HAND SIGNAL DOG TRAINING HOW TO

Make vibrationsĭeaf dogs are especially attuned to their other senses. This is usually effective at night when you need to get your deaf dog’s attention. Outside lights such as a porch light can also help get your dog’s attention. These activities also redirected him to fun, acceptable behaviors and away from his compulsive light chasing. So they took him on long walks, played fetch, did obedience training, and gave him puzzle toys–all of which exercised his body and his mind. Of course I instructed the owners to immediately stop using the laser pointer and to exercise the terrier other ways. Unfortunately, he became obsessed with other lights too: the sunlight beaming through the window, the light on the floor from the table lamp, car lights that reflected into his fenced yard. The owners had used a light pointer to exercise him. I was called in to help the owners of a Jack Russell terrier that had become light-obsessed. I’ve seen it happen more with laser pointers than with flashlights. But just be aware that some dogs start to compulsively chase light when using these techniques. Just do each training exercise a few times, then move on. Give your pup a treat when he looks at you. Flash the light a few times away from the dog, being sure that it’s not pointed at your deaf dog’s eyes. You can also do the same thing with a laser pointer. Reward him with a treat when he looks at you. Just do this a few times during each training session. Turn a flashlight on and off when your pup is near you. I recommend having him on a six-foot leash to begin, so that you can be close enough to reward him. There are methods to get your deaf dog’s attention even if he looks away. How To Get Your Deaf Dog’s Attention When He Isn’t Looking at You There are ways to get his attention even if he’s at a distance from you.ĭon’t forget to have small, pea-sized yummy treats ready to reward him for desired behaviors.

HAND SIGNAL DOG TRAINING HOW TO

Later in the blog, I’ll discuss how to teach and use an attention cue when your dog is looking at you. How To Get a Deaf Dog’s Attentionīecause deaf dogs can’t hear us and other sounds we can use for attention, you have to use other methods to get their attention. Todays article is going to cover how to train a deaf dog with hand signals.Įven if you’re reading this and your dog isn’t deaf, training him with both verbal cues and hand signals can be beneficial. It’s important for all dog’s to learn hand signals as older dogs can lose they’re hearing later in life. So when she had to go to the bathroom at night, I could call her with a hand signal to return.Īfter all, neighbors wouldn’t appreciate me verbally calling her at midnight! How To Train a Deaf Dog with Hand Signals Always end the training session on a positive, happy note.My sheltie Amber became totally deaf in her senior years.Keep training sessions short, approximately 15 minutes, and make it FUN! Train your dog away from noise or distractions.Use the same hand for the same hand signal.The best visual cues are those you will easily remember. Decide which hand signal you will use for each command.There is less chance of your dog becoming confused and slowing the learning process which means less frustration for you and your dog. K9 Hand Signals: ALWAYS DO THIS! Just like with verbal cues, always be consistent in using the same hand signal with your dog. 70% accuracy to the visual cues given with conflicting verbal cues.82% accuracy in dog responses with verbal commands.99% accuracy with dogs responding to hand signals!.Amazingly, the results were statistically significant in revealing dogs were more reliable with hand signals although they were taught both verbal cues and hand signals. This is actually backed up with real science in a recent Italian study with 25 dogs including Golden and Labrador Retrievers.

Hand signal dog training