#Printable dog training hand signals chart pdf series

If you intend to give your dog a series of hand signal commands, you will want them watching you and paying attention. However, training experts have come up with a series of hand signals that are easiest for dogs to interpret and associate with different behaviors.

In theory, you can train your dog to associate behavior with any hand signal. This will also prepare them for hearing loss in older age if they are no longer possible to distinguish the sound of your voice. When you aren’t in a competition setting, the best recipe for an obedient dog is to use both voice and hand signals at the same time to give the command. Hand signals obviously only work when your dog is looking at you, while voice commands can be used to get their attention. So, are hand signals the answer to the best possible training for your dog? Maybe. Moreover, when conflicting hand signals and voice commands were given, in 70 percent of cases the dogs responded to the hand signal. Remember that dogs do not understand the words that you use, but they learn to respond to certain sounds, which they must pick out from ambient noise and distinguish from other, similar words.ĭogs are incredibly good at reading body language and distinguishing physical gestures is pretty much second nature to them.Īn Italian study shows that dogs (admittedly very intelligent Labradors and Golden Retrievers that had been professionally trained so don’t necessarily expect the same results from your dog) respond to voice commands with 82 percent accuracy while they respond to hand signals with 99 percent accuracy! Teaching your pooch to respond to your hand commands can be fun and impress family and friends.īut more than this, it can also be easier for dogs to learn hand signals than voice commands.

If you want your dog to compete in competitive obedience of sports, responding to hand signals is a requirement!ĭeaf dogs are obviously unable to respond to voice commands, and don’t forget that many dogs lose their hearing as they get older and may struggle to hear your voice commands. Sometimes you want to give your dog commands when it is noisy and they can’t hear you. There are lots of good reasons why you might want to teach your dog to respond to hand signals. Hint: Get your best training treats ready! Why Train Your Dog To Respond To Hand Signals?

#Printable dog training hand signals chart pdf how to

We will also share some top tips on how to teach your dog to understand these new visual commands. In this article we will go through the benefits of teaching your dog to respond to hand commands, and also show you the 10 most important hand signals that your dog should know. There are a lot of good reasons to teach your dog to respond to hand signals as well as your voice, and in fact, it may even be easier for them to interpret hand signals than the sound of your voice. Once you have convinced your dog to respond to various voice commands, someone comes along and suggests that you should train your pooch to respond to hand signals as well! Why?! Training your dog to respond to commands is a rewarding but often time-consuming process.

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