Hand Signal Dictionary

[Luke W]

The trainer I engaged for some one on one private sessions suggested I create a 'training dictionary' with a list of verbal commands and hand signals...

I've got a variety of commands in the list so far...including watch, sit, stand, down/drop, stay, spit it out, walk loose, walk close, come, freeze, toilet, release, back up, get down, go to pen, go to crate, etc

I'm starting to plan for my hand signals.

I hope to eventually compete in obedience and agility trials so I'd like to start off on the right foot and not have to reteach any particular signals.

I'm looking for any accepted lists of hand signals or a reference book or failing that, some advice.

It seems there's a lot of commands he's going to eventually learn but I can only come up with a limited number of hand signals.

Bearing in mind I'd eventually be involved in trialling how should I go about getting together a list of hand signals.

Some questions that come to mind:

- Should my signals all be one handed and can some be two?

- Should I favor a particular hand

- How 'different' do the signals have to be - eg...can a single 'karate chop' represent one thing and two 'karate chops' represent another? Can a left handed chop mean something different than a right handed chop?

- Do I only teach hand signals for a subset of commands? Which ones?

Edited June 8, 2008 by Luke W

[TerraNik]

Interesting question! I'd be interested to see the responses!

[Erny]

Should my signals all be one handed and can some be two?

Some can be two (eg. recall .... two arms stretched out)

Should I favor a particular hand

Depends on what you are doing. One hand can become a directional signal (as they do in retrieve training/trialling)

How 'different' do the signals have to be - eg...can a single 'karate chop' represent one thing and two 'karate chops' represent another?

They should be different. What if you trained your dog for speedy responses (which is what I aim for). One karate chop for drop. Two for sit. But he beats you to the second chop and drops instead of sits. Too confusing for the dog and open to misinterpretation IMO.

Can a left handed chop mean something different than a right handed chop?

Yes .... although completely different signals are easier to learn and teach if it is completely different behaviours you are after (IMO)

Do I only teach hand signals for a subset of commands? Which ones?

Don't understand your question.

What hand signals has your private instructor already given you?

[Luke W]

L: Should my signals all be one handed and can some be two?

E: Some can be two (eg. recall .... two arms stretched out)

Yep, got that one :-)

L: Should I favor a particular hand

E: Depends on what you are doing. One hand can become a directional signal (as they do in retrieve training/trialling)

OK - So left for 'left', right for 'right'...

I can see I'm going to end up unteaching some signals once I start agility. I don't know enough about agility to know what signals I'm going to need.

L: How 'different' do the signals have to be - eg...can a single 'karate chop' represent one thing and two 'karate chops' represent another?

E: They should be different. What if you trained your dog for speedy responses (which is what I aim for). One karate chop for drop. Two for sit. But he beats you to the second chop and drops instead of sits. Too confusing for the dog and open to misinterpretation IMO.

See, you think of things I don't

L: Can a left handed chop mean something different than a right handed chop?

E: Yes .... although completely different signals are easier to learn and teach if it is completely different behaviours you are after (IMO)

But there's only so many signals you can give that are significantly different. Argh.

L: Do I only teach hand signals for a subset of commands? Which ones?

E: Don't understand your question.

E: What hand signals has your private instructor already given you?

Do I teach a hand signal for everything I want to have a verbal cue for? I can think of a lot more specific verbal cues than I can think of specific hand signals.

My trainer has left it up to me to come up with my own signals. The trainer provided a list of commands I should develop verbal cues and hand signals for:

Look at me

Sit

Drop/Down

Stand

Walk loose

Walk close

Come

Stay

Stop/Freeze

Settle down

Toilet

Well done

Free to go

Open Mouth

Back away

Paws on Floor

and I've started to add a few of my own:

Go into Pen

Go into Kennel/Crate

Go onto Mat

Bark

Stop Bark

Take it

Now that's A LOT of hand signals!

My hand signals so far are simply stylized lure signals. Eg. the classic 'raise hand, palm up, bend at elbow' sit signal, the 'palm downward' drop/down signal, the 'policeman stop' stay signal.

[corvus]

This is interesting, because I'm running out of hand signals for KT. I've got one finger drawing a line upwards for sit, palm with fingers up for stay, palm dropped towards ground for down, palm with fingers down for paw, and a finger pointing for touch. He gets confused between paw and touch and sometimes paw and stay. I think the paw and touch confusion is more about his coordination. He just gets confused whether to touch it with his paw or his nose. Stay and paw are related to the similarity of the hand signal. He's learnt quite well, but sometimes if my hand angle is a little odd he thinks it means paw rather than stay. He likes paw better. []

[TerraNik]

Luke, do you *need* signals for all of that? Things like toilet, go to your crate, etc don't really (IMO) need hand signals. I just imagine the occasion that I would be using them and think about whether I would need a hand signal. For example, if you're telling your dog to go to their crate and you're standing right by them you can probably just give a voice command. Also, is there ever going to be an occasion that you tell your dog to toilet from a distance that he wouldn't hear your voice command? This might reduce your hand signal list!!!

I only use hand signals for Jedi because I can use them from a distance (not that he can do this yet!!!). He also learns hand signals faster than voice commands. Things like going to the toilet, going to his mat or crate, giving a toy out of his mouth all only have voice commands. He does just fine.

Just my thoughts on the matter.

[Luke W]

Luke, do you *need* signals for all of that? Things like toilet, go to your crate, etc don't really (IMO) need hand signals. I just imagine the occasion that I would be using them and think about whether I would need a hand signal. For example, if you're telling your dog to go to their crate and you're standing right by them you can probably just give a voice command. Also, is there ever going to be an occasion that you tell your dog to toilet from a distance that he wouldn't hear your voice command? This might reduce your hand signal list!!!

I only use hand signals for Jedi because I can use them from a distance (not that he can do this yet!!!). He also learns hand signals faster than voice commands. Things like going to the toilet, going to his mat or crate, giving a toy out of his mouth all only have voice commands. He does just fine.

Just my thoughts on the matter.

Good point TerraNik.

My only comeback at this stage is to agree with you that dogs do tend to respond better to hand/body signals than voice cues.

Still your point makes sense. Maybe it's about prioritising the ones that are important to be able to cue at a distance.

[bordacollies4me]

I can see I'm going to end up unteaching some signals once I start agility. I don't know enough about agility to know what signals I'm going to need.

Body Language plays a big part in Agility, you teach your dog to follow your body line, or shoulders, change of arm means change of direction, very little hand signals are used, some verbal such as Walk up/on, Touch/Target, Weave/Poles, Through, Table... the less we talk on course the better for us and the dogs, lets them get on with it and for us to keep our breath and keep on running... as my dogs get more experienced i often leave out the verbals, if my bodylanguage is heading them for the weave pole then they should weave, if i'm heading them to a tunnel then they will take the tunnel.. i then have my verbals, for tight calls, obstacle call offs etc...

[NoodleNut]

My trainer has left it up to me to come up with my own signals. The trainer provided a list of commands I should develop verbal cues and hand signals for:

Look at me

Sit

Drop/Down

Stand

Walk loose

Walk close

Come

Stay

Stop/Freeze

Settle down

Toilet

Well done

Free to go

Open Mouth

Back away

Paws on Floor

and I've started to add a few of my own:

Go into Pen

Go into Kennel/Crate

Go onto Mat

Bark

Stop Bark

Take it

Now that's A LOT of hand signals!

[/color]

Want a Sign Language Interpreter perhaps I am happy to 'consult' ... LOL

I kid you not .... lots of Deaf people teach their dogs sign .........obviously not for your purposes of course ... although there might be someone Deaf on DOL.. never know.

[shoemonster]

You might also want to get a copy of the trialling rule book, so you know what signals are acceptable in the ring, no point making up a signal if you then have to change it later for trialling

Does the trainer you use trial?

eta some of these might help

http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?show...hl=hand+signals

http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?show...hl=hand+signals

http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?show...hl=hand+signals

Edited June 8, 2008 by shoemonster

[TerraNik]

Want a Sign Language Interpreter perhaps I am happy to 'consult' ... LOL

I kid you not .... lots of Deaf people teach their dogs sign .........obviously not for your purposes of course ... although there might be someone Deaf on DOL.. never know.

I could help you with that if you really wanted. I know some AUSLAN (Australian sign language) and am pretty fluent in Signed English. My conversational skills suck, but I know the signs!!

Jedi knows a few AUSLAN signs - 'finish' is a good one for when I have finished grooming him and he can run off!! I use it at the end of training sessions too.

[Luke W]

Thanks for all the help guys.

Shoemonster - no she doesn't trial, thanks for the links

Noodlenut and TerraNik - I found a site that showed some signs used to signal to a deaf dog...not quite the same but interesting nonetheless. Ahh - Here it was: http://www.deafdogs.org/training/signs.php

Bordercollies4me: Thanks - makes sense.

[Kavik]

You don't need THAT many hand signals ;)

I have

Diesel

sit

drop

stand

stay

heel

come

shake

touch/target hand

[4 Paws]

this website may help with a few basics http://www.bordercollierescue.org/breed_ad...niCommands.html

[sas]

These might be helpful?

Sit:

Down:

Stand:

Stay:

Come:

[DogsLover]

These might be helpful?

Sit:

Down:

Stand:

Stay:

Come:

Hahaha, this "sit command" hand signal is what I use for the "stand command". When training her, it just happens so naturally that I decided to stick to it.

[Luke W]

Thanks for the responses, comments and links everyone. I'm digesting...

Edited June 9, 2008 by Luke W

[Kelpie-i]

Luke W, as Kavik suggested, you don't need all those hand signals. I even doubt you will remember them all yourself.

I'm surprised your trainer hasn't given you a set of generic signals to work with so that you don't create confusion for both you and your dog. What sort of techniques are you using to teach the dog? Some methods ie. luring, creates the hand signals automatically.

My recommendation is to start with 4 simple ones to begin with:

Sit

Drop

Recall (come)

Stand

Teaching these one at a time. This will give you a good grounding for the initial commands/signals and you can add others later on.

Remember that your dog must also learn to listen to a verbal cue as well as a hand signal

Edited June 9, 2008 by Kelpie-i

[Luke W]

Luke W, as Kavik suggested, you don't need all those hand signals. I even doubt you will remember them all yourself.

I'm surprised your trainer hasn't given you a set of generic signals to work with so that you don't create confusion for both you and your dog. What sort of techniques are you using to teach the dog? Some methods ie. luring, creates the hand signals automatically.

My recommendation is to start with 4 simple ones to begin with:

Sit

Drop

Recall (come)

Stand

Teaching these one at a time. This will give you a good grounding for the initial commands/signals and you can add others later on.

Remember that your dog must also learn to listen to a verbal cue as well as a hand signal

Thanks Kelpie-i

I've got those ones - I had those before I started working with the trainer. Perhaps that's why she didn't give me some generic ones.

And yep - we're working on verbal cues as well.

[Kelpie-i]

Oh okay...sorry I wasn't aware.

I still think you should keep it as simple as possible and only teach one thing at a time, ensuring your signals don't look too similar.