Dog Training - Hand Signals Versus Words As Training Tools

By Ossie Hickson

When most uninitiated lay people think about dog training they seem to have it in their minds that the thing to do is to bellow "sit!" at the dog and expect it to understand. Another outmoded way of training is to physically force or coerce the dog into various positions. These people would push the dogs bottom down in order to achieve the sit, and pull his legs forward to manage a down.

The fact is that dogs naturally understand body language, as if you observe a dog or wolf pack they communicate primarily by body positioning, transmitting dominance, submission, appeasement, and pack bonding.

The classic example is the training of that most fundamental of dog behaviours, the sit. The easiest way with a dog or a young puppy is to:

1. Hold a treat above the dogs nose, presenting the treat by using a move which arcs the hand up towards the trainers chest. 2. The dogs head tilts upward to see and get at the treat held in this position. 3. With luck and the right angle, the body follows the head, and the dogs bottom hits the floor. 4. The treat is then given, usually associated with praise, such as "good dog".

In clicker training, the dog achieves the desired behavior and the trainer makes a "click" sound before the giving of the food reward. The dog learns to associate the click with the reward.

After a few efforts at signaling the dog to sit using the treat in the arcing arm and hand, you can use the word "sit" when you do the hand gesture. Eventually you don't need to have the treat in your hand, the hand gesture is enough, and the dog will learn that the word "sit" goes along with this hand gesture. By these means you can make a dog understand human language without resorting to pushing and shoving him around.

It's amazing though how powerful the hand gesture still is in dog training. A wise trainer will never fully abandon the hand signal in favor of words. It is quite remarkable how even the most seemingly dumb of dogs will respond to a hand signal even though he may look blankly when you say the word. The testimony to the efficacy of the hand signal is that deaf dogs are totally trainable - as long as you are within sight.

Have you ever wondered why your dog is sometimes slow to respond to your spoken commands? Are you using hand signals? Often these are more important than words to your dog. Find out how dog training actions can speak louder than words. Check this out in this helpful and informative site dedicated to pet dogs.