One of my favorite signs to give Edison is the sign for “are you hungry?”. I love giving this sign because I always get an immediate reaction. He lifts his head, his eyes widen and he frequently licks his lips. He jumps to follow my heels into the kitchen for the morning or evening’s selection. More than any other sign, he responds quickly and decisively.
For “are you hungry?” we actually use the ASL sign for food. He also knows the ASL sign for hungry but his response is slower and isn’t nearly as fun to watch. In the picture above, I had to use my husband to capture Edison’s reaction.
For my readers with deaf dogs, or hearing dogs that know hand signals, what is your favorite signal to teach or use? Let me know in a comment below. I’d love to hear and I’ll summarize your answers in a future post.
I would have to say the sign for “cookie” (which we use for cookies and other treats). It is so easy, and it’s one we can teach family and friends that they never forget. The pups love it, and recently it brought one of the boys in after he was determined to remain outside on a stakeout of the groundhog under our shed!
Oh that’s a good one too, Amanda! Even my hearing dogs have learned “cookie”. Thanks for participating! Much appreciated.
My most favorite sign to my boy Tre’ is the sign for “Mommie loves you!” It’s mostly just something I made up, but I’m sure he understands! Also, “Good Morning Sunshine” is another we’ve made up and I really think he gets that one too!
Good morning Jennifer (and Tre),
How do you you sign “good morning sunshine”? Is it made up too?
We sign “I love you” using ASL, but we also use a made-up DDSL sign for “snuggle”. The funny thing about “snuggle” is that my husband and I use it with each other when we want to snuggle. 🙂
Thanks for submitting!