Are Hand Signals Outdated?

[Star and Goldie]

We had our first training session with our trainer today. I'm just getting to know her and how the program works so there isn't much to speak of just yet but one thing that really stuck out to me is that she doesn't use hand signals. I told her that I use hand signals and that Goldie already knows several. I just wanted to be sure that I wasn't going to have to unteach those hand signals and she said "well we don't use hand signals here"

I saw past discussions on hand signals and found several resources online about how/why they are so great. Most of the discussions on here were at least 2 years old so my questions is... are hand signals outdated? Should I stop that method? I still do the verbal cue, of course, but I've always accompanied it with a hand signal.

[Ronna, Murphy & Wilson]

I am starting to need a margarita :)

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

oh that sounds good!

[Ronna, Murphy & Wilson]

That is a great idea Amy.  They have stopped responding to come because it is so overused in our daily language that they start to ignore it.  Come is our emergency word and I sooooo wish it wasn't because I am forever having to tell people not to say come in front of my dogs because that word is for emergency only....but we went through a 13 week protocol to teach a reliable emergency "come" command.  My friend that is a K-9 cop uses german words so that the words don't get burned for the dogs.

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

The animal control office in our town told me once that most police dogs are trained in German or using sounds or other words instead of the traditional commands so that they don't run into those problems.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I fostered two former police K9s and both of them knew hand signals as well as German and English commands. 

[Elizabeth, Bailey & Bruin]

We use the "yes" command..And Bailey is "supposed" to look up at my face and watch me..Not so much LOL

[Star and Goldie]

I hold the #1 up for a sit. Thumbs up... that's cute. Never even thought of that one.

[Star and Goldie]

Actually what's funny about this is that during todays session Goldie was the only puppy there since it was just cover rules and expectations. Whenever she would get up I would hold my finger up without saying a word and she would sit back down. The trainer should appreciate hand signals since it kept her from her class being disturbed!!!

[Ronna, Murphy & Wilson]

Oh, another situation where I like hand signals is for a "stay".  Murphy is doorbell trained (working on Wilson...it is hard with two!)...when the bell rings we give the verbal command for "place" and Murphy goes to his rug in the kitchen and then we put him in a sit stay or down stay....if I am talking to someone at the door and I see Murph starting to waiver I can give the hand signal without interrupting the conversation.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

I hope BG chimes in here.  The focus of her dog and the reasons why were wonderful. I think of her all the time.

I do like, not speaking to Spud. 

Ever hear a mother saying, Billy! Billy, Billy, Billllllllllllllllllly,  Over and over and over.? I feel the same when I am trying to get my dog's attention.

I want him looking at me or for me.  Focus.   So, I do like hand signals for this reason.

I love Ronna's reason of saying COME.  Come is the most important command and it often needs a voice.  

BOTH

[Julie and Charlie]

I'm doing both- fist with fingers down for "sit", pull my arm like I'm doing a bicep curl for "stand up", lay down is the opposite movement with hand open. It's really now to keep his brain working and to avoid me having to tell him "sit, sit, sit" all the time. He can also follow my hand for touching something with his paw. He doesn't really care about the word for that one, so we can impress strangers and non-dog people with "shake" and "High Five!" pretty easily.

[Kathy]

To my way of thinking why limit yourself to just voice commands?  Of course Tia is my service dog and hand signals are necessary.  In church I don't want to be talking while there is a talk or a lesson being given.  Also I take her to other places that I want control no matter what the situation, like the doctors, restaurant, and so on.  Most of the time I use both hand and voice commands,  it just makes me feel that I have covered all bases.