Dog Community

Posted : 6/26/2006 6:10:34 PM

I do both verbal and hand signals. I do them at the same time. I'm not sure which would be better but hand commands are easier for the dog to learn then add verbal commands.

Xerxes

Posted : 6/27/2006 11:32:45 AM

I've got a sighthound so hand signals/gestures are very very important. I also use a "Pssst" sound when I need him to look at me for a cue. He also knows verbal commands for alot of behaviors. So I find hand signals are great with Xerxes, however if he was a working breed, I might use alot more verbal or sound cues.

spiritdogs

Posted : 6/27/2006 6:25:38 PM

teach my dogs both, but always voice first and once they've got that down perfect (to the point where I'm not saying "Tango sit, sit, SIT!" and only have to say "sit" once) I then teach the hand signals.

orangedog, maybe you should try using hand signals first. I never have to say sit more than once - ever. I get the behavior, either by clicking it, or by luring it if the dog is going to be lure trained, and reward it. Next, I add a hand signal, then the voice later. I prefer clicker training because the onus is on the dog to *offer* behavior, and it makes it easier to train complicated behaviors.

I always train both hand and voice. You never know when a dog will lose its sight or hearing, and it helps if you can communicate your wishes either way. My 17 year old is mostly deaf, but still comes when called (a bit more slowly, of course) because she learned hand signals.

griffinej5

Posted : 6/27/2006 9:03:51 PM

Anne, speaking of not knowing when your dog might lose his voice or sight, you never knew when you might lose your voice. Last time I had Max in a class, I lost my voice one night. I still went, and was able to do get him to do most of what we were supposed to do that night because he knows hand signals. The only parts we had trouble with were those that involved calling the dog, and she kept telling us to tell our dogs to do things, which I think was entirely for the sake of rubbing it in.

Rhonda

Posted : 6/29/2006 10:16:45 PM

I've never used hand signals until I (unexpectedly) got a deaf Bull Terrier. I bought a sign language book, looked up hand signs for dogs on the internet, and made up some of my own signs. We had our own little language and it was so rewarding everytime she learned a new sign. She has since passed and since I was so used to using hand signs with her, it kind of spilled over when training my new pups. Now if I forget to give the hand sign when doing the voice command the dogs will sometimes wait for the hand signs to see if I really mean what I'm saying.

Hand signals vs. verbal commands