Spin

A happy twirl in a circle on cue. Quick to learn, great as a training warm-up, and adored by kids.

🐾🐾 · ~5 days · 5 min/session

Step-by-step

1. Draw the circle with a treat

   Stand in front of your standing dog with a treat at their nose. Slowly guide your hand in a wide horizontal circle at nose height. The dog follows the treat and traces a full circle with their body.

   💡 Keep the circle wide and low — a small or high circle makes the dog sit or hop.

2. Reward the full turn

   Give the treat at the end of each full circle, just as the dog faces you again. If they hesitate halfway, reward half circles a few times first. Do five or six spins per session.

3. Shrink the gesture

   Repeat the circle with an empty hand and reward from the other one. Gradually make the motion smaller and further from the nose until it’s an elegant finger twirl. The dog now follows the gesture, not the food.

4. Add the word “Spin”

   Say “Spin” a beat before the gesture. After a dozen reps, pause after the word — many dogs will offer the spin on their own. Reward double when the twirl comes from the voice alone.

5. Spin the other way too

   Teach the opposite direction with its own cue — like “Twirl”. Train both directions equally so the body works symmetrically. Alternating them is a great brain workout, too.

   💡 Two or three spins at a time is plenty — don’t turn your dog into a top, they get dizzy just like we do.

Common mistakes

• Moving your hand too fast — the dog loses the circle and quits.
• Circling too high — the dog sits and stares up instead of turning.
• Using the same word for both directions — it confuses the dog permanently.

Problems & solutions

My dog does half a circle and turns back.

You’re rewarding too late or moving unevenly. Reward the half circle a few times, then “sell” the second half with a slower, smoother motion and a jackpot at the end.

They jump at my hand instead of spinning.

Your hand is too high. Drop it to the dog’s nose level and keep the circle parallel to the floor — with small breeds that may mean nearly squatting.

Reward ideas

Light, tiny treats — spins mean lots of reps. An enthusiastic voice makes the trick even more joyful.