Whether you are at the beginning of your dog training journey or in the middle, using hand signals can help so much when it comes to training your dog!

Today we’re going to dive into dog training hand signals: why you should use them, some common ones to teach your dog, and how to help your dog successfully learn them. 

WHY SHOULD YOU TRAIN YOUR DOG TO RESPOND TO HAND SIGNALS?

Let’s start with a super basic anatomy lesson. Dogs are like humans in that they have multiple senses. They use their ears to hear us, their noses to smell us, their eyes to see us… you get the picture. 

So it only makes sense that our training methods appeal to as many senses as possible, in this case being both hearing and seeing. There are also specific scenarios where hand signals may even be more beneficial than verbal cues:

Many dogs can develop a hearing impairment as they get older (or while they are young), so knowing hand signals ensures you’ll have a way to communicate with them

If there are a lot of cars, people, or other noisy distractions around you, your dog might not be able to hear you. In that case, it may be even more important to communicate cues with your dog as they may be in an environment with more hazards or risks

Dogs are better at distinguishing body language than specific words you use. It’s easier for them to associate a gesture with a behavior than decipher a word from other sounds

Plus, the process of learning something new continuously strengthens the bond between you and your dog, which is always a good thing!

COMMON TRAINING HAND SIGNALS TO TEACH YOUR DOG

While you can teach your dog a hand signal for just about anything you want, here are 12 common ones to start with:

Since this is probably the most common cue you use with your dog, it’s a great place to start. For sit, hold your hand out in front of you with your palm facing up, and raise your hand in an upward motion towards your shoulder.

Lay down is basically the opposite of sit, both in the behavior and the hand signal. You’ll start with your hand up by your shoulder and flick your wrist so that your hand lowers to the ground.

Recall is one of the most important skills your dog can know. For a hand signal, start with your hand at your side with your palm facing up and bring your hand up to the opposite shoulder.

Wait is a great behavior for controlling impulses and keeping your dog calm around exciting stimuli. To signal wait, hold your hand out in front of you at about waist height, with your palm facing forward.

Spin is not only a fun party trick, it can keep your dog focused on you when other things are going on. Hold your hand out in front of you and make a circular motion with a pointed finger to signal spin.

Cue your dog to raise their front paws up and sit back on their hind legs. With your palm facing up, move your outstretched hand upwards from about your waist to about your shoulders.

Roll over is another one where the hand signal mimics exactly what you want your dog to do. With an outstretched arm and hand pointed in front of you, move your arm in an arc movement to signal how you’d like your dog to move. 

While high five uses a dog’s paw, you can also utilize a similar hand signal with touch (which uses your dog’s nose). Crouch down to your dog’s level, and put your palm out towards them, just like you would if you were asking a person for a high five!

To get your dog to crawl to you from a down position, give them the “lay down” signal and then crouch a little further down and hold your hand low where you want them to crawl to.

Drop is another behavior that’s really important for keeping your dog safe, as well as keeping them focused during play sessions. When your dog is in front of you with the object you want them to drop, point your finger and hand towards the floor to signal drop. 

Fetch is a great cue to sharpen your dog’s focus, as you can have them stay while you throw an object and release them to fetch it on your cue. To signal fetch, point your finger with your hand at your side and raise it to point forward towards your object.

Stay is arguably the most important signal to teach your dog in a crowded, loud situation in order to keep them safe. Get your dog into the position you want them to hold (sit, down, or just standing), then hold your hand with your palm facing your dog until you are ready to release them.

If that seems like a lot to remember, you can keep a chart like this handy:

Now that you have a good understanding of basic hand signals for dog training, you can start incorporating them into your dog’s training. 

Here are steps and tips for teaching your dog hand signals:

Start introducing hand signals in a distraction-free environment, since you’ll need them to be focusing on you and looking at you for the whole session.

Pick one behavior at a time to introduce the hand signal for, to keep training sessions focused.

Once you have eye contact with your dog, give the verbal cue for the behavior alongside the hand signal, repeating this a few times.

Drop the voice cue and solely use the hand signal. This may be a challenge and may require you to revisit the previous step.

Once your dog gets a hang of the hand signal, cue the behavior a few times while mixing up repetitions of hand signal and verbal cue, but not both at the same time.

When your dog has this down, gradually introduce more and more distractions until this can be done in a noisy, busy environment.

For more tips on training your dog on a variety of resources, videos, and expert-led courses, check out the Pupford Academy. You’ll find everything you need to strengthen your dog training, whether using vocal cues or hand signals! 

Dog Training Hand Signals + How to Use Them | Pupford