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Hand signals for dogs are a great way of communicating silently when you need to be quiet, or when you\u2019re in a noisy environment, like on public transport or during agility. Hand gestures are also great for deaf dogs or for senior dogs whose hearing may be failing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many of the following hand signals begin with the lure reward method, in which we lure our dogs into the position we want them to be in, then use a marker word like ‘good’ to indicate that they’ve done the right thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After some practice, we can remove the food lure and make the luring motion more of a subtle hand signal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n We believe the following list of dog commands and hand signals are useful for dogs and us, as they\u2019re things you\u2019re likely to use in everyday life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Teaching your dog eye contact is a great way for them to give you some focus, and it can also help to lower arousal and calm them down<\/a>. Great to use if your dog loses their marbles around other dogs on walks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Using a food lure,<\/a> take it from your dog’s nose up to your face, and when your dog follows the treat and looks up at your face, say \u2018good\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Repeat this two or three times, then take the treat<\/a> out of your hand and use a smaller hand signal instead. When they look at your face, say \u2018good\u2019 and give them the treat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Moving on, you can start adding some duration and extend the eye contact; don\u2019t forget to treat!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Come and boop the snoot for a treat. This one is easy to teach dogs, as they\u2019re used to sniffing and licking our hands<\/a>, so they\u2019ll generally be interested in them. Hand targets can be used to give dogs direction, but once they\u2019ve learned to come and target from quite a distance, it also works great as a recall<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Hold your hand out, side on, close to your dog\u2019s face, as they sniff it or touch it with their nose, say \u2018good\u2019 and give them a treat<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As you practice, move the hand a little further away when you present it, so your dog learns they need to touch the hand for their marker word and a treat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Follow the steps in our article on teaching your puppy to lie down<\/a>. Once your dog is lying down for the food lure, take the food out of your hand and do the same motion so they\u2019re following your hand moving down to the floor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Say \u2018good\u2019 and reward them when they get it right. Over time make the movement down to the floor smaller, so it ends up with you just pointing to the floor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Follow our full guide to teaching your puppy to wait or stay<\/a>, the hand signal will look like a stop sign. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When teaching your dog loose leash walking,<\/a> there can be times that you\u2019ll want to signal them to come with you in another direction. It might be that they\u2019re distracted by sniffing, or they might be pulling on the leash<\/a>, so the \u2018this way\u2019 hand signal teaches them \u2018come on let’s go\u2019!<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you’ve been training your dog, whether it’s basic obedience commands,<\/a> tricks<\/a>, or a nice \u2018leave it\u2019<\/a> cue, you’ll want to tell them that the training session is over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We like to teach this hand signal to dogs because it gives them a clear visual indication that we’re done for the time being. This signal can help your dog feel less frustrated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Teaching dog training hand signals should be fun. Here\u2019s our tips to help make training your dog with hand signals a breeze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t try to teach your dog multiple hand signals in the same training session as it can get confusing (except the \u2018all done\u2019 hand signal as we recommend you use that one for each end of training session). Start with just two or three basic commands that you\u2019re using the most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Using positive reinforcement training<\/a> our aim is for dogs to enjoy the training sessions, so keep your training sessions short and sweet and leave your dog wanting more, rather than being fatigued and brain frazzled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We often try to give our hand signal to our dogs too high up, and out of their field of normal vision<\/a>. Get low to make sure you get that signal in their eye line, no not in their face or looming over them, but low enough that they can easily see it from standing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Try your hardest to always make the same signal, and if teaching it to someone else, try to make sure they do exactly the same as you so it\u2019s not confusing for your dog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes we get impatient and frustrated if our dog isn\u2019t following our hand signal, so give them thinking time after you use your hand signal to respond. If they’re not getting it, go back a step in training and build up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your dog can tell you a lot about how they\u2019re feeling by their body language<\/a>, so learn to figure out when they\u2019re confused, stressed, and, of course, when they\u2019re delighted and happy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can use hand signals in any scenario with your dog, but they really come into their own when you need to communicate silently or at a distance. For example, if you\u2019re talking to someone, you might want to ask your dog to lie down<\/a> or wait while you speak to the person. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you’re training agility<\/a>, your dog will respond to your body cues and hand signals as you probably can’t be heard over the hubbub of the crowds, or you\u2019re too far away and don\u2019t want to shout yourself hoarse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hand signals are also a very calm and clear way of communicating with a dog, particularly if they get stressed by voices or are a recent rescue pup<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Puppies who are born deaf, or dogs who go deaf in later life also benefit from hand signals, so even if your dog\u2019s hearing is fine now, you can future-proof your training by preparing for unexpected senior-age issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Teaching hand signals to your deaf dog is not only possible, but it’s also incredibly rewarding. Deaf dogs rely heavily on their other senses, particularly sight, to understand and interact with their environment, so hand signals offer a great, visual way to communicate, making training and strengthening your bond a lot more accessible!<\/p>\n\n\n\n To begin with, you’ll want to start with the basics: choosing clear and distinct hand signals for commands like \u201csit,\u201d \u201cstay,\u201d and \u201ccome.\u201d Consistency is key, so ensure everyone in your household uses the same signals!<\/p>\n\n\n\n As always, start training in a quiet, distraction-free environment. Use your trusty treats in one hand, and other hand to signal the command. For \u201csit,\u201d we suggest raising your hand palm up. For \u201ccome,\u201d extend your arm out, then bring it towards your chest. Treat and reward your puppy once they’ve started getting it right, and gradually phase out the treat. Keep the praises and affection coming though! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Using hand signals helps enormously to establish a communication line between you and your deaf pup. Communication is key to make any kind of interaction work anyway, and hand signals are just another way to get there. With patience and practice, your dog will understand and respond to your hand signals like a champ!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Overall, we think it\u2019s worthwhile training hand signals to dogs, because they learn this form of non-verbal communication quickly, and it\u2019s done without any force or emotion behind the cue. Dogs pick up on our body cues and body language really well, so hand signals are just easy and clear for them to interpret.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We recommend you teach them so that they can be used in noisy and distracting environments, or when you can\u2019t speak yourself because you\u2019re doing other things, or perhaps you\u2019ve lost your voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Like any training, use positive reinforcement<\/a> and plenty of praise, treats,<\/a> and toy play<\/a> to teach your dog that learning hand signals is fun. Be consistent and patient when training, especially when moving to new environments where you haven\u2019t taught the hand signal previously. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Want to learn more? How about learning some basic obedience commands<\/a> or tricks<\/a> (you can use hand signals here too) or for the herders amongst you, what about some sheepdog commands?
For much of the Zigzag training<\/a>, we teach hand signals first and then transfer them to a verbal cue to learn both. Download a trial now<\/a> and start your training journey. We have a team of professional experts<\/a> to help you along the way and answer those middle-of-the-night questions, we\u2019re worldwide, and our experts are here for you via the in-app chat 24\/7.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhy should I teach my dog hand signals? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Dog](\"https:\/\/zigzag.dog\/wp-content\/uploads\/hands-1-.png\")
6 essential hand signals for dogs <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Watch me <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
2. Hand Target<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
3. Down <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
4. Wait <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can use the wait cue before you cross the road, get on the tube or a bus, or to go and get a towel to wipe those muddy paws when you come in from a walk.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n5. This way or with me<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Tapping your thigh or calf will likely get your dog’s attention, and when they look toward what you\u2019re doing, hold a treat by your leg for them to collect. You can then start walking again and teach them how to walk nicely or heel<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n6. End of the session or all done signal<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
With your hands apart, make a sweeping motion away from one another horizontally, throw some treats<\/a> on the floor for your dog to hover up and put your treats away. That\u2019s it! Job done for now!<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"dog](\"https:\/\/zigzag.dog\/wp-content\/uploads\/hands-2-.png\")
6 top tips for teaching your dog hand signals <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Start slowly with hand signals <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
2. Keep it light and fun with plenty of treats <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
3. Make your hand signal obvious to your dog, get in their eye line<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
4. Be consistent with your hand signals <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
5. Give your dog thinking time <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
6. Learn to read your dog’s body language <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"German](\"https:\/\/zigzag.dog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Hands-3.png\")
How do I use hand signals with my dog? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How to Teach Your Deaf Dog Hand Signals<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
To learn more, download a trial of the Zigzag puppy training app.<\/a> We have a complete program to teach you to teach your puppy all of those important life skills, and a team of professional dog trainers<\/a> to help you along the way, 24\/7 via our in-app chat. Yippee.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"