#Dog training commands hand signals how to
#Dog training commands hand signals full

#Dog training commands hand signals how to

To teach your dog a new cue for a behavior that he already knows how to perform, first decide what your new cue is going to be. Dubhy will now lie down in English, French, German, Spanish, and in response to a hand signal. When he learned to lie down on the verbal cue “Down,” I had to use a new word in order to be able to show the class what to do when a dog does not lie down for the verbal cue. My Scottie knows the cue for “Down” in several languages – a result of his role as a demonstration dog in my classes. While a dog cannot learn two different behaviors for the same cue (“Down” means either lie down, or don’t jump on me – it can’t mean both), they are perfectly capable of learning two (or more) different cues for the same behavior. If you want your dog to lie down on the opposite side of a pasture, he won’t be able to see a finger flick. The other school of thought advises that hand signals should be BIG, so the dog can see them from far away.

Impressive – it appears that the dog is mind-reading! A small wave sends the dog into heel position. A tiny finger movement cues the dog to lie down. Some people like to use small, subtle signals, barely visible to the human eye. There are two philosophies about hand signals. Here, I’ll concentrate on how to teach him visual cues. In past WDJ articles, I’ve mostly discussed teaching dogs verbal cues for various behaviors. In the best of all possible worlds, a dog should know both types of cues for almost every basic behavior you want him to perform. If a person takes his training further, he should learn visual cues, too. To review: If a dog is going to be taught just one clear cue for various behaviors, I think it’s most important to teach him an auditory cue. And you may simply love the way your relationship is enhanced when you can communicate silently with your dog. As your canine pal ages, he may lose his hearing and no longer be able to hear and respond to verbal cues. The new baby may finally be sleeping, and you don’t want to risk waking her by talking to your dog. You may be talking to someone – on the phone or in person – and do not want to interrupt the conversation in order to ask your dog to lie down.

I teach hand signals because there are also times when visual cues are the communication tool of choice. Sandi flexes her fingers toward her palm for “Wave!” Trainer Sandi Thompson has taught Tater Tot, her 10-year-old “Rat-weiler,” about 30 different tricks, each with a visual cue. The twitch of an ear, the shift of an eye, a slight turn of the head – these are just a few canine expressions that are rich with meaning to other dogs. It’s easier because dogs are primarily body language communicators, and they have a large body vocabulary. My students are generally delighted when they discover how much easier it is to get their dogs to respond to distinct body language cues for specific behaviors – much easier than it is to teach verbal cues. I teach hand signals in my Level 2 class. At some time in his life he may become visually impaired, no longer able to see and respond to your body language. There are times when your dog cannot see you he may be behind you, in another room, or behind a tree and about to cross a road.

#Dog training commands hand signals full

There are times when your hands are full – of groceries, school books, laundry baskets, the baby. After all, there are numerous situations where you have only your voice to communicate with your dog. Getting the dogs to do the behaviors without the prompts, on just a verbal cue, is more challenging, but it’s of the utmost importance. Getting the dogs to perform various behaviors by using a combination of verbal cues, body language, and lures is easy. If he sits when you do these things, then he really does understand the verbal cue, “Sit!”Īn important goal of my Level 1 training classes is to teach people to use verbal cues with their dogs. Say “Sit!” to your dog when you have your back to him and are looking up at the ceiling or with your arms crossed over your chest, or when you are hopping on one foot.