![]() ![]() Should the dog be elderly and go deaf one day, it will be able to read sign language with no need to train new hand signals. Some dog owners may wish to have a dog that attends to both verbal and non-verbal dog training commands. ![]() Sometimes dog owners rely on non-verbal signals unknowingly, such as when tilting their head downwards upon asking “sit” or moving their body slightly backward upon asking a dog to “lay down”. Ok, these might not be daily occurrences but still, similar situations can occur. Hand signals are also heavily used when training dogs from a distance, such as in directing a hunting dog to retrieve a downed bird, training a dog to compete in a utility obedience competition, or asking a herding dog to move the flock. In dog training, the hand gesture in such a circumstance would be referred as to being “more salient” than the verbal command. If you make your dog sit by pointing your index finger as you say “sit”, chances are high that should you happen to only say “sit” one day without pointing, your dog may not respond because it has learned to rely more on your hand signal than anything else. It is not unusual indeed for a dog to pay more attention to a hand gesture than a command such as a sit. Ever seen how Rover is quick to read any of your slight body movements towards the refrigerator? Nancy shares her life with her husband and two canine alumni of the NWSPCA, mixed-breed Otto (whose adorably fuzzy visage was incorporated into WDJ’s masthead some years ago) and Pit/Lab-mix Woody.Dogs are ultimately very well adept in interpreting non-verbal signals, and therefore do well, if not even better, when they are attending to hand gestures but why is that?Ī good part of this may be attributed to the fact that canines do not use verbal communication, and therefore, must rely a lot on body language in order to communicate with their own species and humans.Ĭonsequently, dogs have a certain aptitude for reading our body language and gestures. As a regular volunteer for her local animal shelter, the Northwest SPCA in Oroville, CA, she fosters large litters of puppies and helps train wayward adolescent dogs in order to increase their chances of adoption. ![]() To stay on top of industry developments, she also attends pet industry trade shows such as Global Pet and SuperZoo, educational conferences of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association and Pet Food Industry’s Pet Food Forum. The founding editor of Whole Dog Journal in 1998, Nancy regularly attends cutting-edge dog-training conferences including those for the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, Pet Professional Guild, Association of Professional Dog Trainers, and Clicker Expo. Nancy Kerns has edited horse and dog magazines since graduating the San Francisco State University Journalism program in 1990. Special Needs Training: Training Dogs with Hand Signals How to Train Hearing Impaired Dogs Using Hand Signals and Simple Gestures Here are just a few of the many articles we’ve done on teaching hand signals for your cues: Again, thank goodness he knows that one, because it’s one of the few things I can do now to make his “concentrating” expression soften and his tail wag.ĭon’t wait until it’s too late to teach your dog hand signals – if for no other reason than as a hedge for his or her old age. ![]() He’s always a good boy, and I give him the “thumbs up” and a big smile many times a day. I’m so grateful that I taught him that alternative to ”Yes!” because, basically, in my eyes, he can’t do anything “wrong” anymore. I’ve long used a “thumbs up” gesture as an alternative to a click or “Yes!” to mark the moment he does a behavior I’ve cued or, to be honest, anything else that I like. He didn’t DO anything, he just gets treats for showing up when the other dogs are asked to do stuff. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |