Dog Training: Hand Signals That Really Work

By using hand signals along with verbal commands, the instruction is complimented and emphasized.

If the dog is deaf then this is an excellent tactic, but it is also beneficial when you have to command a dog that is a distance away or if there are certain conditions where the use of verbal commands alone would be ineffective; for example in noisy environments.

Some of the hand signals that you can teach a dog in training include:

Sit-
Just hold your arm down at your side for the sit command. Your hand should be positioned with palm up and held above the head of the dog.

Down
Your arm should be extended for the down command, with your palm down. It should be horizontal to the ground.

Stay
Extend the palm of your hand from your shoulder and at arms length. This is like the policeman's stop signal, which makes it easy to remember.

Heel
When your dog is walking beside you, tap his thigh. The dog should then walk around behind you to the other side.

Fetch
To get a dog to fetch something, wave your hand towards the item that you want him to retrieve.

Point to the item. This is used well in combination with a strong, firm verbal command but this is not mandatory if you only want to focus on hand signals in your dog training routine.

You have probably used hand signals to train your dog without even knowing it in the past.

You may have even used some of the standard signals, because they are made to be logical and practical, rather than cryptic and mysterious.

Dog training hand signals are an excellent way to emphasize your commands and to use in situations where verbal commands may be drowned out.

They are also mandatory for deaf dogs and can assist you in training just as many commands as you can with verbal calls.