HAND SIGNAL: GO TO THE SIDE DOOR!

Since the onset of the cold weather we try not to open the patio doors which lead from the kitchen to the deck so as to avoid that minus mid-twenty degree cold air blast. Still, Lusi will occasionally come to these doors and ask to be let in. I make a large U figure gesture to her through the glass doors, indicating that she should go to the side door entrance. Without a moment's hesitation off she trots at great speed and we arrive almost simultaneously but on opposite sides of the laundry room door.


I have become quite accustomed to how quickly Lusi catches onto things, so I didn't think much of this until my husband observed it and stood in amazement as Lusi, now seven months old, completed her circuit to the side door.


I think that I should start to make a list of all the verbal as well as the non-verbal hand signal commands that Lusi learns!


I believe that some dogs have quite a wide vocabulary of up to around 300 words. Some hearing impaired dogs have also been taught to communicate with their owners by sign language.