Anybody Here Ever Owned A Deaf Dog ????
- Thread starter BostonBob
- Start date
One of my dogs is deaf - but it progressed over her life.
No problems, she does well with body language and pointing
No problems, she does well with body language and pointing
BostonBob
4 Ever The Greatest
That was one thing I really wanted to know - since she is so young will she be able to learn hand commands ????
I want to say yes but as with everything, every dog will be different.
Mine was around 5 when she went completely deaf a couple of years ago and she picked things up fairly well.
Soliloquy of a Dogge
I love you, Boots
I've only ever had experience of being around dogs that were deaf from birth. Danes that were born that way due to it being congenital and inherited so this may not be completely equatable with a dog losing that sense and having it diminishing throughout its life. And as Doland pointed out, every dog is individualistic in the way it learns, adapts and copes with being deaf.
Hand and touch signals are just as effective, and I'd argue more effective as a training tool in general, than voice commands for dogs. Obviously they can't pick up intonations in your voice, but the deaf dogs I've been around quickly learn how to associate what hand signals mean and recognize touch signals in place of verbal cues. Usually the teaching with the pups is done with treat based reward training which garners a quicker association. For off leash training, we use the vibration setting on shock collars to teach them off-leash etiquette. Most important is to keep the hand signals distinct and be aware of your body posture when communicating with deaf dogs though, they're sensitive and attuned to our energy even more-so than dogs with hearing and pick up on little things big time.
Is your friend's cousin a reputable dog breeder and are his dogs certified (never mind, re-read and see they're mixed) and health tested? It's always nice to have a resource that you can rely on for any questions and concerns and not have to be worried about health issues arising due to poor breeding practices. You sound like you'd be a great home for her, her being deaf is a minor thing to deal with assuming you're ready to put in the time and effort to adapt to her needs and train her. I just worry about where you're getting her from a little bit. Dogs are amazing at adapting and compensating... grew up with a dog that lost her rear left leg due to cancer and she ran circles around dogs with 4 legs. Never ceases to amaze how nothing bothers em.
Hand and touch signals are just as effective, and I'd argue more effective as a training tool in general, than voice commands for dogs. Obviously they can't pick up intonations in your voice, but the deaf dogs I've been around quickly learn how to associate what hand signals mean and recognize touch signals in place of verbal cues. Usually the teaching with the pups is done with treat based reward training which garners a quicker association. For off leash training, we use the vibration setting on shock collars to teach them off-leash etiquette. Most important is to keep the hand signals distinct and be aware of your body posture when communicating with deaf dogs though, they're sensitive and attuned to our energy even more-so than dogs with hearing and pick up on little things big time.
Is your friend's cousin a reputable dog breeder and are his dogs certified (never mind, re-read and see they're mixed) and health tested? It's always nice to have a resource that you can rely on for any questions and concerns and not have to be worried about health issues arising due to poor breeding practices. You sound like you'd be a great home for her, her being deaf is a minor thing to deal with assuming you're ready to put in the time and effort to adapt to her needs and train her. I just worry about where you're getting her from a little bit. Dogs are amazing at adapting and compensating... grew up with a dog that lost her rear left leg due to cancer and she ran circles around dogs with 4 legs. Never ceases to amaze how nothing bothers em.
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Bones Malone
Owner - HF Boards
The boxer I had before the one I have now was deaf from birth. Ser Woof pretty much covered everything I would say. Hand signals are easy to teach as long as you stay consistent.
I would not hesitate to get a deaf dog, in fact I was looking for one when I got Sabre because I had the experience, but he pretty much fell into my lap. I also see it as other potential owners might be turned off by it, so if I can take the dog that has a lower chance of being wanted than why not? That's me though.
There really weren't any drawbacks other than verbal commands being pretty useless. You could sneak up on her easier too, especially when she was sleeping.
I would not hesitate to get a deaf dog, in fact I was looking for one when I got Sabre because I had the experience, but he pretty much fell into my lap. I also see it as other potential owners might be turned off by it, so if I can take the dog that has a lower chance of being wanted than why not? That's me though.
There really weren't any drawbacks other than verbal commands being pretty useless. You could sneak up on her easier too, especially when she was sleeping.
BostonBob
4 Ever The Greatest
Nah - she's not a breeder or anything like that. This is just a case of her female Golden Retriever having a romantic one night rendez-vous with the neighbor's male Lab.
Honestly at this point I'm much more concerned as to whether I'm the right owner for her and not if she's the right pup for me. I've been doing a lot of research ever since I first met the pup but I wanted to get some personal information too. I do appreciate everybody's input.
Dr Pepper
Registered User
My ex had an albino Great Dane who was completely deaf.
Sweetest dog you'd ever meet, and was trained very well. I knew enough hand signals for the dog to be able to take care of her when needed, as well, and she was obedient.
Sweetest dog you'd ever meet, and was trained very well. I knew enough hand signals for the dog to be able to take care of her when needed, as well, and she was obedient.
BostonBob
4 Ever The Greatest
I'm going for my 2nd visit on Sunday where I will have some alone time with the pup. I will be able to take her for a walk and interact with her to see how she reacts to me in a 1-on-1 setting. I've pretty much decided that unless she tries to chew my leg off then I will agree to take her home once she's ready to go. My friend's cousin wants to keep the pups with their Mom for a few more weeks which will give me time to buy all my supplies and make sure my apartment is pup-proof.
The Head Crusher
Re-retired
Dogs are very observant and will pick up on hand cue quicker then verbal cues from my experience. The key is to work with her to develop the select cues you want with her.
signal & touch cues are key. even in my dog's obedience class where he was 6 months they taught us signals to use (none of the dogs were deaf, but the trainer noted it would help later in life in case they did lose their hearing). now i don't even have to say sit. just be consistent with your sign and your stance. if my dingdong can learn a signal, your's can too.
keep an eye on her, if she got loose, she can't hear a predator/car like other dogs can.
when you get a tag made, perhaps put DogName (Deaf), just in case she ever gets lost.
when my last dog got older and went deaf, we put a bell on his collar cause we have parts of the yard that are darker. we'd flip the light a few times and then hear the bell jingling on its way.
separation and waking a deaf dog up is different for everyone, but my friend who had one realized after a few months if the dog was asleep when they left, it'd go looking for them around the house and make a mess. they had to go into a routine where they woke the dog up with a treat near his nose which would be a positive thing and then walk him towards the door so he'd see them leave.
just remember positive thumb ups and patience, just like any other dog and good luck
keep an eye on her, if she got loose, she can't hear a predator/car like other dogs can.
when you get a tag made, perhaps put DogName (Deaf), just in case she ever gets lost.
when my last dog got older and went deaf, we put a bell on his collar cause we have parts of the yard that are darker. we'd flip the light a few times and then hear the bell jingling on its way.
separation and waking a deaf dog up is different for everyone, but my friend who had one realized after a few months if the dog was asleep when they left, it'd go looking for them around the house and make a mess. they had to go into a routine where they woke the dog up with a treat near his nose which would be a positive thing and then walk him towards the door so he'd see them leave.
just remember positive thumb ups and patience, just like any other dog and good luck
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Bee Sheriff
Bad Boy Postingâ„¢
BostonBob
4 Ever The Greatest
Crap - I just got some bad news. My friend's cousin just called me and told me that they decided that it would be best to give the pup to somebody else. She assured me that they would have been fine in letting me take the home it's just that this other family seemed to be a better fit. A couple of important things factored into the decision - they live in a house with a large fenced in backyard and they also have experience in owning a deaf dog. I'm really disappointed even though I understand that this seems to be a great situation for the pup and I'm sure she'll be very happy in her new home. I was told that there was still a male pup left from the litter but I'm not really interested in him since I only connected with the deaf female during my initial visit. I appreciate everybody's input and I guess I'll keep looking.
You know those times when a young dog goes absolutely mental cause a person is walking on the street outside your house? Well, that probably won't happen as much unless she see's them, but when it does good luck yelling at her to chillax 
Seriously though, I think it will be fine. Golden retrievers are usually pretty damn good dogs if I'm going based purely by breed, and if it's your first dog you should probably take it to doggy training anyways. It's a good thing to do with most young dogs but I'm certain they could give you a couple pro tips for your specific situation.
I wouldn't pass up on her just because of that. If she's the one you want take her.
Should have scrolled ALL the way down before posting. Good luck on your search.
Seriously though, I think it will be fine. Golden retrievers are usually pretty damn good dogs if I'm going based purely by breed, and if it's your first dog you should probably take it to doggy training anyways. It's a good thing to do with most young dogs but I'm certain they could give you a couple pro tips for your specific situation.
I wouldn't pass up on her just because of that. If she's the one you want take her.
Should have scrolled ALL the way down before posting. Good luck on your search.
Soliloquy of a Dogge
I love you, Boots
My cousin had a deaf dog. He was a good boy. Very quiet, very little barking. Stuck to my cousins and they used a lot of hand gestures to get him to do what they wanted from him.
