Chapter 6
🐾 Now we remove the first hand signal
The first aid we want to fade is not the hand signal for the “S”.
For now, that one stays.
Instead, we remove the hand movement that previously guided the dog down into the “T” position.
Until now, the sequence was:
S → hand up → T → hand down in front of the nose
Now we change exactly that last part.
✋ Keep the “S” hand signal
Your general setup stays the same:
➡️ Give your announcer
➡️ Walk forward in heel position
➡️ Say “S”
➡️ Move the hand up toward your armpit
➡️ The dog makes the small hop
Then comes the change.
⬇️ Remove the hand aid for “T”
When you say “T”, the right hand no longer moves down in front of the dog’s nose.
Instead:
➡️ Say “T”
➡️ Let the right hand return to your side
➡️ Bend your upper body slightly forward
If the dog settles into a secure Stand, wait briefly and reward.
💡 Why do we keep the body aid?
You may wonder why we are adding this slight bend instead of simply removing the hand completely.
The reason is that the dog has probably not only learned the hand movement, but also the body position that naturally came with it.
When we previously moved the hand down toward the dog, we usually bent forward slightly without even noticing.
So instead of removing all aids at once, we first remove the hand signal while keeping the familiar body cue.
This makes the transition much easier.
🍪 Reward from the familiar closed hand
Once the dog stands securely:
➡️ Bring the closed right fist back in front of the nose
➡️ Wait briefly
➡️ Reward
Take your time here and do not rush the reward.
🎯 The new sequence
Your exercise now looks like this:
Announcer → heelwork → S → hand to armpit → hop → T → hand to your side + slight body bend → secure Stand → closed fist to the nose → wait → reward
🥳 And make the reward worth it.
Leaving out this hand signal is a big step forward, so reward the dog generously when it works well.