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Deaf dogs are fairly common, but easily misunderstood.  A large portion of them end up in shelters and rescues because people simply don’t know how to train and work with them while taking into account their special needs.

Deafness is often congenital in dogs.  But genetics can be difficult for some people to understand.

I will try and break it down in layman’s terms for a brief understanding.

The disorder is usually associated with pigmentation patterns, where the presence of white in the hair increases the likelihood of deafness.  Two known genes are the “merle” gene as seen in Collies, Dachshunds, Australian Shepherds and others and the “piebald” gene as seen in Bull Terriers, Bull Dogs, Great Danes and Dalmatians.

Deafness associated with the merle gene, which produces a patchwork of lighter and darker coat coloring the gene (M) is dominant so that affected dogs (Mm) show the merle or dapple coloring.  However when two heterozygous dogs with merle are bred 25% will end up with (MM) and these dogs usually have a complete lack of color, a total white coat and blue iris.  These white dogs are often blind and/or deaf and sterile.

Interestingly (for those of you like me, who like this genetic type of stuff), deafness is neither dominant nor recessive but is linked to a dominant gene that

disrupts pigmentation only secondarily producing deaf dogs.

Most good breeders know not to breed these dog ( merle to merle).  However sometimes people who don’t research breeds end up breeding deaf dogs.

Owning and training a deaf dog takes extra patience and his learning will probably be a bit more delayed.  However, if trained with lots of patience and consistency deaf dogs can be just as rewarding if not more so than the average dog!

Things to Consider with a Deaf Dog

A leash and a fenced yard are requirements.

Because a deaf dog cannot hear commands it is expected that these guys need to be kept on a leash and in a safe fenced environment.

Make sure to buy your dog a tag with your name # and address and also a note saying the dog is deaf.

Training a deaf dog requires some study.  Although it doesn’t matter what hand signals you use (as long as you are consistent) the more signals you learn the happier your dog will be and the more he will know.  I recommend my clients with deaf dogs learn some human sign language to help their dogs learn.

An article on teaching your dog hand signals will be posted soon!  Please keep your eyes open!

Training:

Your dog is not going to learn voice commands or be able to understand tone of voice or verbal praise, although he will be quite adept at reading your facial signals and body language.

You must reconsider all of your training protocols with a deaf dog.

Your dog will learn through hand signals, touch, vibration and the use of primary reinforcement like food treats.

You can also utilize a vibrating collar.  Not a shock collar, although most vibrating collars have a “shock” function; you will not be using this option.  The vibration of the collar is like a paging system for the deaf dog letting him know when you want him to come to you.  You can even make your own vibration collar.

The most important thing is to pair the tiny vibration of the collar on its lowest level to a pleasant stimulus; a primary reinforcer like food.  You cannot simply throw the collar on your dog, vibrate it and expect him to think it is something good.

As a matter of fact if you do this incorrectly you will be teaching your dog to associate the vibration with something negative or scary.

SLOWLY acclimate your dog to the stimulus adding food, visual praise (your smile) and petting and affection.  Soon this vibration will be like using your dog’s name to call him.  Never use this collar to punish or your dog will be leery of coming to you!  Do not use its shock function if you decide to buy a collar and not make one.

Other tricks of the trade or to understand that vibration of any kind is what you are going to need to get your dog’s attention; stomping on the floor and thumping on the wall can help your dog know when you want his attention.

Again pair the thumping with treats, smiles, and affection once he understands that this means you want his attention he will come running to you as if you used his name!

As with hearing dogs, if your deaf dog ignores your page with the collar or the thumping on the floor, go to him and get him but do not continue to give a “command” that will eventually become meaningless!

It is critical to be consistent with deaf dogs!

Once you have gotten his attention you can use hand signals to teach him the basics of “sit” “down” “stay” “come” and “heel”.  Even though he cannot hear you, you can still use verbal commands, he will get use to your facial expressions and movements and the look of pleasure on your face!

Be consistent, patient and use the same signal each time.  You will find that most dogs learn quicker with hand signals than they do even with verbal commands!

Once you have conquered the basics, you can add fun commands by using sign language and games to help him learn and explore in his environment!

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5 responses to “Training a Deaf Dog”

1. Maurice Dyke writes:
   

   Hello. I do have a question but its not really about a deaf dog. I bought a Border Terrier from a rescue centre. this little dog is about 3 years old and was owned by a dear old lady she was 85 and became a sufferer of altzimers that affected her so much that the dog was given to this centre. In the house the dog is very obedient does almost anything very well trained its only problem is that it was never let out and now its extreemly agressive to all dogs I have tried a clicker and a whistle but to no avail your comments will be most welcome.
   Yours Faithfully
   Maurice.

   [Reply]

   

   Minette Reply:
   March 5th, 2012 at 7:48 am

   You are going to need to work on desensitization with her http://www.thedogtrainingsecret.com/blog/understanding-desensitization-dog-training/ and work slowly from a long distance.

   Sometimes the safest place to do this is with a professional dog trainer or in a class environment so you can work with a non-confrontational dog that is well controlled.

   Otherwise work in a park or somewhere where only one dog is at a time and convince your little dog that when other dogs are around she gets treats and praise for GOOD behavior!

   [Reply]

   @ March 3rd, 2012 at 03:56
2. Linda Womelduff writes:
   

   Thank you for putting this on facebook. Cassie, my white Australian Shepherd puppy is now 12 weeks old. She has strabismus in both of her blue eyes. She can see some, just not sure how much or how far. Her hearing is my main concern at this point. My vet said there is no reason to do a BAER test, because we know Cassie is severely hearing impaired. She’s not completely deaf. My huband put rocks in a metal coffee can. She can hear that if we get not quite a foot away. I bought clickers to do the clicker training, but it does’nt work on Cassie. I have been using flashlights, rocks in the can, and been using basic hand signals for training. So far I have been able to train her to potty outside, crate train, to sit, to come (most of the time). Her sister, Carley (grey merle), gets alot of credit also. I didn’t realize getting 2 puppies at the same time would be that much more than 1 puppy @ a time, let alone one being sight & hearing impaired. I love Cassie so much, and putting her done is not an option. She is so loving, and gives me lots of kisses. My purpose in life right now is to train her, using your WONDERFUL

   [Reply]

   

   Minette Reply:
   March 5th, 2012 at 12:03 pm

   Good for you!! She is in the right hands! She is lucky to have you

   And, YES 2 puppies is like having 10 hahaha so much more than just having one!

   [Reply]

   @ March 5th, 2012 at 11:08
3. Linda Womelduff writes:
   

   Minette, Thank you for your reply. I feel lucky to have Cassie. She has added so much to my life in the few weeks I’ve had her. My reply to Chet that you just read was cut off due to me hitting a wrong button. I resent another reply not knowing if this one went thru. Take care,Linda

   [Reply]

   @ March 5th, 2012 at 13:02

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