Just put your fingers together and move them towards your mouth right before giving your dog their meals. Images from, a wonderful resource for learning more about American Sign Language.Īlso try teaching your dog “eat” by using the eat sign.

If your dog knows “speak” try teaching them to bark when you give them the sign for “talk”. If you live or work around anyone who is deaf or nonverbal, it can be fun to teach your dog hand signals inspired by American Sign Language.

This is perfectly fine – it’s up to your preference.Īmerican Sign Language Inspired Hand Signals Some people prefer that their dog only listen to their owner, and may even teach cues in another language, and make up unique hand signals. They’ll appear next to their corresponding passages in the WordPress doc, credited to the website. Images are a little difficult to format properly on this document. Just “reset” your dog into a stay again, then give it another try. If your dog gets up too soon, it means you’ve progressed too quickly. Work on distance or duration at once, rather than simultaneously, to help set your dog up for success. Easy-peasy, right? Work on “come” and “stay” to reinforce a good recall if your dog is ever off-leash. The hand signal for “come” is to hold both arms out wide, then bring your palms to your chest.

Images from Dog Training Excellence, a great resource to learn more about positive dog training and behavioural science. Of course, you can still use verbal cues, too it just may be more effective to use a combination of the two to ensure that your dog always understands you.ĭo you want your dog to be able to understand most people? This could come in handy if they are ever lost, if you’re raising them as a foster dog, or if you just prefer the universal hand signals. What’s more, when given conflicting cues (being told to “sit” while offering a “lie down” gesture) the dogs consistently obeyed the gesture, not the verbal command.ĭogs must use nonverbal communication to read their doggy peers, so it makes sense that they’re better at picking up hand signals. Sign language can also be a useful skill to have if you have a therapy dog, particularly one who might go to schools or nursing homes that may have deaf or nonverbal children or adults who would love to communicate with your dog without having to use words.Ī University of Naples study suggests that dogs are significantly better at understanding gestures than verbal commands. Loud public parks, hiking trails and other noisy areas can make it difficult for your dog to understand your verbal cues.ĭeaf dogs are typically taught with hand cues, and even hearing dogs may eventually lose their sense of hearing as they get older. Hand signals can be used anytime your dog cannot hear you. You can build upon your dog’s natural fluency in nonverbal communication, and understand one another on a whole ‘nother level. Understanding hand signs and gestures is a wonderful addition to your dog’s skillset. Your dog is always paying attention to your body language, maybe more than you even realize. Does your dog rush to the door when they notice you putting your shoes on? Do they always seem to know when you’re happy, and rush to your side when you’re upset?

Dog training hand signal in kennel