How to Train your Dog

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Hand Signals

Hand signs and signals are another way of giving your dog a command. Most obedience schools teach voice and hand signal s together. When a dog is told to 'drop', a common command for lying down, a sweeping gesture with the hand in a downwards direction is made at the same time. As soon as the dog has learned this particular lesson, and is quite steady on it, voice or signal should be used independently so that the dog will learn to obey either one by itself.

Why have two means of communicating with your dog?

Circumstances may make one or the other impracticable. For the dog which is near you, but not able to see you, you would use your voice which he can hear and obey. On the other hand, your dog may be able to see you quite well but for some reason not able to hear you. For example, suppose, and this should not happen, that your dog is loose on the far pavement of a busy street, and the noise of the traffic drowns out your voice. A sign to the dog to sit or lie down where he is will enable you to make your way across the road and lead him back to safety on his lead.
You are the teacher, so it is up to you to make your commands clear to your dog, particularly in the early stages. Use both hand and voice signals together as at first the dog may not be quite surf! what you want from one of them, but may get the clue from the other.

In the early stages of training you will realise the benefit of allowing your dog those few months of enjoyable puppyhood instead of struggling through half understood lessons with a puppy to young to settle down to discipline.

Dilling this period the dog has learned to like and respect you, and has grown fond of the hand that feeds and makes a fuss of him.
I have noticed in the 0 bedience Trial ring some handlers, who should know better, giving indistinct commands and then getting upset with their dog for not obeying an order he did not properly receive. Make sure that whenever you give your dog an order it is something he has already been taught, and that the order is given in a clear manner.

Your dog will gradually become educated into the kind of dog we all love to own, but it is a steady process of learning, and cannot be rushed. One lesson should be added progressively to another, and under no circumstances should you try to show off your dog's prowess to your friends before he is ready.