“Sit”īegin by holding a healthy treat at the tip of your dog’s nose, then draw the offering back behind his head until he sits. Here some training tips for basic commands using ASL hand signals. Though there are other ways of going about it, Christina suggests teaching deaf dogs the signals used in American Sign Language (ASL). It is recommended that training sessions be kept short – between five and ten minutes at least three times a day. To make things easier, begin your dog’s training in a place devoid of too many distractions – inside the house or in a fenced yard.

Once your deaf dog has learned to “watch you”, it’s time to start teaching him sign language for basic commands. “An open flash of the hand replaces the ‘click’ in clicker training to mark the good behavior the second it takes place, followed by a high value food treat.” “Every time my dog Nitro would look at me, I would give him a flash of my open hand to mark his good behavior, then give him a treat,” says Christina Lee, founder of Deaf Dogs Rock. There are hand signals for commands like “sit”, “stay”, “down” and “come”, but you’ll also need sign language for phrases like “watch me” and “good dog!” The hardest part of training a deaf dog is getting him to focus on you without being distracted by his surroundings, so the first piece of sign language you’ll need to teach him is “watch me”. The trick is having a clear signal for each command, and to keep that signal consistent. In fact, because dogs are so good at reading body language, training can actually be easier this way. You just have to use visual rather than verbal or sound cues. But people who train and live with hearing-impaired dogs will tell you that deafness should not be regarded as a handicap.ĭeaf dogs can learn as well as those that hear. Unfortunately, few will find forever homes. But canines are experts at reading body language, so hand signals are just as effective as verbal cues.Įach year, many deaf dogs are surrendered to shelters. You might think training a deaf dog is difficult.

Deaf dog training hand signals