“The dog is a man’s best friend” is the famous proverb we all have been hearing , watching and some of us are experiencing too. Similarly, Labradors are the most famous breed of the dog’s species. They are of loving and joyful nature. They differ in appearances by colour, size and height depending upon the various factors.
But at the end of the day your dog is your best. Sometimes your Labrador will know how to behave in and around you but not when they are out in public. In such cases if your dog is of stubborn and rebellious nature it can get embarrassing for the owner to take him or her out even for a normal walk.
Hence , for tackling such situations owners choose to train their Labradors. So that their dogs can learn discipline and manners. Training them not only improves discipline and manners of one’s dog but also they learn to interact and communicate with each other.
There are various training used by the owners. One of the most common and yet effective training technique is hand signalling. Most of the owners use this technique to train their dog while their dog is still a pup. And it is highly recommended to teach your dogs hand signals while they are pups. AS it becomes a healthy habit of the dog and also it helps them to interact with each other.
Such training techniques are not only used by common dog owners but also by some specialists who train dogs to help people. Because dogs are not only used as pets but also as a support system for the people with various disabilities and also for the people suffering from anxiety issues or autism problems.
Hence, in cases like these it’s highly important for the dogs to understand what someone is trying to say or commanding them to do. Teaching your dogs such gestures and signals are considered to be of great importance. As it has been proved to be helpful specially in emergency cases.
It is also observed and experienced by most of the dog owners is that after a certain age growth, when dogs start growing old they often tend to lack hearing skills. They can’t hear what someone is trying to say as it becomes harder for them to listen at that stage.
So owners who have taught hand signals to their dogs find it to be more productive and helpful. Because though the dogs can’t hear but they can see and understand hand signals as means of communication and interaction between them and their owners or other people too.
We have created a list below consisting information about the most common and yet effective hand signals used by the dog owners around the world. All the hand signals are explained in detail so to get clear idea about the signal. The list describes about all the basic and essential hand signals that can be taught easily.
The hand signals for Labradors are:-
- Watch me
- The very first signal an owner should teach their dogs is to make eye contact with you.
- Because dogs tend to loose their attention as they are easily distracted.
- So when you teach them to watch you or look at you they will pay attention to you.
- When they pay attention to you they’ll gradually start to learn your body language and eventually will understand your other signals .
- This signal is quite easy all you have to do first is call out your dog or try to catch his or her attention .
- When you have their attention point two fingers at them and then turn it in your direction and point one finger slowly towards your own eyes.
- And when they catch your attention you can easily communicate with them and can train them.
- Sit
- Sitis one of the most common hand signal used to train dogs.
- This hand signal is usually taught to dogs when they are small puppies.
- All you need to do is simply keep your palm open in front of yourself in backward position and in horizontal manner.
- Then lower it down by slowly moving your palm in downward direction.
- Stand
- Stand is also probably one of the common command used by the owners.
- For teaching this signal to your dog you have to open your palm in front of yourself and it should be in horizontal position.
- After this you have to move your palm in upward direction indicating that your dog can now stand up
- Come
- Come is a sign which can be done in different ways depending upon the grasping of your dog.
- For teaching this signal one can bring his hand forward and keep it straight .
- Then move the hand towards the direct of oneself.
- Stay
- This is a signal which is used specially to discipline dogs .
- To teach this signal you have to hold your palm out near your chest.
- And the palm should face away from your chest and in front of your dog.
- This makes them to understand that they have to stay put.
- Drop it
- Sometimes when dogs get extremely mischievous and out of control and they bite and chew things .
- This signal is surely of great help for such situations .
- This signal can be taught by holding your fist in front of you and towards your do.
- And when they have your attention open your fist.
- Lie down
- This signal is used commonly by the owners who participate in various dog competitions.
- This hand signal is easy and quite understandable by dogs.
- All you have to do is keep your one finger straight in front of you pointing in upward direction.
- And then move it to the towards the direction of the floor or in 90° angle.
Conclusion
These were some commonly used hand signals for training dogs. It is highly suggestive to give your dogs treat when they coordinate with your hand signals to help and encourage them while training process.
Also you can always use a trick to catch their attention before doing any gesture or hand signal. That is to make noises or sounds they are attracted to or are fond of.
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