Hand Cue
A hand, palm or body signal that stands on its own or supports a verbal Cue.
Dogs read body language faster and more accurately than words. A Hand Cue shows up in training in three ways:
- Luring — the Hand Cue "leads" the dog into position (e.g. a hand with a treat moved over the dog's nose to invite a sit). We then fade it to an open-palm Hand Cue, then shrink or remove it entirely.
- Standalone signal — the Hand Cue becomes a Cue in its own right (e.g. pointing a finger at the bed = "go to your place").
- Reinforcing a verbal Cue — the Hand Cue accompanies the spoken word, useful for visual dogs (most dogs). Over time, the word works on its own.
Order of teaching: usually word → hand cue → word alone. A dog who learns the Hand Cue first will take a long time to respond to the word by itself.