If the dog doesn’t understand what is being asked of her, stop giving the cue until they know it better. Avoid using negative reinforcement, such as yelling or slapping the dog’s nose.

It’s also helpful if everyone in the family uses the same signals otherwise, it will be confusing for your pooch and decrease their ability to respond quickly.Īlways use positive reinforcement in the form of treats or praise. A good way to make sure your dog remembers the signal is to teach her to touch her nose or paw at your hand as you give the cue. When training a dog to do hand signals, choose hand signals that are easy for you and your dog to remember. It’s important that dog owners know the positives outcome of each hand signal so their dogs can fully understand them. There are many different types of hand signals people use for dogs some include sit, paw, come, down and stay. Hand signals are signals used along with vocal commands to help dogs understand better. What To Do When Training With Hand Signals? To perform this signal, place your palm facing downwards and then move it straight back towards yourself with some force. The “ down” signal is used to tell your dog to lay down on his or her stomach. Keep in mind that many dogs will not pay attention to this signal unless they are trained properly over time. This signal is simply waving your hand in an upward motion, as if you were signaling a waiter to come over at a restaurant. The “ come” signal is one of the most important signals to know. This gesture tells your dog to stay in place until you give them further instruction. This signal is performed by placing your palm out and slowly lowering it towards the floor. This signal is simply raising your hand in the air, palm out, to indicate to your dog that he or she should stop what they are doing.Īnother common hand signal is the “ stay” signal. One basic hand signal is the “ stop” signal. What Are the Most Common Hand Signals For Dog Training? If you seem to be struggling with your dog’s ability to understand these signals, there are a variety of training books and videos available online that can help. Not all dogs respond well to these hand signals right away some may take months of practice before they understand what each gesture means.

These signals are easy to learn and can be used to cue your dog to do a variety of things, such as sit, stay, come, and down. There are a variety of hand signals people can use to train their dog at home.

Dog hand signals