Senior Dog Comfort & Care

This fun trick isn’t just about entertainment — it’s a good way to maintain flexibility in the spine. Twist can mean to turn in a circle in one direction, and Spin can mean a circle in the other direction.

Start with a treat as a lure in your closed hand. Put that hand close to your dog’s nose and start to guide their nose towards their tail, keeping the lure parallel to the ground (if you raise it up, your dog will follow it and start to jump up). As long as your dog is following your luring hand, continue in a full circle. When they complete the circle, say yes and give them the treat!

Add in your preferred verbal cue once your dog is starting to easily follow the lure. Say “spin” before luring them in that direction. Yes and treat! Stay consistent with your verbal cues so it doesn’t get confusing!

Practice each direction separately before working them both during the same training session. Over time, you’ll be able to make your big lure smaller and smaller, eventually just ending up with a hand signal.