Close up of an orange yo-yo, used when learning the yo-yo walk the dog trick

I Tried Learning the Yo-Yo “Walk the Dog” Trick - Here’s What Happened

Date of experience: 29th December 2025 - New Experience Number 47.

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I decided to try learning the yo-yo “walk the dog” trick as one of my 52 new things in the year.

I hadn’t picked up a yo-yo for a couple of decades, and from what I remember I was never any good at it!

Still, I was looking for some quick wins to complete the hallowed 52 new experiences by the end of the year, so I knuckled down to some concentrated learning.

This post contains the ups and downs (sorry, I couldn’t resist), of how I got on.

What Is A Yo-Yo?

A yo-yo is a simple toy that’s like a wheel on a string.

You loop the string around your finger, drop the yo-yo, and with a quick flick of the wrist it returns to your hand, ready to go again.

It’s a bit like a boomerang in that it should return to you, except it travels up and down the string instead of flying through the air.

Once you have mastered the basic motion, there’s a whole world of tricks waiting. I needed to get to grips with the foundations before I’d be trying anything fancy.

An orange yo-yo sitting still on a yellow background with the string coiling away to the right.
They've been around for ages, and they're not just for children!

Previous Yo-Yo-ing experience

You might remember yo-yos being a bit of a thing at school.

I have vague recollections of playing with a cheap plastic one that I’d been given in a party bag after someone’s birthday in the 1980s. But, I have no memories of being any good.

I’d perfected the yo, but not the yo-yo.

Until now.

Not only was I going to get that contraption to perform in the way it was intended, I was also going to get it to do a trick.

Armed with my light-up see-through orange yo-yo, I set about learning something new.

How To Learn How To Yo-Yo

It’s quite easy to teach yourself how to yo-yo. There are many books available that describe the techniques, but my preference as I didn’t have much time was to watch some YouTube videos.

Once I typed ‘how to yo-yo’ into the search bar, I was overwhelmed with colourful thumbnails promising to teach me the basics, or telling me I could discover some simple beginner tricks.

Selecting a couple to view, I intently watched a few energetic people explaining the key technique for getting the yo-yo to roll down to the ground and roll back up again.

Theory was all well and good, but the only way I’d actually learn was to put it into practice.

Close up of a static orange yo-yo on a plain background with the string coiling off to the edge of the image. Used when Learning the Yo-Yo “Walk the Dog” Trick
I was determined to learn how to yo-yo!

Discovering I’d Never Had The Grip Right Before

Watching the videos I discovered I’d been launching my yo-yo from the completely wrong grip.

Previously I’d loop the string around my finger, clench the yo-yo in my fingers with my palm facing down, and release my grip sending it spiralling towards the floor. Occasionally it would return part way up the string, twice if I was lucky.

That was the rookie error. It turns out that the best technique involves having your palm facing upwards and flicking your wrist so the yo-yo neatly falls off your finger tips.

Giving It A Go - Learning the Yo-Yo “Walk the Dog” Trick

I gave this new-found technique a go and immediately felt more in control of the yo-yo.

I was delighted when it returned right back up to my hand ready for another full flick up and down.

I was doing it!

Well… sometimes. There were false starts, mis-flicks, and a fair few over-zealous rolls into my shins.

But, there were times my yo-yo repeatedly did a full up and down along the entire length of the string. This was progress.

The Tricks

There are an amazing abundance of yo-yo tricks. You can find videos online of people doing the most incredible things with their yo-yos.

Watching a few tutorials, I discovered a trick that was supposed to be easy for beginners, and was actually two tricks in one!

Firstly was the Sleeper, which is when you throw the yo-yo down and it continues to spin at the end of the string for a while instead of coming straight back up. Almost like it’s having a nap and needs a little tug to wake it up.

Walking the dog starts with a sleeper, but with a careful tilt of the hand, the yo-yo rolls along the ground like it’s a pet on a lead. If you walk alongside it, it looks like a dog being taken for a walk.  Hence the name.

Practice, Practice, Practice!

Over the next few days there was a lot of yo-yo practice. At any spare moment, I’d whip out my circular friend for a quick run-through.

There was a lot to think about each time I flicked. How much force I used, the turn of the wrist, and the yank back up.

I tried to focus on one small aspect each time to experiment with it slightly differently and test the impact.

Challenge Fifty-Two, a white woman with dark hair. She is outside winding up a yo-yo and looking as though she is concentrating.
It took a lot of patience...
Challenge Fifty-Two, a white woman with dark hair. She is outside and about to throw a yo-yo and looking as though she is concentrating hard.
...a lot of practice...
Challenge Fifty-Two, a white woman with dark hair. She is outside with a yo-yo and looking as though she is concentrating as she attempts a 'walk the dog' trick.
...and a lot of concentration!

Claiming A Win - Learning the Yo-Yo “Walk the Dog” Trick

Eventually, with hours of practice over a few days, all of those tiny experiments began to flow together.

Something clicked. And eventually, the yo-yo rolled across the floor!

It was very amateur, it was very clumsy – but I did it!

And, it wasn’t a one off! I couldn’t predict with certainty when the trick would work, but it happened often enough to call it progress.

Occasionally the yo-yo still attacked my shins with enthusiasm, and I may have broken the light-up feature after a throw with too much gusto, but I took it as success!

Trying New Things Gives You Permission To Be A Beginner

One of the things I like about trying 52 new things in a year is that not every experience has to be dramatic or life-changing.

Sometimes it’s just about giving yourself permission to be a beginner again. There’s something joyously liberating about it, and celebrating the small wins along the way.

What’s something you could try again from when you were younger?

Looking down at an orange yo-yo on it's side on a plain background.
There's a lot more learning to do!

Want To Try It Yourself?

Cost Of Experience

  • If you already have a yo-yo then this will be free!
  • If you need to buy a yo-yo, they are available to buy from as little as £2 for a basic one. 
  • You can get really flash yo-yo’s that light up and come with add-ons and a case to keep it in and much more if you’re willing to spend more money.

Recommendations

  • Find an instructor you like. There are hundreds if not thousands of videos on YouTube teaching you how to yo-yo. Find one where you like the teacher. 
  • Be patient. You may pick it up instantly, but if not, don’t give up! Just keep persevering, trust in yourself, and give it time. You’ll get there.
  • Capture the moment. Each time you reach a yo-yoing milestone it’s a great feeling, so make sure you enjoy it. Let me know how you get on if you give it a go!

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