Hand Signals for Dog Obedience Training

Dogs have the ability to understand posture and hand signals, possibly better than spoken commands. They communicate status and intention with each other and with humans using body language, hence gestures may be easier for them to understand than vocal commands. Hand signals, therefore, are an effective way for owners to communicate their wishes with their dogs. As with all forms of dog training consistency is key.

• Keep using spoken commands at the beginning of training. You start out your training regimen using both spoken commands and hand gestures, then move on to using only hand gestures.  


• The basic command set used in most forms of dog training includes “sit”, which is usually the easiest thing to train a dog to do, and therefore most trainers will start out with it. The common hand gesture for the sit command is usually given by holding your arm at your side and then raising it to your chest with the palm held flat and towards you. 


•  “Down” is another easy command for when you want the dog to go all the way down, not just sit. The hand signal most trainers use for this is to sweep the flattened palm downward, towards the floor. 


• “Heel” is another basic gesture. Heeling is when the dog walks beside its owner or handler on the left side without pulling them forward or moving ahead. The gesture for this involves a downward sweeping motion of the left hand with the palm up. Then the hand should come up again, indicating to the dog that it would keep walking. The dog must not lean on the person handling it. 


• “Stay” is a slightly more difficult concept for the dog to grasp with or without hand signals. It involves them staying in one place and not following the person training them. Keeping the palm flat one hand should be extended just to one side of the dog’s snout. The dog should be sitting next to the owner/handler when the command is given.