Verbal communication also can be highly effective because it’s easy for us to add emotional inflection (happy, angry, excited, urgent, etc.), and it doesn’t require that our dog can visually see us while we’re communicating with them. We are accustomed to verbally communicating with our fellow Homo sapiens, so it’s natural for us to use verbal communication with our dogs. Verbal communication is typically our default mode of communicating with our dogs, and with good reason. Here we’ve used more universal training signals.Isn’t Verbal Communication Adequate Enough? You may even discover you have been using hand signals without giving it much thought. You can choose any hand signal you like for your dog. If your dog is having trouble making the connection between the hand signal and the command, hold the treat in your hand and use it as a lure to get your dog into position. Once the dog reliably sits with only the hand signal, teach another command and then start building on their hand signal vocabulary. Practice the hand signal and command until the dog sits using only the hand signal. For example, use your hand signal for sit, immediately say “sit,” and when the dog sits, offer the reward. When the dog follows the command, reward the correct behavior. Once your dog makes the connection that you are offering a signal rather than verbal command, they will catch on quickly and you can continue to add as many commands as the dog can handle.Īny easy method to begin training starts with choosing one command and doing the hand signal, immediately followed with the corresponding command. Start by offering a click (if your dog is clicker trained), treat, and praise when they follow the hand signal. To begin teaching your dog hand signals, stick with simple commands and clear hand gestures. Teaching your dog to read hand signals is very rewarding and also helpful should your dog lose hearing in their golden years. Since dogs are so adept at reading body language, they can easily be taught to read hand signals. You’ve probably seen this skill in action if you’ve ever glanced at your dogs leash or treats and suddenly your dog wants to go for a walk or eat a snack. The study concluded that dogs gathered social information and used visual skills to locate food hidden in containers when humans pointed, gazed at, or tapped on the containers.

In a study called the Domestication of Social Cognition in Dogs, researchers found that “dogs are more skillful than great apes at a number of tasks in which they must read human communicative signals indicating the location of hidden food.” Domesticated puppies were even found better at reading body language than wolves raised by humans. They communicate with you and each other through use of postures, tail carriage, ear and eye position, facial expressions, and movement. They are accustomed to using body language to communicate what is going on with them, too. Dogs can read your body language, eye movements, posture, as well as hand signals.ĭogs’ understanding of interpreting body language is profound. Those times when your dog seemingly reads your mind, most likely your dog is reading unspoken physical cues.

Dogs are excellent at reading body language.

Hand signals for dogs