I like to start with a voice command along with the hand signal. Many dogs will learn either command if you do it that way. The hand signal can come in very handy if you are in a situation where you need to control your dog but it's noisy and they may not be able to hear you. I think one of the most important ones to teach them it to "watch me". My Aussie has a tendency to fixate on a toy rather than my commands. I have to continually work with her to "watch me". The silly girl doesn't want to miss catching her ball... |