What about reliability? If a dog learns a hand signal more quickly, and that learning is strong enough to override a verbal command, are the trade-offs worth it? There may be some truth and benefit to that in the beginning when commands are still somewhat new. Again, a hand signal isn’t practical, but a verbal cue can be responded to. Another real-world example is if your dog is simply in another room of the house. In this situation, a clear, precise verbal command can be heard and understood by your dog.

While your dog is chasing that squirrel toward the road, you have no way to command them to come back with hand signals. Most dogs are going to be distracted by things at some point, at least to a certain extent. In a controlled training environment this is easier to achieve, but out in the real world, how can you be sure that your dog will be looking at you every time you want to give a command, and not the other dog across the street or the Frisbee flying through the park? A verbal command can be used as long as your dog is within earshot, no matter which way they are looking.

Any visual command is only useful if your dog is actively looking at you. While a hand signal or body cue is a quick way to learn, there are some practical limitations to relying on them.

So, why do they use them, and should you use them with your dog?ĭogs will generally learn a hand signal faster than a verbal command. Many trainers and owners use some form of hand signal, although the exact signals used vary greatly. There is loads of research out there to show us that dogs learn very well from visual cues and body language.

Hand signals for dogs