The first question you may be thinking is, why would anyone teach their dog sign language? There are many reasons, from safety to help a person with disabilities communicate with their pet. The best reason is that it is fun, and your dog will love adding another “trick” to their talents.
What to Teach Your Dog
What signs you teach your dog depends on why you teach him/her. If you are teaching signs so another person can communicate, think about what they may need to say. For example, the dog may need to learn open, go, find, telephone, drink – anything that will make the person with disabilities’ life easier.
If you are teaching your dog for safety reasons, how about the stay, stop, quiet, and come and speak? As scary as it is, communicating with your dog when a stranger is around could save your life.
Some people teach their dogs just for fun and as another way to brag about their pets. Dogs love to show off their tricks, and having a dog that understands sign language is very cool.
The Deaf Dog Education Action Fund, DDEAF for short, has a great signing tutorial to get you started with the basics.
How to Teach Your Dog
First, just like everything you teach your dog, you must be consistent. For example, if you are teaching your dog to sit with signs, every time you say “sit,” you must also sign the command. And like when he/she sits on verbal command, reward him/her when they sit on a signed command. Your dog will learn quickly because they always want to please you.
Patience is also very important. Especially if you are working with an older dog, it takes time for them to understand what you want. So be patient and praise their every effort. The adage is wrong – you can teach an old dog new tricks! You have to have patience and love.
Choose words that will have meaning for your dog. For example, pretty or blue is not something your dog will understand, but water, treat, or potty will have meaning for them. You can teach your dog to respond to questions that are signed to them. For example, when a dog is barking, you can sign several things to them to ask what they want. One owner has taught her dog to sit and wait for the sign of what is needed. The dog will wag her tail and bark when she sees the sign.
Training Tips To Remember
Never yell at or strike your dog for not learning quickly enough. Instead, it would help if you treated your dog with kindness and patience for them to learn any trick. Treat your dog like a child and praise efforts and reward progress, and you will soon have a dog that will come and sit with you without you ever having to say a word.
Remember to have fun while you teach your dog. There are many books and videos available that will show you basic sign language. In addition, you and your dog can learn together if you do not know the language.