We don’t mean the tortuous spinning classes you see nowadays. Twirling is more like it. So why would you want to teach your puppy how to spin?
Well, you don’t, really. But it is fun teaching them new stuff, great for bonding… and if you can wow your friends with your pup’s latest party trick, why not?
Tricks and commands are essential for our puppies’ development as well. In this guide, you can find out how to teach your dog to spin, and why you might want to in the first place.
While you’re here. If you want more ideas about commands and training be sure to download the Zigzag Training App. It’s jam-packed with training content for everyday commands and trick training. We even have a team of puppy experts on hand who can help you with anything you might run into with your pup at the touch of a button.
For beginners, check out our guide here!
Teaching a dog to spin: What is it?
Teaching your dog to spin is a basic fun trick for your pup. Spinning or twirling is where you ask your dog to do a twirl in either a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction on command. You can choose to teach a dog how to spin in just one direction or both. That’s pretty much it. Looks a lot more spectacular than it really is, to be honest.
Why should I teach my dog to spin?
There are a few reasons why you might like to teach your dog to spin. Some of these are:
1. Mental Activity
Teaching a dog to spin like any other tricks and commands is good fun for your dog and provides mental stimulation as they learn their new skill. We often think our dogs only need physical exercise in the form of walking, but mental activity is just as important to keep them happy and healthy. Dogs that don’t get enough mental activity can quickly go on their own and get into mischief, so teaching your dog to spin is an example of a good activity to keep them occupied.
2. Bonding
Any time you spend with your dog will help you create and keep that special bond. Your dog loves nothing more than to spend time with you, so teaching your dog to spin or anything else you can teach them is a great way to spend time together.
3. Doggy Dancing
You might have aspirations to do some doggy dancing to music. It’s officially called heelwork – you might have heard of it before. If you’re into busting some moves, teaching your dog to spin is a great place to start. Teaching heelwork involves loads of different hand signals to make your dog do certain ‘dance’ moves, so you should read into that!
4. Wiping their own paws
When dogs spin, it can actually help wipe their paws. By teaching your dog to spin on a towel or mat, it can actually be a great trick to wipe their own feet after a muddy walk (and protect your overpriced carpet). This is also fantastic if your dog has sensitive feet and doesn’t like them touched!
5. Stretching
Having your dog spin naturally stretches your dog’s neck and spine in an unusual way, which can help release tension and stretch out muscles. Who doesn’t love a good stretch?
How to teach a dog to spin in 8 steps
Teaching your dog to spin is easy. All you need is a few treats and a bit of time and patience. Using a lure-reward method and positive reinforcement training, you’ll have your dog twirling like a Tasmanian devil in no time. Let’s get this party started:
Step 1
Starting with your dog in a standing position, hold a treat in front of your dog’s nose. Moving slowly, bring the treat round to the side of your dog’s head so their head turns to follow the treat. You’ll need to use a treat that is good enough (stinky enough) to keep them turning, but not too yummy so they go crazy for it.
Step 2
Keep moving the treat in a circle around your dog’s body so they have to spin to follow it.
Step 3
Once you have completed a full circle, say your marker word like ‘good’, ‘yes’ or any other one you’ve chosen and reward them with a treat.
Step 4
Repeat a few times, and eventually remove the treat so that your dog is following your hand and not just the lure. Did they follow your hand? Great! Make sure you mark it with your word ‘good’ or ‘yes’ and give them a treat.
Step 5
Once they’re spinning by only following your hand, you can add in a cue word like ‘spin’ or ‘twirl’, before the hand movement. You can use a smaller hand signal like circling your finger.
Step 6
If you want to work on some advanced spinning, you can then repeat the exercise in the opposite direction so your dog learns to spin both ways. Keep in mind you will need a different cue word for each!
Step 7
It will take quite a bit of practice and patience to get this trick shiny and polished, so do a few short sessions daily until you get there. You’ll have them twirling like a ballerina in no time.
Step 8
Don’t practise for too long! Dogs get dizzy too and going around in circles for ages might make them feel a bit sick.
Top Tips – Make sure your pup is having fun while practising their tricks. Watch their body language to keep the exercise challenging enough, and not too over the top. We’re only doing this for fun, right? Let’s not ruin it.
If your dog is reluctant to complete a full circle, then break it down and reward your pup in stages. For example, first practise your dog turning their head, then following the treat a bit further, and a bit further each time until you’ve built up to a full circle.
That’s a wrap! We hope you have enjoyed learning how to teach your dog to spin. It’s a great trick to improve flexibility and keep your dog supple, as well as being a fun one to show off.
All you need is to use some treats as a lure to get them to follow around in a circle, and then you can reduce the need for a lure and turn it into a hand signal or verbal cue. Why not go a step further and teach them to go both ways?
If you’ve enjoyed this article and want some further reading, check out our other articles on why do dogs wag their tails or what are the best puppy puzzle toys. We’ve got that and plenty more on the Zigzag Puppy Training App, don’t forget to download it!
There is an in-depth training programme tailored to your puppy’s specific breed type and developmental stages. Our team of puppy experts on hand 7 days a week to help with any puppy-related panics you might be having. Toodles!
