| The Basics Of Training II. Make sure you take time to do basic home dog training. This time invested in the early life of your dog at home will show great later fruits. Signal Commands
- What the Rule Books Says: Where the word 'command' appears in specific exercises, it will mean 'command and/or signal' unless otherwise specified. One command only is given to the dog for a specific action on the part of the dog. The command may be given by the use of the Handler's voice and/or specific action of the Handler in the form of a signal. A voice command and a signal may be given, but must be used simultaneously. A signal should be a single gesture of the arms and/or hands only, which must be promptly returned to their normal position. Signals must be inaudible and must not touch the dog. Any unusual noise or movement of the Handler may be considered by the Judge as a 'signal', or extra command. If a Judge considers that but for an additional command the dog would not have performed the Principal Feature of the exercise, it will receive a non-qualifying score.
- A Dog's Sense of Sight. Puppies are born blind. The eyes are fully developed and open by ten to fourteen days after birth. Generally speaking, the dog does not see as well as a human being does. When I make this comparison, I refer to the fact that a person can see a reasonably wide range of the light spectrum, while a dog can see only some colors. A number of studies have been done to investigate the color vision of dogs and the results have been conflicting. However, more recent studies indicate that dogs do possess and use color vision, but not to the same degree that humans do. The photoreceptor used for color vision is the cone and there are cones present in the canine retina. Two distinct types of cones appear to be present in the canine retina. One type is very sensitive to light in the wavelength that appears violet to people and the other type is very sensitive to light in the wavelength that appears yellow-green to people. Therefore, it appears that the visual spectrum of color in dogs is divided into two hues; one in the violet and blue-violet range, probably appearing as blue, and the other in the greenish-yellow, yellow and red range, which is probably seen as yellow by the dog. Light that appears blue-green to people probably appears as white or shades of gray to dogs. Dogs are unable to differentiate colors that appear as green, yellow-green, orange or red to people, and are unable to differentiate greenish-blue from gray. This is similar to people who are red-green color blind.
- One study indicates that dogs are better able to differentiate between subtle shades of gray than people are, which would be advantageous in increasing visual discrimination in low light conditions. Dogs have proportionately more rods (the photoreceptors that contain rhodopsin, a pigment that functions in dim light). Thus, dogs are better able to see in dim light than are humans, but they see with less resolution. They are long sighted and perceive moving objects better than stationary objects. They have difficulty focussing on small stationary objects at close range.
- A dog has a wider scope of vision than humans. If a line equivalent to the horizon is considered as a base, the dog can see from 50 to 70 degrees above, 20 to 60 degrees below it, 100 to 125 degrees out to the side and 30 to 45 degrees on the nasal side with either eye. These figures vary with breeds. A human being has a field of vision of about 180 degrees (half of a circle) or 90 degrees on each side of his nose.
· Training Implications. Use hand signals and voice commands when working with the dog a long distance - recalls and directed jumping signals. Wear contrasting colors with the background. Wear white, blue or yellow long sleeves, if possible. Select a 'seek back article' which is light in color and will cast a shadow. Do not use a flat leather article. - General Comments. As a general rule, command signals should be given with a moving hand and arm only in such a way that the palm of the hand faces in the direct the handler wishes the dog to move. There is an unwritten rule that the hands must start and finish at the same place but do not have to start and finish at the same place for every exercise. There are no prizes given in obedience presentations for the handler with the fastest hand signal; indeed, if the dog misses the signal there may be no prizes at all. A hand signal must be given in an almost continuous motion from start to finish. Different schools and trainers teach different signals and different hand signals are required for large and small dogs, etc. The voice and hand signals for each exercise are covered in detail in the page dealing with the exercise concerned so I will not dwell on the exact nature of the hand signal for each occasion here.
- Non Verbal Signals. Every nuance is picked up by the dog as a clue to what's coming next. The feet, head, eyes, facial expressions, etc. are used by experienced handlers to communicate with the dog. For example:
- The Halt and Sit. To the casual observer watching a team in an obedience trial, there would appear to be no signals given for a halt and sit. The observer would be incorrect. The dog received at least seven signals or indications that a halt was imminent, ie:
- The 'Halt' command from the judge.
- The handler's slowing pace.
- The handler's body shift from the forward to the upright position.
- The last half pace of the handler's left foot.
- The handler's swinging right arm ceased to swing - most handlers keep their left arm/hand still when heeling with or without the lead.
- The handler's head and eyes remained facing forward - so no turns were indicated.
- None of the other known command or hand signals was given.
- If the handler uses some subtle Ring craft in this exercise, he could add an eighth signal to the above ie, without moving his head he could have moved his eyes from the ahead position to glance down at his dog just as his left foot came to rest. The handler's eyes can be used in very subtle ways. Staring, glaring, glancing, looking in direction of an imminent turn, looking in the direction he wants his dog to proceed, where he wants the dog to sit, stand, drop, etc. More about this aspect in the training for each exercise.
- Notes:
- If the handler moves his head in order to glance down at the dog just prior to the 'Sit', she will be penalized for using a second command. The anomaly for the 'Sit' exercise is that there is supposed to be no voice or signal commands at all, so the head movement in this case would have been the first command. But don't try to argue this point with the judge - you won't win - the 'Sit' on the halt is supposed to be automatic.
- Extended Signals. Extended signals will be penalized. An extended signal is one which continues long after the normal hand signal would have reasonably been completed, ie the hand does not return to the original position immediately. A common example on an extended signal occurs with the 'Down'. The hand is pointed to the ground long after the signal should have ceased, in order to command to the dog carry out a 'Down' not a 'Sit', 'Stand' nor a crooked 'Down'.
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