Deaf Dogs - Who Has One?

[Daisy]

I have a new little foster girl, an ACD called Crystal who came from Hawkesbury Pound. She is 12 months old and completely deaf. I have started trying to teach her a hand signal for sit. I also found this site

http://www.deafdogs.org/training/signs.php

but would like to know how others train and live with a deaf dog. How would you go about teaching a recall? Is it possible? Would it be possible to do dog sports?

Please share your experiences

[kendall]

I have deaf ACD - Diesel who'll be 9 in July :D I have a book from the US about training deaf dogs which helped and I used that site too.

I don't let Diesel off lead - I tried when he was a lot younger and we could go to a park that was semi fenced. I would have LOTS of treats and 'call' him back often so that he knew that i had some yummy stuff for him. let him off once at the beach and he chased a seagull BUT did stop and check back at me and when I did my 'come' signal he raced back It worked but I was scared to try it again in case he forgot himself and didn't look back! Basically I have two signs for 'come' - close up it is a little wave of my hands (or pat on my thighs - so technically three signs ) and then for 'come' at a distance it is arms wide.

There was a lady a while ago who had a deaf ACD called Ben (I think?) and she did obedience with him (possibly agility??) I know she had a few ACDs - not sure if more than one was deaf though?

Edited May 16, 2010 by kendall

[Erny]

Recalls - I would use an e-collar for this. Some prefer to use the vibration stim but some dogs are more sensitive to that and find it aversive by comparison to a very low e-stim. Teach the dog that the stim means to look at you. If not for this, the dog would need to be on a lead or long-line for the most of, in not the total of, its time out of the home. If you teach this, then you can do almost anything with the dog (that anyone else might be able to do with theirs) with the use of hand signals.

Also, teach the dog to 'check in on you'. Every time the dog looks at you, give him a yummy food treat. Make sure you have a food pouch full and that you wear the food pouch all the time you're around the dog.

Work the "TOT" exercise (see sticky at top of training forum) - this will help build strong focus and command response.

Edited May 16, 2010 by Erny

[Bully]

I have a new little foster girl, an ACD called Crystal who came from Hawkesbury Pound. She is 12 months old and completely deaf. I have started trying to teach her a hand signal for sit. I also found this site

http://www.deafdogs.org/training/signs.php

but would like to know how others train and live with a deaf dog. How would you go about teaching a recall? Is it possible? Would it be possible to do dog sports?

Please share your experiences

Hi Daisy,

I haven't had any experience but have saved a few websites in addition to the one you listed -

Training the Deaf Dog

Clicker Training for Deaf Dogs

Deaf Dogs

Hope this helps

[corvus]

I saw the team on Barking Mad help someone train a deaf Dally one time. They used a vibration collar for recalls and really big, exaggerated hand signals. More like arm signals. The dog was so excited to finally understand what was going on that he was super reliable with the cues. It was really touching.

I don't understand how a vibration could be more aversive than an electric stimulation. Could you elaborate, Erny?

[KKDD]

I have rescued a few deaf dogs (mostly ACDs and bull mixes) and given them very basic obedience - sit, come, wait. The article in the OPs thread is a good one and my best handy tip is to put a bell on the dog - helps to find it sometimes.

Edited May 16, 2010 by KKDD

[Daisy]

KKDD, slightly OT, but were they hard to rehome? What sort of requirements were you looking for in potential adopters?

Thanks everyone for the info, I had not thought of using an e-collar Erny Personally I would not be too upset at having a dog that could be not let off-lead unless in an enclosed area, I actually have two of them already - greyhounds. So I am wondering if I should try training a recall or not worry. I think I will keep working on sit, not jumping up, and getting her to focus on me and check-in regularly (which she pretty much does anyway, she is my little shadow), then working on stay/wait.

Edited May 16, 2010 by Daisy

[Erny]

I don't understand how a vibration could be more aversive than an electric stimulation. Could you elaborate, Erny?

Some dogs find the vibration sensation more alarming than the tingle of a low level stim.

[~Anne~]

We've had a few deaf and near deaf Pugs through. Mostly they followed the cues of the other dogs and I find that a deaf dog in a pack bodes well and is probably healthier for them then being on their own.

We've always used touch and, because Pugs have crappy vision at a distance, clear wide arm/hand movements.

[Daisy]

Thanks kendall for sharing about the lady with the deaf ACD who did obedience. As Crystal is a young working breed, i know she will need plenty of mental stimulation. She was surrendered to he pound for barking, however I think she was left hoem alone all day behind clour-bond fencing - so the barking would have been pretty normal behaviour in that situation I reckon! Since she has been ere with my dogs she has only barked a lot on one occasion - when I put her in a run away from the other dogs. So I think in a home with another dog for company and appropriate exercise and mental stimulation she should be fine. She is very friendly with people, and is fine with other dogs once she gets to know them, just needs careful introductions as she was very scared of the other dogs when she first got here and air-snapped at them when ever they got too close. But after 4 days she is now quite happy running with the pack It is good because I can let her outside then when I want to bring her in I just call the other dogs and she comes too ;)

[tianakaesha]

My mum/sister's dog is a Pure White Deaf Boxer.

He has learned many behaviours from hand signals, as well as many mannerisms from other dogs.

He and my mum have a special connection and have worked out their own quirks and he responds quite well.

He also follows DIFFERENT hand signals for my sister (his "real" owner) and when she comes to visit follows what she asks him through hand signals.

He just knows they are different people.

It has taken years, but he doesn't jump fences or take off any more, gates can be left open and he just stays at home. He is a beautiful dog and the deafness has not changed how responsive he is.

[KKDD]

KKDD, slightly OT, but were they hard to rehome? What sort of requirements were you looking for in potential adopters?

Thanks everyone for the info, I had not thought of using an e-collar Erny Personally I would not be too upset at having a dog that could be not let off-lead unless in an enclosed area, I actually have two of them already - greyhounds. So I am wondering if I should try training a recall or not worry. I think I will keep working on sit, not jumping up, and getting her to focus on me and check-in regularly (which she pretty much does anyway, she is my little shadow), then working on stay/wait.

No - not harder than other dogs to rehome. Yes, I had fewer enquiries for the deaf ones, but in each case I had people who were specifically atracted to the dog BECAUSE it was deaf. These people tended to have thought about the implications and were high quality enquiries. Each one had another dog who could be the deaf ones ears - and I think thats fairly important too.

The fact that I had the training well underway, which indicated to adopters that training a deaf dog is not insurmountable, and also offered to teach the skills to the new owners as part of the adoption process, and also provided printed material on deaf dogs, made it an easier decision for adopters than it might have been. I certainly never presented the deaf ones as 'big challenges' or 'handicapped', but rather as great dogs who just needed to be managed differently. Which was the truth. I think the trick to getting these dogs into good homes, is to do all the leg work necessary to make it easy and not scary for adopters. Managing a deaf dog IS different to managing a hearing one, and there are certain things you cant do (like off-lead walking where there are hazards), but its not as all-consuming and challenging as some of the literature suggests. At least it wasnt for the ones Iv rescued.

Edited May 16, 2010 by KKDD

[Monah]

Hi Daisy, I know a prof. dog trainer who has deaf ACDs (also rescues I think) who do agility etc. etc.. I will see if I can contact her and if she minds giving advice xxxxxxxThese go offlead and do all the 'normal' things ACDs with hearing would do.

[Yacket's Mum]

Good luck with your deaf dogs and rehoming them.

I don't have any advice but a lady has 2 deaf Borders who dose agility with them and they are fantastic I am pretty sure they are getting qually's and they are happy to watch her hand signals while running around jumpers/agility courses so anything is possible with people who put in the effort to train them from the start. Wishing you all the best.

[Trisven13]

Recalls - I would use an e-collar for this. Some prefer to use the vibration stim but some dogs are more sensitive to that and find it aversive by comparison to a very low e-stim. Teach the dog that the stim means to look at you. If not for this, the dog would need to be on a lead or long-line for the most of, in not the total of, its time out of the home. If you teach this, then you can do almost anything with the dog (that anyone else might be able to do with theirs) with the use of hand signals.

Also, teach the dog to 'check in on you'. Every time the dog looks at you, give him a yummy food treat. Make sure you have a food pouch full and that you wear the food pouch all the time you're around the dog.

Work the "TOT" exercise (see sticky at top of training forum) - this will help build strong focus and command response.

Sadly e-collars are illegal in NSW but otherwise I would highly recommend them.

We lived with a deaf dog from my late teens to my early 30's and she was no different to any other dog except you had to step over her when you opened the door because she didn't hear you . We didn't let her off-lead but we didn't let any dog off lead.

We have had a number of deaf dogs through and all of them, as KKDD said, have found fabulous high quality homes who sought them out because of their deafness. We have a gorgeous little guy at the moment called Merrick who is about 6-8 months old and a pure red ACD. He is just divine and I'm surprised he has taken as long to rehome as he has (we've had since he was 8 weeks old). He knows quite a few hand signals and did really well at the Underdog Training thingys here. I just love him - he is like a big smooshy teddy bear!

[nickojoy]

I had a ACD pup at 6 weeks old, rescued from fairford road. We didn't realise he was deaf until 16 weeks as he was running with the pack, he got his collar caught one day and I was calling him and i didn't get a response. He did bark alot though for no reason. He was rehomed to a lady who had a 4 year old trained dog that he then followed. So training him was easier.

[Erny]

Sadly e-collars are illegal in NSW but otherwise I would highly recommend them.

Oops! Sorry, forgot to look at OP's location.

Then a vibration collar would be the way to go. Stupid, isn't it? I mean, what if the dog was to respond better and more calmly to the low e-stim tingle than the vibration, but just because of silly supposed "welfare" laws, we aren't always permitted the freedom of considering the dog's welfare first and foremost.

[Meea]

I have had two deaf dogs over the years - one sighthound (rescue) and one ACDX (from 9 weeks). No worries with either - lots of big arm signals and vibration. Never felt the need for remote shock/vibration collars. I taught attention and once I had that - there were very little problems. I have had hearing sighthounds that were worse on recall that this one! As with a previous poster I found once the dog realised there was a way to KNOW what was going on they were relieved and stuck with it.

[Nicole...]

Good job taking this dog on I think that you will find that there is an amazing amount that you can teach a deaf dog... I do agility with a lady that runs 2 deaf dogs and just this weekend came home with a masters jumpers qualification with one of them Let me know if you would like to have a chat with her and I will pass on your contact details to her as I am sure she would love to help out.