When their nose rises to follow the treat, their hindquarters should drop as you tell them to “sit.” With both methods, after enough repetition, the treat can eventually be removed and then the voice command, until the dog responds only to the motion of your hand or arm. Another common gesture to make a dog sit down is to start with your hand, enclosed around a treat, at your dog’s nose, and then raise your arm straight up. By telling your dog to “sit!” at the same time as holding up this finger, and then rewarding them with a food-based treat as soon as they do, you can, after repetition, get your dog to respond to the hand gesture only. The first is to hold one finger pointed directly up. For sitting down, there are two signals that can be helpful. While you can use almost any hand signal to train your dog (as long as you’re consistent!), there are some commonly accepted ones that can be useful. As an added benefit, hand signals can be easier for foreign house guests who are not fluent in your native tongue, and they definitely come in handy for an older dog who has become slightly or very hard of hearing. Once a dog has been trained to respond to hand signals, you can communicate with your pet without saying a word. Whatever commands you decide to teach your dog, be sure to remain patient, have fun, and lavish him with praise for a job well done.Using hand signals with your dog is a fun and smart alternative to using spoken commands or a clicker to train your dog. When he comes, praise and give him the kibble. Say “Come” and back up a few steps at the same time. Do this slowly at first, bringing the kibble past your dog’s nose as you signal. Now sweep your arm forward so your hand touches your opposite shoulder. Start with your arm held straight out to your side parallel with the ground. To teach him to come when you call, start with your dog in front of you. Lead his nose down as you say “Down.” When he lies down, praise him and give him the kibble. Do this slowly, bringing the kibble past your dog’s nose as you signal. Hold a piece of kibble in your fingers and - with your hand raised above your head - bring it down, keeping your arm straight until it is hanging at your side. When he sits, praise him and give him the kibble.įor the “down” command, start with your dog sitting in front of you. You’re leading his nose upward as you say sit. Do this slowly, bringing the kibble past your dog’s nose. Hold a piece of kibble in your fingers and - starting with your hand at your side - bring it up slowly, folding your arm as if you were going to toss something over the same shoulder. To teach your dog to sit, start with him standing in front of you. Soon your dog will sit, lie down, or come with just a motion of your hand. Once your dog reliably reacts to the silent hand gesture when you have the food, gradually remove the piece of food from the equation. For a while you might use the verbal command and hand gesture together half the time and the hand gesture alone half the time. While still using the food reward, gradually eliminate the verbal command. You will have to repeat this many times to ensure your dog understands the association. When your dog performs the correct action, immediately reinforce this behavior with a kibble. To get started, pair the verbal command with a hand signal (see below for examples of common hand signals). The next thing you’ll want to do is to create a new association between an unfamiliar hand signal and the verbal command and action that he already knows. Let’s assume that your dog already knows the association between a verbal command (sit) and the action you want him to perform (sitting). From there, getting your dog to react to the hand signal alone is just a matter of repetition. Later in this article, we’ll give you tips on how you can link a specific motion to a specific command. The first thing you’ll want to do is to get your dog to associate a hand gesture with one of your command words. There are several ways to teach your dog hand signals. All you need to get started are a few kibbles of food. They’re fun to teach and easy for most dogs to understand. Once he understands and responds to your verbal commands for sit, down, and come, hand signals are a good next step in the training process. Training your dog isn’t just for getting him to follow your directions - it’s also a great way to bond, and when done correctly, can be a lot of fun for both you and your dog. Does your dog understand verbal commands like “Sit,” “Down,” and “Come”? See how teaching him hand signals is a fun and rewarding next step in his training regimen!
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