Actually, Dog Momma prefers to say “cues” instead of “commands.” A command is harsh, an imposition of your will on the dog. A cue is assertive without being aggressive; it tells the dog what behavior is going to work for both of you in the current situation.
Cues can be verbal or hand signals; it’s often useful to have both kinds of cues for one behavior, as we’ll show in the photos/videos on this page.
Beyond that, it’s important to stick with the same cue (or the same two cues, verbal and hand) for the same behavior every time, and never to use that cue for a different behavior. I often hear people saying “down” to a dog who is jumping on someone, and I wonder what command they use for “lie down on the floor” and whether the dog is confused.
These photos and videos (coming soon) show the cues we use here at Dog Momma. They’re pretty common cues that people who love dogs have worked out so no one, canine or human, gets confused.
If you want to use a different set of cues, be our guest. After all, “sit” for your dog is “assis” for a dog in France. Just please be consistent each and every time.
Sit
hand: palm up;
motion: elbow stays at your side, move hand from hip to straight in front of you;
verbal: sit
Down
hand: palm down;
motion: elbow stays at your side, move hand from shoulder to straight in front of you;
verbal: down
Recall
hand: on chest;
motion: arm extended, palm facing out, move palm to your chest;
verbal: come!
Stay
hand: palm out like a stop sign;
motion: none;
verbal: stay. (don’t fall into habit of pleading “staaaaaaay”)
Stand
hand: fingers pinched, front of dog’s nose;
motion: like pulling a string attached to the nose, straight forward;
verbal: stand
Free (release)
hand: both hands open in front of you;
motion: from hands together, to hands open, like you have just released butterflies – also good to step back from dog;
verbal: free!
