Comments | whydylan: Deaf Dog

whydylan

Deaf Dog

Feb 14, 2008 15:27

My mom's fluffy Aussie Shepherd puppy, Saylor, is deaf. They suspected because the puppy slept through people banging on the door, and the vet confirmed it yesterday. She's a bit timid, but pretty happy in general, and my mom and stepdad don't care that she's deaf.

Anyone have an experience with deaf dogs?

dog stuff

Comments 7

lunachickk February 14 2008, 23:30:41 UTC

My friend had a deaf Dalmatian. They taught her hand signals and she did great with them. She never barked much, just whined.
Australian Shepherds are very smart. She should do well.

whydylan February 15 2008, 01:38:18 UTC

This puppy is already a whiner. I'm going over there Sunday to show my mom some hand signals and I printed out a bunch of info on sign language and training tips for her.

jillapet February 15 2008, 02:12:20 UTC

Hand signals. There are books about it. Make sure he has a bell-most of them won't bark, and yo ucan't hear them coming.

whydylan February 15 2008, 06:02:39 UTC

This puppy barks a LOT, and she's also a whiner. She seems pretty well adjusted, just somewhat clingy.

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whydylan February 15 2008, 06:01:47 UTC

thanks. I also read about getting the dog's attention with a flashlight.

femme_savant February 16 2008, 00:52:07 UTC

My dad and stepmom had a deaf Schnauzer for years (he was one of the sweetest dogs I've known). They used hand signals, which worked really well for them.

If your mom's dog is barking and whining a lot, it might be because she can't hear anything and she's a little scared. My parents' dog wasn't born deaf, but lost his hearing when he was a little older. One of the first signs that something was wrong was his incessant barking and whining, which was uncharacteristic of him. The vet said that he was probably trying to get my parents' attention.

whydylan February 16 2008, 01:57:45 UTC

I am hoping that when my mom begins to communicate with her using sign language, that she'll feel more secure and stop whining as much. It must be hard for her not to know what her humans expect. I worked with a professional trainer when my dog was a puppy and learned that dogs WANT to please you, they just need to know what to do. I think(hope) Saylor will be a lot happier when she can "hear" what they want her to do.