Can your dog understand you?

Signals and commands are extremely important in the daily life shared between dog and human. Not only the widely known signals play a role, but the sometimes underestimated cues, too, are very useful in everyday life. Dogs are great specialists at interpreting our body language. However, I recommend that you also test once whether your dog follows a signal without seeing its carer directly in front of it. This can be established well, for example, with a frosted-glass door. Go through the door while the dog waits, and call out terms such as 'down', 'sit', 'stand' and other learned signals. You will often be surprised how many words apart from the word treat an animal actually understands.

'Leave it' as a life-saving signal

For example, the signal 'no' is very well known. However, there are some important gradations in communication. Imagine you walk past a heap of horse droppings on the street, which for many dogs is a real treat. Right at the start you should use the signal 'leave it'. Perhaps this can be supported with a sharply emphasised sound. The dog looks up at its carer but perhaps still keeps sniffing. In such a case, a clear 'no' and 'leave it' follows. Should the animal still try, a firm 'yuck' is appropriate.

• Targeted use of interrupt signals for safety
• Training word acceptance without direct eye contact
• Building distance control through clear communication
• Protection from poisoned bait and unhealthy finds

Sensible exercises to consolidate the signals

Here we have to see how the message can be expressed even better. A helpful exercise that we often suggest looks like this: place a tin of treats on a meadow. First take the tin in your hand and signal to the dog with 'leave it' that it should walk past it. When that succeeds, a reward from your hand follows immediately. In a next step you place the tin on the ground and walk away yourself a little way. Here too the exercise should be successfully completed with the corresponding signal. A well-trained 'leave it' can actually be life-saving in tricky situations.

Different signals for the safe way

Also important is the difference between the signals 'heel' and 'close'. Fundamentally, the protection of the dog comes first. That also applies towards other people we encounter. In everyday life we are often confronted with people who want to pet or feed unasked. However, the protection also applies against other dogs, especially in encounters on the lead. Therefore I consider it sensible for your own body to be in between as a protective barrier during a confrontation with other dogs, joggers, people with prams or cyclists.

In such moments we should move our dog to the respective other side of the body, and always round the back, with the signal 'heel' for left and 'close' for right. So there are various signals that you should train for a harmonious coexistence. We are happy to accompany you in continually improving communication with your four-legged friend.