Hearing Impaired Dogs

[Fenway D. Dog]

We discovered after one week with Fenway that she is not able to hear us.
We have started a new method of training with her that seems to be going well.
She is going to NW Specialists this week so she can get the BAER hearing test. This will determine what her range of hearing is, if any at all.
Any tips, thoughts, ideas....... please let us know.

[Andrea Schneider]

This is really interesting and challenging. Let us know what happens and if you really are going to use sign language. He is so cute and sweet. Ellie sends Fenway a big hello.

[Sidney (and her mom Kim)]

Ang- NW specialists are awesome. They were amazing with Crosby and a friend of mines dog..I am sure they will be great with Fenway! Let us know how it goes...

[Rubi]

Hi there,
I know that you can teach your dog signals as their commands, instead of voice commands. This might be something to look into. I know with my senior clients I have to be very present and constantly touching them so they know where I am (some of them are blind as well as losing their hearing). In my experience with my own older dogs tapping the floor (which sends vibrations) to get their attention has helped, then you can use hand signals once you've gotten their attention. Just a thought :) Let me know how Fenway fairs after his big test.
Take care, Rubi

[Fenway D. Dog]

Thanks rubi!
Her results from the test are that she is bilaterally deaf.
She is doing very well with her training thus far, we are using a light to mark the behavior, like you would a clicker.
Have you heard anything about vibrating collars??
Thanks,
Angie

[Rubi]

I have actually heard about vibrating collars. Not much, but we almost adopted a boxer from the boxer rescue who was deaf and responded very well to her collar. I would definitely look more into it as an option for Fenway. I know for the boxer, they used it to get her attention, then proceed with the hand signal. Can you tell me more about the light used to mark her behavior? It sounds interesting.
Take care, rubi

[Fenway D. Dog]

That is good to hear about the collar. I was thinking that I would use it to get her attention to then give her the hand signal for the behavior I wanted.
The light is just a little lite pen. When she does a sit or down etc... I flash the light then she gets her treat.
It is considered immediate feed back.
This tells her the reward is coming.
I was just using my index finger to mark it but the light is easier for her to see........... training is more effective.

[Maxx and Hope]

My Tauber was a deaf dachshund. We used the vibrating collar and the light methods for him. The light worked better than the collar, but the collar was to get attention and he was always looking at me any how, so the collar wasn't needed. I'm adopting a deaf frenchie and I'll be using the light with him. Keep us posted on how training is going and good luck, you can also check out some various groups for support-- there's one on yahoo and the site deafdogs.org are amazing.

[Dr. Kristin Sulis]

I am sorry to hear about Fenway's hearing loss, but like others have replied there are many methods for training. I hadn't heard of the light training but it sounds like that has been really successful for Tauber. A friend of mine has had 2 dogs with hearing loss and used the vibrating collar to get their attention and hand signals for commands.
Remember to use a command for "good dog"! When our old lady Seso lost her hearing we used my friend's "good dog" command which was a "hang loose" gesture. She would wag her tail from across the room if you gave her the signal :).
I did also want to mention that there is a yahoo group called deafdogs ([e-mail]) that might be a great resource for support and ideas.