Two different studies recently took a look at how well dogs learn and understand hand signals.
The first study (from Eotvos University) tested dogs against two-year-old children and three year old children. Testers used a variety of gestures like finger pointing, elbow pointing, and leg pointing to help the kids find a favorite toy… and help the dogs find tasty treats.
Both the dogs and the two-year-olds had no problem with the majority of the gestures. Pointing with a knee gave both groups a little trouble, as did an arm pointing one way with a finger pointing a different way — like if you were to stick your arm straight out but point your index finger to the left. Three-year-old children had no trouble with any of the gestures.
Researchers say that this is because of the huge leaps in communication and language that happen in children between the ages of two and three. Within that year, the ability to understand the intention behind the gesture becomes more developed.
The bottom line? A dog understands human gestures (like pointing) as well as a two year old child! So, if you’re trying to train your dog to respond to hand signals, it’s best to keep them simple. The less confusing your gesture is (like pointing with the whole hand and arm, rather than a single finger), the more likely your dog is to understand it.
Dogs have a very short learning time when it comes to visual communication. Thanks to domestication, dogs may even be predisposed to respond to body language like pointing and head-turning — their response to human behavior may be as much instinct as learned behavior.
Non-human primates (like chimpanzees) often fail pointing tests like the one described above. Why? Researchers believe that it has to do with cooperation. Humans are cooperative — they work together and share food. Pointing helps guide others to a thing to be shared (like food or shelter). Dogs are cooperative, too. Many primates do not actively share food and are considered non-cooperative by researchers.
Another study from Eotvos University took a look at dogs of different ages to see how individual personalities and developmental differences have an impact on a dog’s understanding of hand gestures like pointing. Age made no difference in how the dogs performed on pointing tests, leading researchers to believe that canine comprehension of hand gestures may require very little training.
If you’re thinking of teaching your dog hand signals to go with vocal commands, these studies are good evidence that it’s a good idea!