Are Hand Signals Outdated?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 are hand signals outdated?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.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I love hand signals. The first trainer I had after I adopted JD had me use both hand signals and voice commands, and he responded much faster to the hand signals. It might be significant to mention that this trainer also evaluated JD as being "highly visual", for what that's worth. I do think all dogs are different.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

DO NOT UNTEACH.  Hand signals are great and if they are what you want to use then go for it.  We naturally use some hand signals and our dogs know very well what they mean.

[Pat and Traveler]

My favorite hand signal is just pointing--well, maybe it's my only hand signal...lol   Anyhow, if Trav is in the kitchen with me and I want him out, I just point at the doorway and he goes out.  Oh, yeah--there's also the pointing at the ceiling when I hear squirrels in the attic--he barks like a crazy dog and it seems to work for scaring the squirrels away.  Handy!

[F, Calla & Luca]

I use hand signals along with verbal signals. I think they are great. I think you should go on teaching them.

[Thom, Aureo & Bowie]

Just to add two cents...Aureo is a Therapy dog and I find it better in some environments to use the hand signals. There is no reason that the verbal can’t be used, I just find it better in the quiet areas that the hand signals work with the environment better. I have received comments from staff that they appreciated the effort of keeping the noise down. Now I understand no one is going to yell, however if no noise is an option, why not have that available also.