mat that will not move when your dog jumps and lands. Or, go outside!

That said, I do like that the owner asked the dog "drop it", and the dog immediately complied. You don't want to get into a tugging match with your dog unless that's the game you want to play, but you should eventually get your dog to drop the toy on your command. You can use this toy to teach a reliable drop it command, by using the techniques found in this training video.

One last point to make: If your dog is a resource guarder with humans - for example, your dog growls when people try to take something away, or if a human comes close to something that they are possessive over, then consult a Certified Pet Dog Trainer or Certified Behavior Consultant to assist you.