Diana Myers
A dog is happy when it is allowed to “work”. But the prerequisite for this is that humans and dogs can communicate with each other.
Mutual understanding must be learned
It doesn’t really matter whether we want to train our four-legged friend to be a hunting companion, to master the agility course, to be a tracking dog, or simply to be a four-legged friend that we can rely on in every situation. He needs one thing in any case: solid basic training. And for that it is necessary that he understands us, knows what you want from him. But: Our dogs do not understand human language and do not have their own language. Therefore, the means of communication with our dogs are limited. One way is to use sight signs. For example, our call or whistle can be optically supported by tapping our thighs lightly with one or both hands.
Sight signals as a means of communication with the dog
Or: Raised index finger with the command “Sit!” associate. The same position of the index finger can cause the dog to bark, only the index finger is moved in rhythm with the barking. The dog is made to sit in front of us and then, combined with the rhythmic movement of the index finger, on the command “Give noise!” caused to bark. It also makes sense to combine “space” with lowering the arm. For example, with “Here” you could also stretch your arm in the air, a signal that can also be seen from afar. The connection between the raised arm and “Here” works particularly quickly if you hold a treat in your hand and give it to your dog as soon as he comes running. In this way, he not only associates the hand signal with the command but also with the fact that he is picking up something nice. So he will be all the happier to follow the command.
Accompany voice commands with visual signals
Of course, these are only examples, which visual signals you use for which command is ultimately left to your imagination. If you consistently accompany your commands with visual signals – of course, they should always be the same – your dog will soon understand the connection and will follow the pure hand signal in the future.