****Deaf DOgs****

About Deaf Dogs
Dogs that cant hear are often scolded as too difficult to train, unable to recall or be let off lead and unable to live a ‘normal’ life, well thats what people think anyway!. A deaf dogs has only 1 sense missing, that is hearing, but they still have their 5 other senses which are hightened making them some what better than most other dogs! Deaf dogs usually rely more on their sense of smell and their eye sight and will learn just as well as any other hearing dogs! A deaf dog owner just needs to use their imagination and can make up signals for their dog to understand and the deaf dog can also learn the command recall just as well as any other dogs!

Deaf Dog Hand Signals
It is important for you to start to teach your deaf dog hand signals as early as possible, making up hand signals that your dog will learn is vital if you are to communicate with your dog! All signals should be clear, easily understandable and well distinguished from all other signals and performed away from your body, so that the dog can easily be visable and so he can read the signal you are giving him! you can look up hand signals and adapt them to suit yourself and your deaf dog! Some dogs dont like large sweeping hand movements, so you can adapt them to suit your dog so he learns to like them.

Using Sign Language with a Deaf Dog
When choosing and making up your own hand signals you must always be consistant and also remember to make a note of all hand signals you have created, adapted and also look up that you will use. it may also be useful to draw the hand signals so you dont get them muddled up and so you remember what you have done! When you have the signals in place you must stick to them!

when signing to your dog, use the signals as you would normally speak to a hearing dog and start your day with signals indicating dinner time and the sign for walks! there are 2 activities that all dogs love hearing or not.
First of all get your deaf dogs attention by tapping him on the shoulder and make the sign you have for dinner time, then put the bowl on the floor. Also do the same for walkies, get his attention by tapping him on the shoulder, make the sign for walks and then pick up his lead! your deaf dog will pick up the hand signals very quickly for each sign you give him. you need to keep using the signals you have chosen and stick to them, otherwise your dog will become confused and wont learn. when you sign these techniques and your dog gets excited then you have successfully communicated with your dog. your dog will then soon learn the other signals that you have and will see them as though you are telling them interesting things.

Speak as you Sign
When you sign to your dog, it is a good idea that you speak as you signal to them and it also helps if you smile when signalling because the dog will see that its a good activity. Dogs read your body language all the time, every minute they are awake that is. All signs mean something to a deaf dog, as well as the bad ones too such as the word and hand signal NO.

Training a Deaf Dog with Hand Signals
Now that you have your signals in place, you need to be consistent everyday with them and try out some basic training. You are training a deaf dog, but it doesnt mean you need to train him much different from a hearing dog. the difference being is that you will be using hand signals as well as speech and the training is really no different from that with a hearing dog and you need to remember this. Your training will require patience and more time, but it will be well worth it in the end.

Basic Dog Training:
When training your deaf dog, you can use whatever method that motivates them to learn the commands, whether it is food or toys and lots of affection. Any training sessions should be no longer than 10 minutes at a time and you should always end any training session with a positive activity that you know your dog can do. You should never shout, loose your temper or train your deaf dog if you or him are tired or bored. You should always remember to use positive training methods and positive reinforcement when you train your deaf dog, as this will work much better than you shouting at him.

Caring For a Deaf Dog
Like people, dog suffer from some hearing loss in many points of their lives, whether it is at birth, through an accident or when they are getting old. Training takes alot patience, persistance, rewarding, care and fun and it will all be useful and important for your deaf dog to live a normal life. When you first get any dog, you must always take them to see a vet and get the vet to give them a full health check and to see if they are deaf or not.

Types of Deafness
There are two types of deafness - acquired and congenital. Congenital deafness occurs due to a defective gene that results in a malformation or nonfunctional ear. In Susan Cope Becker’s book, living with a Deaf Dog, 64 dog breeds with reported congenital deafness are listed. Some of these breeds are more susceptible to deafness than others. Congenital deafness in dogs is permanent.
Acquired deafness occurs for any number of reasons. Some causes of hearing loss include: Excessive amounts of wax, dirt, hair or other material plugging the ear canal; inflammation or swelling of the ear canal; infections of the middle or internal ear; a torn or ruptured ear drum; loud noise; head trauma; ear mites; certain drugs; old age.

Signs to Look For
There are many signs in which you can look for that may indicate your dog is deaf, suffering from hearing loss or is having ear problems which can lead to deafness, including: Inattentiveness or a change in obedience; confusion when given familiar vocal sounds; excessive barking; unresponsiveness to sounds; being difficult to wake up; head shaking; head tilts toward the side of the affected ear; itchy and/or painful ears; change in personality; a smelly discharge from the ear.

Testing For Deafness
If you think that your dog may be deaf or suffering from some form of hearing loss, then there are some simple tests that you can do yourself, such as: sneaking up behind your dog and clapping your hands, clicking your fingers and observe theri reaction when you do this. Also do these from a distance so your dog doesnt detect your actions, scent or vibrations. If you think that your dog is deaf or suffering from any form of deafness then you should always see your vet so they can determine any cause of deafness and to tell you if they are deaf or not. Some causes of deafness are treatable, neurologists will be able to confirm any deafness. BAER testing (brainstem auditory evoked response) is used to measure the brainstem auditory response. the specialist will put lectrodes placed under the skin of a dog’s scalp and which are connected to a computer to measure the responses.

Keeping Your Deaf Dog Safe
Keeping your deaf dog safe is just as important as training. When you take your dog for walks you should keep them on a lead or when they are in the garden this must be fenced in. All children must also be taught how to interact with a deaf dog and learn to communicate with them using the hand signals you have taught your deaf dog. When you train your dog to respond to your hand signals, they must be clear and be easily detected from a lond distance away from you.

Your deaf dog does not have a name and will only learn to associate your movements, facial expressions, hand signals to "call" the dog. Until you create a signal connected with "attention".

Please note: none of this content has been copied and pasted and is all my own wording. nothing has been copy writted. thanks