Dog

Sign dog by patting your outstretched hand with fingers together on the side of your hip, just as if you were calling the dog.

In proper ASL, the patting of the hip is followed by bringing your hand up and clicking it or snapping your fingers. We don't do this second step with Baby Sign Language because clicking is a bit too complicated for babies.

Flash Card

If you don’t have a real-life dog, you can use the dog flash card to teach your baby the sign. “Wooof … It’s a dog!” You can also teach this sign if your baby has a dog plushie, or when you're shopping in a toy store or are out in the park. Baby will get to see dog in many shapes and sizes as you reinforce the sign each time you encounter a different breed of dog.

5 Responses to “Dog”

Jennifer January 20th, 2018

Is there a way to distinguish between dogs? We have a big white male dog and a little black female dog. I’m not sure the best way to distinguish between the two as I teach my 4 month old. Thank you!

ADMIN – Hi Jennifer,

We do the sign for dog plus their first initial.

Reply
- someone March 11th, 2020
  
  Since you have a male and a female, maybe you could sign, ‘dog, girl’ or ‘dog, boy’
  
  Reply
Dalys February 20th, 2017

Hello! My baby is 15 months old, please let me know if do you think is too late to start sign language. She wants already start talking, but I would like to add something different for her vocabulary. Thanks

ADMIN – Hi Dalys,

Not late at all. Baby Sign Language is always useful

Reply
figen esen March 30th, 2012

My daughter is 10 months old. Do you think that it is too late to start baby sign?

ADMIN – Hi Figen,

10 months isn’t old at all. Children typically start between 6 and 9 months old, so you are right near that window. As children get older, they tend to pick up faster and quickly catch up with their peers.

Signing is less useful once a child is already highly verbal, but we rarely see that before 18 – 24 months old.

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amy March 13th, 2011

I was wondering if anyone knew the sign for rabbit? I’m sure its obvious, but I would like to be consistent. My daughter is inseparable from her rabbit at 6 months old and I know this will be one of the words I would like to use with her first.

I used makaton with my son, but he wasn’t interested, but somehow I think my communicative daughter will love these simple signs.

Many thanks Amy

ADMIN – Hi Amy,

We have added bunny rabbit to the dictionary. The sign looks a lot like you are making bunny ears with your hands.

FYI – for those reading the comments, Makaton is a sign language. It is most popular in Britain, where it is often used with people with cognitive and other disabilities.

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