You don’t have to face difficulty while teaching fundamental dog commands. While conventional treat training is enjoyable, incorporating hand signals for dogs could enhance your dog’s education.
Incorporating hand signals into dog training strengthens the connection between humans and canines and enhances communication between owner and pet.
Hand signals can be an effective method for training your dog, regardless of whether you are starting with a new puppy or refreshing the skills of an old dog. They can expedite the learning process and expand your dog’s capabilities.
Top Hand Signals for Dogs
Dogs rely heavily on their sense of sight to learn about their surroundings. By teaching them hand signals, dogs can quickly recognize different gestures and interpret your body language, making them highly perceptive animals. Properly trained dogs are usually proficient in understanding both verbal commands and hand signals.
By combining sign language commands for dogs with verbal cues, you can strengthen the bond between you and your canine friend. This will result in a more amiable relationship, as you’ll have the comfort of knowing that your dog’s body language has been properly trained.
1. Watch Me
Train your canine companion to respond to the term ‘look’ and have them focus on you in preparation for a forthcoming directive.
Place a treat onto your palm and patiently wait for your dog to make eye contact with you. Once your furry friend has fixated its gaze on the treat, lift your hand to your face and point to your eye. This will prompt your dog to inspect your hand attentively. As soon as your dog’s attention moves from your hand to your face, give it a high-quality treat as a reward.
2. Sit Signal
Mastering the sit-hand signal is crucial for every dog, and it’s among the simplest to learn. A good starting point is teaching your dog the sign language for sit, which is relatively easy. Begin by holding a treat in front of your dog’s nose and briskly lifting your hand a bit upward and backward. Your dog will naturally respond by lifting his head and lowering his hindquarters to chase after the treat.
Commence the training by positioning your hand near his face to avert other actions such as leaping or retreating. After your canine has accomplished this ability, gradually elevate your hand until it reaches approximately the level of his chest.
Afterwards, try performing the identical movement while keeping your open hand’s palm facing upwards. Once you become familiar with it, your canine will recognize the correlation between the shape and gesture of your hand with sitting. You can slowly eliminate the need for treats.
3. Come Command
Training a dog to follow the ‘come’ command remains essential. Start by holding your hand open beside you and then move it diagonally towards your opposite shoulder to teach the dog the command.
A way to begin is to grab your dog’s attention by displaying a treat, then bring your hand, with the treat, up to your shoulder. Repeat the verbal cue ‘come’ until your dog links the action with the command. Over time, eliminate the treat and verbal cue with practice.
4. Stand
The training of a dog to stand is often overlooked by pet owners, yet it is beneficial for dogs to learn as many commands as possible. To teach a dog to sit, a treat is held near their nose and drawn upward and backward. Conversely, the stand command is the opposite.
While in a reclined or seated stance, present your dog with a treat and then move it back towards your thigh. This will require your dog to stand up and advance in order to reach the snack. With a little practice, you can perform this movement with your hand open and your palm facing outward.
When your dog becomes familiar with the contour and movement of your hand, you can gradually eliminate the edible reward and spoken hint.
5. Lie Down Command
Teaching a dog to lie down involves using the frequently used command of “lie down.” An effective way to introduce the hand signal for this command is to hold a treat in your hand and extend one finger towards the ground in front of your dog.
At first, you may need to lower your finger and nearly touch the ground to lure your dog with the treat. Once your dog lies down, reward it immediately. As you gain experience, you can raise your finger above the ground but still request that your dog lie down.
6. Stay
The stay command is a fundamental communication signal for canines, which can prove useful whenever you take your furry companion out in the open.
In order to instruct your dog to stay, lift your hand with an open palm towards them, resembling a stop sign. During the initial stages, utilizing large exaggerated gestures can assist, and you can transition to more moderate hand motions as your dog becomes more knowledgeable.
7. Heel Command
When taking a stroll with your canine companion, it’s important that they stay by your side for their safety and to exhibit exemplary canine behavior. To achieve this, begin by displaying a treat to your dog and guide them towards your side using the treat.
To guide your dog out, back, and next to you, make a big circular motion with your hand if your dog is initially facing you. Refrain from giving treats until your dog is correctly positioned next to you facing the correct direction. This could take some practice to perfect.
As soon as you’re prepared, finalize the movement by tapping your hip with a closed fist before offering a reward. Gradually reduce the extent of your hand gestures while maintaining the closed-fist hip tap. Ultimately, your dog will learn to react solely to the hip tap.
8. Drop It
The drop-it command is a necessity for any pet owner because it could save your pup’s life. If your dog picks up something that is poisonous or that could injure the animal, you’ll need the doggo to drop the item at once. Also, the ‘drop it’ commands helps make a game of fetch more enjoyable when you tell Fido to drop the ball.
Breaking down this trick into segments is essential. Initially, the hand gesture and spoken command should be paired with a positive reinforcement. Show your hand in a closed fist, then open it while saying either “drop” or “leave” and quickly offer a reward.
You should now attempt the trick with your dog holding an object in its mouth. Offer your dog a toy and repeat the previous steps. The dog should release the toy with the knowledge that a reward will accompany the verbal cue and hand gesture.
As long as your dog is nearby, dropping the vocal cue should be possible with sufficient practice.
9. Spin or Rollover
Although not crucial, the Spin command can be enjoyable for both you and your furry friend. Engage in the activity together by enticing your dog with a treat and guiding it in a horizontal, circular path. This will prompt your dog to spin around in pursuit of the treat.
Begin by using bigger and more leisurely circles, then gradually decrease the size of the circle as your dog becomes more proficient in the task. In due course, you’ll be able to create a tiny circle above your dog’s head, and your dog will comprehend precisely what you’re soliciting.
The rollover maneuver involves comparable steps. Signal your dog with the identical hand gesture but in a vertical diagonal motion while it rests. Employ the phrase “roll” or “over” as it suits this feat.
10. All Done!
The free command, also known as the ‘all done’ command, signals the end of your dog’s training session, allowing your furry friend to run and play. To convey the hand signal, just raise your hands to shoulder level with your palms facing outwards while saying ‘all done’.
Afterwards, it is important to promptly suggest a different task. Give your pet a plaything to play with or take them for a stroll by taking hold of the leash.
BONUS: How to Train Dogs Who Are Not Food Motivated
Training a dog becomes easier when you realize that a treat is a rewarding incentive for most dogs. Nonetheless, what approach can be employed when dealing with a dog that lacks interest in food-based motivations?
It can be a daunting task to train a dog if it lacks the drive to learn. To elicit a response from the dog, you require a stimulus that can captivate its attention and persuade it to heed your commands. If using treats fails to yield the desired outcome, it is necessary to adopt alternative approaches. Fortunately, there are other techniques at your disposal to effectively train your furry friend.
It is crucial to comprehend the reason behind a dog’s lack of interest in food prior to delving into other means of training motivation.
On occasion, a health problem could factor into the situation. Alternatively, your dog may simply not enjoy the type or brand of treats you provide. Furthermore, in some cases, a dog owner may not be keen on utilizing food for training, resulting in a dog that appears disinterested in food. The crucial initial step is identifying the root cause.
Although rare, there are dogs that prioritize high-energy games, toys, or social praise more than food, however, these dogs represent a small percentage of the overall dog population.
The Impact of Free-Feeding Dogs
Occasionally, dogs that are allowed to free-feed may lose their enthusiasm for food and become picky. Free-feeding refers to giving dogs unrestricted access to their meals, as opposed to feeding them at scheduled intervals. Occasionally, free-fed dogs may not be very keen on their food as they have constant access to it.
Frequently, dogs who are given unrestricted access to food will prefer high-value treats over their usual meal due to their superior taste. The alternative solution is to establish set feeding times for your dog. The number of meals and the schedule that best suits your dog will vary based on its age, breed, size, activity level, and general health. Your veterinarian is the best resource to guide you in determining the optimal meal frequency and portion size for your dog.
The Problem of Misusing Treats
Dog owners can sometimes unintentionally decrease their dog’s motivation to eat by misusing treats. Offering a treat to persuade a dog to enter their crate or to entice them to take a bath can backfire if the dog associates treats with unpleasant experiences and begins to avoid them.
To prevent treats from being used improperly, discover methods to make activities that your dog dislikes – such as being confined in a crate or receiving a bath – more enjoyable. Desensitization and counter conditioning are common strategies utilized by dog trainers for achieving this. Ensure that the treats are delightful and fun for the dog.
Owners Not Wanting to Use Food
Several reasons may lead people to feel uneasy about using food as a means of rewarding during training sessions.
- Some owners are concerned about the extra calories in treats or don’t want to spend money on treats. This can be addressed by using low-calorie treats or mixing the dog’s kibble with low-sodium hot dog pieces for added aroma and flavor.
- There are some people who believe a dog should “obey” every command their owner gives them. This comes from the antiquated belief dogs are born to please their masters. It’s important for dog owners to understand dogs need an incentive to be motivated to learn and perform.
- Sometimes people claim their dog isn’t food motivated when the issue is the dog doesn’t like the treats. Try a variety of treats to find ones your dog prefers so they are ready and willing to participate in training sessions.
Final Thoughts
In case your dog lacks interest in food, identify the root cause and utilize things that your dog likes as rewards for favorable conduct. These things could be anything from toys, petting, praise, to a ball but you might want to check if your dog values them. Success in achieving the desired behavior implies that you are on the right track, but if the behavior worsens, it could mean that the rewards are not valuable enough or there are too many enticing options for your dog.
