Hand signals...

Did any one teach there dog hand signals? All of our dogs know them and I am findind out how helpfully they are today. I've been sick since saturday but I've gotten worse and I lost my voice today. I couldn't talk to Chewy telling him I want him to come here or to sit and stay or to pick this up and give it to me. Instead I snapped my fingers for him, he looked, did our hand signal for sit and he sat, did our hand signal for stay and he stayed, did our hand signal for pick up and he picked it up, did our hand signal for give and he gave. I also taught him that when I do the sign languauge for "No" that means don't do that and then I rub my pointing fingers across each otehr (like I'm sayign shame shame) that means bad. I didn't think he knew what I was doing but he does, cause he was being bad today cause we didn't go for our morning walk.

Does any one else dogs know hand signals, if so, what are they or/and for what comand?

Ash

Drake was taught hand signals as well as the verbal command.
Our commands are for come, sit, stay, heel, give, and kisses.

Ruby knows some, just the basics:

Fingers pinched together - Sit
Palm out facing up - Shake
Finger pointing down - Down
Palm facing virtically toward her - Stay
Pat leg - Come
Puckering lips - Give kiss

I haven't really consciously tried to teach Oz any hand signals,
but he's learned them based on using a treat to guide him into
the position I want him. So he'll now do the following with a
hand signal: Sit, Down, Stay, Shake, Take It and Come.

For bringing me something I've started naming his toys, so
I'll say "Bring me your Ball" or "Bring me your Hedgie". I'd like to
eventually expand out on this to other household items. Is
anybody using hand signals to go pick up an array of different
items, no matter what room they're in (so you wouldn't be able
to just point at them) and bring them back.
If so, are you using like sign language for the deaf to do it?

Par...

I teach my dogs with hand signals before I teach the verbal. Once they know the hand signals well, I add the verbal commands. Once they know both verbal and signals, I just use either one depending on the situation.

I use:

Palm facing up and hand moving upward for sit
Palm facing down and moving downward for down
One finger pointing up for sit pretty (or beg)
Both hands out for high fives or tens
Palm facing dog for stay
Hand making the talking signal for speak

I sometimes train deaf dogs at work and use the same signals plus the American sign language signal for "no".

I taught a few to Katie that Bull later picked up (actually Bull won't do a command unless you use the hand signal)

Sit = Closed hand above their head
Lay = Point down
Stay = hand facing them (Bull won't stay - he has to be with me at all time when I'm at home)
Up = Pat chest (Yes I taught them to jump up on me)

Wow, I didn't know if anyone on here did but aparently they do! Sounds like your dogs now alot. Chewy knows....

To get his attention: Snap
Get him to come: move hand towars you open
Sit: Pointer finger and Thumb closed and pulled up to Chest.
Down: Pointing
Stay: Hand moving towards his face
Give (item or toy): hand out
Get it: Snap and Point
Fetch: Frisbee move ment
Come up: Hold arm like your making a mucelle (sp) then shaking hand back and forth
Front (where he moves to the front of me): Snap and sit signale

I think thats all, thanx for responding, keep it comeing!

Ash

Yup, Jo knows em, Zeke is still learning. She knows one for sit, one for down (I put my hand in the air) stay, come, heel (if shes sitting infront of me i can wave my hand behind my back and she'll go around behind me and sit at my left side :] This is really good i find when doing agility cause she if shes on the wrong side when we're running i just wave my hand back and she does it) some other basics..

Simba knows some.


Sit- i snap my fingers and point down
down- same as sit just lower towards the ground
Come- patting on leg
paw- either putting my hand up or tapping on his paw
turn- point finger down and twirl it
roll over- pointing finger foward and twirling it



Honey knows
speak- moving your hand like it's talking

In most positive reinforcement classes you are taught to shape the behavior through hand signals before putting a verbal command to it. This is taugh usually with a food lure at first and then gradually faded as the dog demonstrates it knows what you expect with both verbal and hand signals. Both of mine know many hand signals just from obedience training.

Sit - palm down and moving in the direction of the dog
down - downward motion of the hand
come - swinging motion of your arm to your chest
sit pretty - fingers raised in a steady hold higher than dogs head.
give paw - palm up in a receiving fashion.
Back - palm flat in a pusing motion.
directional command - hand flat sideways pointing to the direction the dog is to go.
come to heal - hand in a fist and brought to rest on your stomach.
heal forward - hand motion in forward position and then resting on your stomach.
heal backward - hand motion in a backward gesture and then resting on your stomach.

i taught mickey the commands with their own signal:

-sit: i point my index finer at him and lower it
-come: hit my knees/leg/ snap my finers
-paw: just put out my hand and say the word
-up: say the word with my fingers in the air

that's all we've done so far :D

Nebo knows some.....I probably should have looked somewhere for the best signals to use.......I just made them up, they just kind of happened that way. He listens to hand signals as well as verbal for the most part, he is especially good at "sit."

Sit--index finger pointing up
Down--index finger pointing down (sometimes have to lower arm also)
Stay--hand up, palm facing him
Shake--snap fingers
Speak--some strange hand movement I can't explain lol
Up--arms crossed on chest
Come--hand patting leg

there's probably more but that's all I can think of

My dog also know hand signals. Sometimes I just work with them silently for fun. It keeps thing interesting for them!
They know:

Sit, down,roll over, paw, other paw, give paw-then stay-so paw is held in air, sit up,stay, come. there is all diff. hand signals for each.

I want to teach them:
Speak
crawl

Dúna knows alot of hand signals because I have one signal for every command. I didn't mean to have those hand signals they just came naturally whan I was guiding Dúna, showing her what to do. She knows, sit, lie down, stay, roll over, stand (on hind legs), stand up (if she is lying) and.....maby something else...

Since we went to many obedience class with Roxey, she knows alot (not saying she always does them though. She's a little stubborn sometimes:D )
She knows, sit, come, stay, down, come to a heel, shake, roll over, paws up, up (as in jump on my chest). That's all I can think of right now.

My dogs know all their commands by both verbal & hand signals.
Sit, stay, come, wait, down, heal, stick around, get up, up, left, right, back up, off, leave it, shake (with both paws), sit pretty, roll over, speak, pick it up, walk, run, easy, get it. Thats all I can think of for now but I am sure there are a few I am leaving out!

We've got some smart dogs here on this board & great owners too!!!