Can dogs really learn sign language?

When I first saw the title of this article -- Sign Language for Dogs -- I was a bit incredulous. Dogs can learn sign language? Seriously? I've never really considered what it would be like to train a deaf dog, but I suppose it's more common than I would have imagined.

And if dogs can learn a myriad of other commands, why wouldn't they be able to learn sign language? As the piece mentions, both deaf and hearing dogs can learn specific signs. It just take a bit more patience on their human's part, and has a lot more to do with body language than the sound of a happy or stern voice. The article mentions that when training a dog, you can use actual American Sign Language signs, or just stick with specific hand and finger gestures.

Your pet can be taught 'fetch', 'look', 'get up' or 'get down', 'sit', 'stay', 'drop it', along with a huge variety of other commands, just by using specific hand or finger motions. Anyone who has ever had a puppy knows that it can be pretty stressful to get them properly trained but sign language sounds like a pretty good way to go. Whether it's a necessity because you've got a deaf dog, or you are hearing-or speech-impaired and need to train your dog with signs, or whether you think it would just be a great tool for training your pet, you can learn a lot more about it here.