Training Your Hearing Impaired Dog

Imagine if you will, being born into a silent world. Perhaps you are hearing impaired and don’t need to imagine, or perhaps you have worked with those who are and have a special understanding of the challenges they face. But for those of you without benefit of personal experience, try for a moment to imagine the vacuum of silence; the sudden and startling appearances (and disappearances) of loved ones, friends, and strangers that can be very unsettling; activity swirling around you without the forewarning that sound offers; the constant fear of dangerous situations (fire, storms, burglary) that come without warning. Now imagine if you can, being a “dumb” animal who does not know sign language, cannot read, doesn’t read lips -- how scary must the world be to one who can’t even benefit from basic communication skills?

This is the life of a hearing impaired pet. Confusion, fear, and anxiety are the emotions that rule his world.

Just as there are special skills required in dealing with a hearing impaired person, there are certain skills that are required to help a hearing impaired pet cope with his surroundings. However, there seems to be a common misconception that only “special” people are able to take on this challenge. But as any dog owner knows, you get out of your dog what you put into him. A lazy person will have an ill-mannered, unresponsive pet, while someone who puts in time and training will have a well-mannered pet that is a joy to be around. It no different owning a hearing impaired dog, the key is in the training.

My only experience with hearing impaired dogs was when my older boys, a Beardie and a Cocker-X, gradually lost their hearing as they aged. We learned to communicate with hand signals, stamping feet, flashing lights, and other ways of getting their attention, but I can’t say that I ever tried to actually “train” either of these old gents. I simply helped them cope with their final silent years as much as I could with my limited knowledge.

This blog, therefore, comes more from a researcher’s perspective. Even with twenty years of experience training dogs using positive reinforcement, it was only recently that I was first approached by a client with a hearing impaired dog. I was intrigued. I wanted to know more about the subject, and in particular, how positive training techniques might be modified for use with a hearing impaired dog. I was gratified to find a lot of excellent information on the subject, which I freely admit, I am “regurgitating” (hopefully without too much plagiarism) for your benefit. The bulk of this information comes from DDEAF, Deaf Dog Education Action Fund, a non-profit organization founded in 1996 by a group (formerly Deaf Dog E-mail List) of deaf dog owners.  Also credited is an excellent article in Whole Dog Journal, (Sept. 2003), by Mardi Richmond.

So, you’ve purchased, adopted or rescued a hearing impaired dog or puppy. You quickly realize, with the help of your vet, that the deafness is complete, and permanent. Your options are: a) suck it up and deal with it or b) get rid of the dog. While I hope that option b) would never be considered, I am also realistic enough to realize that not everyone’s life is suited to dealing with the challenges ahead. But for the sake of argument, and this blog, you’ve decided to tough it out. All the “usual” puppy issues apply: house training, teething, mouthing, chewing, play, training, and, most important of all, keeping your new baby safe. Think of the ways that you’ve trained past pets: praise, scolding, sometimes even shouting to stop your dog from running into the road – and you quickly get the picture. None of those apply here! Or do they? Dr. Deb Sell, California chiropractor and owner of three deaf dogs, emphasizes that living with her deaf dogs has “taught me that deafness is such a non-issue when it comes to dogs.”₁

The general consensus among owners of deaf dogs is that they are no more difficult to train than a hearing dog. The difficulty lies only in relearning our basic need to communicate verbally. Once a system of reward-based training has been developed using signals instead of verbal commands, the training is very much the same as for any other dog. Richmond outlines the basics of reward-based training for hearing impaired dogs in her Sept. 2003 article. While some owners find it helpful to utilize American Sign Language (ASL) with their deaf dogs, any consistent group of signals will work. And training does not need to be completely non-verbal either. Studies have shown that the facial expressions we naturally make when speaking to our dogs send volumes of information!

The exception to this rule appears to be going “off leash”. Most owners of deaf dogs admit their biggest fear is not being able to get the attention of their dog in an off-leash situation (although, truthfully, many hearing dog owners have this same problem). Gary Lomax and Suzan Mark agree that the fear of losing [their dog] Cleo, of her wandering off, is the one thing they consider significant and different about living with a deaf dog. A hearing dog, obviously, can also get lost or run away, but they believe Cleo’s lack of hearing would make it more difficult for them to locate her if she were to become lost. Because of their fear of losing her, they are careful to allow her off leash only in secured areas, such as a fenced dog park.₁

While special technology is not a requirement in training a deaf dog, it can offer wonderful solutions to some common problems, such as getting your dog’s attention at a distance. For instance, vibrating collars can be used very effectively, as can other forms of vibration (stamping feet), flashing lights, tossing a beanbag or other item near him, etc.  The key is in teaching the dog to consistently respond to the signal (vibrating collar) by rewarding the desired behavior (looking at or coming to you) with a treat, praise, or play. ₂

There are also advances in technology that will help any owner, including those with hearing impaired dogs, to locate a missing pet. These include microchips (drawback, the dog must first be located by someone in order for the tracking chip to be scanned) and more recently, Dog GPS Tracking System, which actually locate the dog via satellite in the same way a car’s GPS system works.

With all of this in mind, it is my hope that potential adopters will no longer view a deaf dog as one with “special needs”, or owning one as an insurmountable challenge, but simply as another opportunity to reap the rewards of a pet partnership. Hearing impaired dogs require no more or less training than any other dog, and offer only a slightly bigger training challenge. In the same way you might choose to fence your yard for the safety of a hearing dog, you now know there are safety measures available to keep a hearing impaired dog safe. Not for the lazy or faint of heart, still, owning a deaf dog is merely another way to experience the joys of a relationship with man’s best friend.

₁Training the Hearing Impaired Dog, Mardi Richmond, The Whole Dog Journal, September 2003.

₂DDEAF Training Tips, http://www.deafdogs.org/training/#language