The springpole

just Curious on everyone’s opinion of the springpole’s value as a conditioning tool. Can it serve a purpose in a program or is it more of a toy your dog can use to burn off some steam.

Had a debate with a friend of mine. He stated that most of the published keeps did not use this Excerise and most of the people he knows don’t use it either.

Thoughts?

 

If it's the only way to induce maximum stress of course it should be incorporated into your conditioning program.

 

I used Springpole 'after' my dogs finished mill/bike/flirtpole, kept it right till the end as a sort of reward for doing all the other stuff.. It's a good motivator and great way for a dog to blow off steam.. Like Slim said already, if your dog won't work nothing but Springpole, or even jump up and down at the fence all day trying to catch a glimpse of next door's Labrador, then that's gonna make an expensive treadmill worthless in terms of conditioning that particular animal.. I know one UK champion got whooped by a dog conditioned on nothing more than Springpole and sprints for a tennis ball.. Dog below a good son of Scar Kennels Champion Jacko .

 

Thanks for the reply Slim. Appreciate the insights.

I was asking on the assumption that your dog enjoys the other tools of the trade, a buddy of mine has a dog that is just an absolute pleasure to work. He does everything and with great enthusiasm. Not saying all dogs are like him but given an example like that dog, how would the springpole compare to let’s say a slatmill for conditioning or flirting for strength/power?

 

What’s the difference between working out and burning off some steam . Cause a dog don’t know the difference

 

in my experience there IS a difference wicked13! The dog I mentioned above would run straight past a treadmill to get to the Springpole, all he wanted was to tear the shit out of it all day/every day.. If I kept pushing ahead with the mill the dog would have got bored, lost interest and gone stale on me.. IMO 'some' dogs know the difference between work and fun, like kids knows the difference between vegetables and ice cream, they eat the veg, but only because they're getting ice cream after! The example I gave was a dog that only chased a ball and worked Springpole, I got some good sprints on the ball, but the Springpole was the motivator and he'd go wide open on it.. He loved it! If he loved the treadmill as much, then it would have been much easier for me, but he didn't!.. I've seen dogs walking a slatmill and thought 'what's the point?' I've seen them blast it with such intensity it was a blur! Whatever a dog works, if they work it 100% and loving it, that's what I call blowing off steam!

 

Lol na I know there would be a difference especially if u had a dog show to attend all them weeks out I was just fucking around with the op,s wording it had a double edge to the question so I wanted to pose the question in a different way cause the dog knows no difference .only the the the person knows .the dog still gives its all even if your just burning off some or preparing for a show .

 

Good detail there Slim.. Thanks for the insight, should be obvious really, but I've always just used a Springpole in the high position with dog's back legs on the ground, I'll include the different aspects and angles from now on though, thanks!

 

I have some funny dogs. I can’t really lower the hide too much because the dogs stop working the hide and instead go to bite the rope so they can take the hide and run off with it lol

 

Mine do the same thing. They'll go after the rope if its too low. I use a trampoline spring. Its set to a height that the dogs have to come off their front legs to reach it but once they have it, it will stretch out to where all 4 legs will be on the ground.. The resistance makes mine stay interested. Especially if I get involved by grabbing the rope as if I'm the one causing the resistance.

I've known quite a few who incorporate spring pole work as part of a keep. Like slim has said many times before, just another tool in the toolbox to use.

 

Trampoline springs! It's obvious, but I never thought of using them before! They lying all over the place too, thanks AGK.

 

For resistance I always used Bungee cord, rubber Pilates bands, bicycle inner tubes anything that was stretchy, cheap and disposable since most of my springpoles were located somewhere private along my walking route, mostly used thick hemp rope as a lure, sometimes attached a thinner rope half way up the springpole so I could pull the dog one way, then another while he worked the rope, felt it kept the situation live if that makes sense.

 

Honest Slim! I can't even remember when I started using Springpole.. I do remember sending to America for cow hide strips because I couldn't find them in UK anywhere, felt like Don Mayfield when they arrived, but none of my dogs liked them, they'd mouth them, then let go again, put a hemp rope back on the Springpole and they tore the shit out of it.. What you said about Bell's & Whistles is right! East End Kennels once told me their feed secret was Eukanuba Premium dog food.. I'd never heard of it before, so I drove the 700 mile round trip to their dog food supplier, bought 2 bags of Eukanuba, got back home feeling like Don Mayfield again, showed the pink bags to my partner and he told me they sold it in the pet shop just around the corner haha!

 

Eukanuba good feed but pricey oldguy .... i got told off my pal that he used to get it for dd and eastend kennels as he got it cheaper ...did they condition on the premium stuff or did they just use it as yer meat and two veg and add extras ?