The Basics of Dog Training Hand Signals

It may surprise you to know that dogs actually respond to dog training hand signals better than they may respond to the spoken word. Do you know why that may be true?

Well, it’s because dogs do not communicate through our language. They communicate by body posturing and gesturing most of the time. So knowing that bit of information, it only makes sense that your dog, unless he suffers from blindness, will respond to hand signals as well, if not better, than to your voice. An advantage of teaching your dog hand signals is that as long as your dog can see you, he can respond to your commands regardless of the noise level in the area. Talk about impressive dog handling!

The hand signals can be used in conjunction with the verbal commands or can be used on their own. Some trainers may prefer to teach dog training hand signals at the same time as the verbal commands. Other trainers, prefer to teach the two methods separately. If you are a novice, training your first dog or puppy, it might be a good idea to completely obedience train your dog using the verbal commands first and then go back and train your dog to respond to hand signals.

There are no official hand signals for training a dog. There are however, some commonly used signals. Start with one hand signal at a time and repeat it over and over until it is evident that your dog has grasped the concept. Then move on to the next signal. To get you started here are a list of some common dog training hand signals that you can use:

· Down – Lower your hand and arm on a slanted position with your palm down. Your open palm should be pointing to the ground.

· Sit – Position your arms straight down then raise your hand and forearm with palm up just above your dog’s head.

· Stay – Imitate a traffic cop’s gesture of the hand signal for stop. Your full open palm should face your dog.

· Come – Both your arms should be outstretched, with palms facing forward, as if to welcome your dog.

· Leave – Use this command to tell your dog to let go of an object. You can wave one hand or both of your hands with your arms extended.

· Off – The “off” command should not be confused with the “down” command. If for example your dog is jumping on you, you can turn your back and say “off”.

Verbal and visual communication should work together in order for your dog training to be successful. This additional method of training, can help to keep your dog’s mind stimulated. With time, effort and consistency, you can learn to control your dog’s behaviors without saying more than his name and using some basic dog training hand signals.

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