subject: Working With A Deaf Dog [print this page] If you have an English Setter or a Dalmatian, or maybe a mixed breed dog that happens to be deaf, then you know that a deaf dog can have many special needs.
All puppies are born deaf (and with their eyes closed) but their ears open up and they develop normal adult dog hearing by the time they are about 6-7 weeks old. Deaf dogs may be deaf from this time onward or they may develop deafness as the result of injury or illness. Untreated or persistent ear infections can lead to deafness.
Some people may have a unilaterally deaf dog and never even know it. Unilaterally deaf dogs are deaf in only one ear. Most "unis" are very good at compensating for their loss of hearing. They may display a few behavior anomalies. They may be a little shy or a little clingy with their owner. They may have some separation anxiety issues. They may depend on their owner a little more than some dogs. But when it comes to interacting with other dogs and normal daily life they usually have no problems.
You may not know you have a unilaterally deaf dog unless the dog is BAER tested. BAER stands for Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response. Specialized veterinarians with the proper equipment can perform this test. Small electrodes are connected to the dog's scalp and signals are sent to the dog. The test detects electrical activity in the cochlea and auditory pathways in the brain. It is repeated for each ear to determine the hearing status on both sides. The test isn't painful. Many breeders of English Setters and Dalmatians, two breeds which in the past have been prone to deafness, have this test done on each litter they produce at about 7-8 weeks of age to make sure the puppies have normal hearing.
Deafness is believed to be largely hereditary but it may skip generations. By spaying and neutering dogs which are unilaterally and bilaterally deaf breeders reduce the chance that they will produce deaf puppies in the future. BAER testing has become a very useful tool in identifying any puppies which should be placed in pet homes and not used for breeding.
Bilaterally deaf dogs are a little harder to train and live with than unilaterally deaf dogs. You may often forget that your uni dog has any deafness but you will have to make some allowances for your bilaterally deaf dog and work on ways to communicate with him.
The key to training a bilaterally deaf dog is to keep in mind that he is still just a dog and that he wants the same thing all dogs want: he wants to please you and be part of the family. It will take commitment and patience, but you and your deaf dog can learn to communicate.
Most people who train deaf dogs do so by using American Sign Language (ASL). You can start by teaching your dog the basic obedience commands: sit, stay, down, come, no, stop. Remember that your dog can't hear your tone of voice. He will have to learn hand signals and watch your face. Food rewards are very important.
You can express your pleasure to your dog by clapping your hands and smiling. Clapping your hands means "good job," "success" in ASL.
Remember to always keep your deaf dog on a leash when you are away from the house. This is vital. Your dog is not safe unleashed. You can also put a collar on your dog with a tag that says, "___ is deaf. Please hold and call xxxxxxx." You may also want to put a bell on your dog's collar such as the kind of bell that hunting dogs wear. This will alert you to where your dog is when you are looking for him since he can't hear you to respond to you or come when you call.
Remember that your dog can't hear you when you call so you will have to be creative. If he's outside at night and you want to get his attention you can flash the outside lights at him. To get his attention when he's close to you can thump on the floor. He can respond to the vibration. Some people use a laser pointer to get their deaf dog's attention.
It may sound like it's very difficult to train a deaf dog. In fact, you have to look for new, creative approaches. Once you begin thinking of new ways to approach your dog's situation it can become quite easy to do many of these things. Deaf dogs are just as intelligent as any other dogs. You simply need to find new ways to communicate with them.
