Illinois 4-H

Exploring 4-H Dogs

Spark Activity: Spinning in Circles

 How can you teach your canine friend to spin in a circle without ever saying a thing? You can use behavior shaping and luring the dog to get it to move in the way you desire. Follow the steps below for some bonding and fun.

1. Teach the dog to watch you. Shape this behavior without saying anything. Have a treat ready (dog treats onlynot table scraps), and every time the dog looks at your eyes, quickly say “YES” and give the dog a little treat. Keep the treats small, because you will mark this behavior frequently.
2. Once you have the dog’s attention, you will lure the dog with food. Put the food in your hand right by the dog’s nose. Move your hand towards the tail. Do this in short stages.
3. Get the dog to turn his head to follow your hand. Mark the behavior with “YES” and quickly give a treat.
4. Move your hand farther towards his back so the dog turns about ¼ of a turn. Again, say “YES” to mark the desired behavior, followed by the treat as quickly as possible.
5. Successively, turn the dog a bit farther to a ½ turn, then ¾ turn and the whole circle with “YES” to mark the behavior with a very quick food treat.
6. When the dog smoothly turns in a circle add the verbal command “SPIN” with the circular movement of your hand. The dog will learn to associate the hand movement with the verbal cue to understand what you want and that it is followed by a tasty treat.

Important notes: What happens if the dog does not do it? The dog does not get a treat. If you lose the dog’s attention, stop training and go back to it at another time. Do not say “no” or scold the dog. It is not fair to scold a dog who does not understand what you want them to do. The goal is to have fun and build a good relationship.
For video demonstrations of this go to: https://go.illinois.edu/DogTrainingNibbles