From all these different posts, you can see the variations! :lol:
My three greys have very different play modes, sometimes involving toys, sometimes not. Noisemakers are fun ... as long as they last, and my three can perform squeekerectomies pretty darn fast! NEW toys are always the favorites. I have one that will only play briefly with not-new toys, if he thinks you're not looking, but will drop it like it doesn't exist if he sees you watching. The other two like to play tug-o-war and keep-away together. One is a lure-pole NUT!

To make your own cheapo lure pole, get an 8' length of pvc pipe at your local hardware store, drill a hole through one end, tie a strong lightweight nylon rope through it, with a stuffie or plastic milk jug tied to the other end. Voila! Lure pole! The milk jug is nice and light for you, and for some reason a real hoot for the hound. The stuffie works well if it's too windy for the jug.

Go easy on the lure pole games, though. They can work themselves into a complete collapse if you let them. Give it about 15 minutes and see how it goes. My strong young (18 month old) puppy will be flinging drool by 20 minutes, and pant for an hour afterwards. Be careful about food and water for about an hour before and after such a work out (possibility of bloat), but it's a GREAT way to get your pup tired out in a short period! My Pogo gives it two paws way up!

Oh, one more note about that. He really goes into some crazy contortions to catch the flying lure, and has twice pulled a muscle in his neck/shoulders that caused him some real discomfort for a week or 10 days afterwards. It IS a work out, so it does come with some risk.