Sorry, I’m not a trainer. But I’m curious what spinning is. Is it like the "bichon buzz". My dog does it in the evenings before going to bed if he’s trying to make himself tired, he’ll run around the couch and living room a dozen times, then lay down exhausted but happy.

If that’s the case, does he get enough exercise, I mean hard hard exercise? My dog will do it if it’s been a few day since she’s had a good chase. If the weathers bad I will throw a frizzbee or ball down the hall several times until she’s tired. The dog your working with might be a little large for a run down the hall, but maybe you could go outside. You don’t have to run just play a long game of fetch. I can kind of tell if she’s getting antsy, maybe you can recognize if she’s about to spin and play frizbee instead. Good luck with her.

Hi Staffy 🙂 You helped me tremendously with my Karma, so maybe I can do some good with what you’re dealing with here. You say that this dog spinning is a result of a nervous habit? All of the suggestions of exercise are great, but have you considered using a weighted vest in the rehabilitation of this pooch? My son is ADHD, and when he was little would fidget in his chair at home/school due to boredom or nerves. He had many triggers for this behavior. The weighted vest helped him to become aware of his own body and the space around him. And it helped us in that we were able to spot his triggers more easily and work towards reconditioning him to a more acceptable and safer behavior. Many people use weight vests on dogs to give them a "harder" work out. Perhaps you could try this dog in the vest for a week or so (have him wear it all day), rather than just when exercising. It’ll help give him a sense of self, and may also help him to "snap out of it" when he starts to spin (because he’ll feel the weight of the vest). I dunno if that will help, but it’s worth a shot. 🙂