If you watch a trial, you’ll see that the judge raises hand to signal various things as the dog runs. These are the signals for various mistakes that a dog can make that the scribe
is writing down. The signals are slightly different in AKC and USDAA, so in case you are wondering what each signal means, here they are:
AKC
R (Refusal) – one hand raised up with closed fist.
W (Wrong Course) – one hand raised up with open palm.
T (Table Fault) – hand raised up with index and middle finger forming a “V”. Can also be seen as one hand straight up and the other horizontally over it to form a “T”.
F (Failure to Perform) – both hands raised up with open palms.
E (Elimination) – whistle or one hand horizontally under the chin.
USDAA
R (Refusal) – one hand raised up with closed fist.
S (Standard Fault) – one hand raised up with open palm.
F (Failure to Perform) – both hands raised up with open palms.
E (Elimination) – whistle or one hand horizontally under the chin.