Humans often expect immediate responses because we know exactly what we just asked. Dogs may need a moment to process the cue, especially when they are learning something new.
Avoid filling the silence
You give a cue, wait half a second, then repeat it. Another half second passes and you add a hand signal. Now the dog is trying to interpret several pieces of information at once.
Give the original cue a reasonable moment before changing your strategy.
New behaviors take thinking
When a dog is learning a behavior, hesitation can simply mean they're working through the problem. A little pause isn't necessarily disobedience.
Reward the correct response when it arrives rather than rushing to interrupt the process.
Know when waiting is no longer productive
A long pause may indicate that the task is too difficult, the environment is too distracting, or the dog doesn't yet understand the cue.
Waiting isn't the whole training strategy. Use the pause as information. If the response isn't coming, make the next repetition easier so the dog can succeed.
