How To Train Your Deaf Dog — A Complete Guide

It is possible to take a fly that you believe to be fully functioning, only to discover a few weeks later that he has a little hearing impairment. This may happen on occasion. How is it possible to teach a dog when the majority of the exercises involve verbal signals like “sit” and “lay down”?

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in demand for the teaching of deaf dogs, and on a consistent basis, new approaches that are straightforward and efficient have been created.

There are more opportunities than ever before to adopt a deaf dog, and there is absolutely no reason to bring these creatures back to the shelter.

Deaf In Dogs

As with humans, some dogs give birth to a deaf baby , This is called congenital deafness . For other dogs, deafness can come from many sources, such as chronic ear infections or injuries related to toxic drugs or old age.

There are about one hundred dog breeds that are more prone to congenital deafness than others. Dalmatians, for example, have a very high level of risk with 30 % of puppies born deaf in an ear or two.

Other breeds affected by this disease are: English Terrier, Australian Mountain Dog, Catalan Leopard Dog, Whippet Hound and Parson Russell Terrier.

Scientists still do not know exactly why these dogs are likely to be deaf, but it is clear that deafness affects mainly white -headed or predominantly white-headed dogs. According to an American study, the lack of pigment in the scalp means that the pigment cells in the ear are difficult to develop or may not even be there.

Lack of pigment cells causes the death of nerve cells, which is essential for the proper development of hearing. Interestingly enough, white dogs like the Samoyed do not know about these deafness problems, so the mystery is not completely solved.

How Will I Know If My Dog ​​Is Deaf?

If you think your dog is deaf , do a simple test. Wait for your dog to fall asleep or not stare and make a loud noise behind him.

You need to make sure that the animal cannot see your movement or feel any vibration (including hitting its feet on the ground). Then try different types of sounds. Blow a whistle, clap loudly, and beat drums.

These sounds are quite different to the complex hearing level and will help you check if your dog is deaf, in whole or in part.

If you notice that your dog suddenly starts to ignore you or does not stop running when you put his kibble in the bowl, it would be interesting to do this test to make sure that their hearing is not done. damage. If your dog does not respond to these sounds and you want a more comprehensive test Call your vet, who can suggest various tests.

Deaf Dog Training

If training a deaf dog a few years ago seemed impossible, many dog ​​lovers have investigated the matter and the education of such an animal is as simple as any other now.

The main difference is that hearing stimuli should be ignored for obvious reasons. Instead, as with humans, you will use hand signals , you have to connect each action with a clear and distinctive hand signal.

No matter what signal you use, you will soon be stable and will always use the same signal for the same action.

There is a myth that hearing loss makes the dog more aggressive and the truth of the matter is that any dog ​​will react if stimulated in the wrong way. It’s the hardest wake for a deaf dog, so it’s important to do exercises with it from a very young age.

Wake up your dog with a treat on hand, over and over again during its first few months and soon this awakening will link to something positive .

If you do not want to surprise your dog, you can wake him up by tapping his foot on the floor or on the bed where he sleeps, vibration will gently wake you up . Other than that, there is nothing you can do to adapt your accommodation to your dog.