How to teach your dog sign language commands

You can teach your dog sign language for simple commands. The commands for stay, sit, lay, come, and beg are included. It’s a fun way to show off how smart your dog is and how clever you are, too. This is fun!

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A dog
• Time to train
• Treats

1. 
   Sit

   The command sit:
   Call your dog and get eye contact. Use your voice to say the sit command just as you would while teaching a dog to sit. Use the sign for sit at the same time. Keep doing this each time you tell your dog to sit. Lessen the times you actually say the command until no words are necessary. How long it takes depends on the time commitment you invest in your dog and the intelligence of your pooch. Here’s how to sign sit:
   Two fingers come down on top of the other 2 fingers

2. 
   Stay

   The command stay:
   Call your dog and get eye contact. Use your voice to say the stay command just as you would while teaching a dog to stay. But, instead of just pointing at him and telling him to stay, use the stay sign. Walk away slightly until the dog stays as told. To start using just the sign lessen the times you actually say stay until no words are necessary. Here’s how to sign stay:
   Thumb and pinky out, push your hand toward the dog.

3. 
   Come

   The command come:
   This is an easy one to master. I use the word “dog” for come. It includes snapping fingers so it gets the dog’s attention. Try this one after the stay command to get you dog to release the stay command and to come to you. Lessen the times you actually say the command until no words are necessary. Here’s the dog sign to use for come:
   Snap your fingers 6-12 inches off your thigh, then slap your thigh

4. 
   Lay

   The command for lay:
   Get eye contact. This can be a little more challenging for your dog but not impossible. Again, each time you give the command to lay, use the lay (fall) sign. I slap my hand as I do the sign for the emphasis. It seemed to help my dog some. Lessen the times you actually say the command until no words are necessary. Here’s how to sign lay:
   Stand 2 fingers on your hand, then flip it over like it fell. That’s where I slap my hand- as it “falls”.

5. 
   Beg

   The command beg:
   Get eye contact. Use the sign “to ask” for beg. It’s basically like a pointing finger. As with all other signs, give the verbal command and the sign command at the same time. Lessen the times you actually say the command until no words are necessary. I found this sign the most challenging because our dog was used to us pointing to the floor to lie down. So, sometimes she mixes up this sign and lies down.
   Here’s the command to beg:
   Use your curved index finger to point down. Keep hand up.

6. Let me know if this works for you or if you have other commands that could be taught easily.

Tips & Warnings

• It is much simpler if you teach your dog as a puppy.
• Have treats or praise rewards just as you do to start training your puppy anything. Treats are great.
• The more you practice with your dog, the faster the training will take place.
• Adjust the “sign” to what you want it to be. Your dog won’t know if it’s ASL (American Sign Language) or not.
• Keep eye contact with your dog. Here's an article to get eye contact that is good: http://www.redtaildesign.com/ducielrouge/eyecontact.html for Training Articles: Eye Contact in Five Seconds by August Farley with Azima Jones
• Do not scold or hit your dog. This should be fun.
• The older the dog, the longer it will take.

Resources

• Training Articles: Eye Contact in Five Seconds

[chicknfillet]

on 11/7/2009 Misty93- Sign for No is: your index finger and middle finger come down on your thumb (almost like an imitation of a bird's beak)...to sign leave it: ball up your hand toward your chest and "throw" it down. (Like you were discarding something) Hope that helps!

[misty93]

on 8/16/2009 This really is amazing! who ever said you can't keep an old dog new tricks was very wrong, my 15 year old dog picked it up in a matter of hours.
I think it's really going to help as she is deaf :) thankyou. And does anyone know a command for Leave it, and, No??

[soanyway]

on 1/5/2009 My dog does this! She also knows, when I smile I'm happy and she always wags her tail and comes over to me. Thanks for the article. I have recom'd you

[AlishaV]

on 12/26/2008 My dogs always responded much better to hand movements than to voice commands. Dogs are used to responding to body language so the sign language is easy for them to pick up. Great article!

[deepthinkin]

on 11/30/2008 This is great! I'll remember this for my next pup. My current puppy is 14 years old and I'm pretty sure she's senile...