Deaf puppy!

[cassie]

Ok thanks and yeah my parents told me to take him back since he has a one year health guarantee but I love the little guy so I not he will just move out with me in a year

I would talk to the breeder. They need to know their breeding stock produced a deaf puppy. Since the puppy has a health guarantee, ask for and you may get at least a partial refund on the purchase price. After all, you did not get what you paid for. But at the very least, the breeder needs to know.

 

[Lenny loves chickens]

I would talk to the breeder. They need to know their breeding stock produced a deaf puppy. Since the puppy has a health guarantee, ask for and you may get at least a partial refund on the purchase price. After all, you did not get what you paid for. But at the very least, the breeder needs to know.

I messaged her she she said thanks for letting my know typically she would replace the puppy but I told her I want to keep him. I just wanted her to know

 

[LavenderDaFlerf]

I messaged her she she said thanks for letting my know typically she would replace the puppy but I told her I want to keep him. I just wanted her to know

How is training going?

 

[black_cat]

Also with this said since I have people on here I had been leaving him off leash when we walk on trails and he plays with the water and everything should I keep him on a leash till he figures out recall? Also would you still continue to take him to dog parks or would you not I am not worried about him but of the other dogs since if the get aggressive I can call him back and suggestions

I would NOT take him to dog parks. Dog parks are dangerous as is, and if he can't hear you calling or other dogs giving warning growls or barks, he could get seriously injured. I don't recommend dog parks to anyone, but especially not with a deaf dog.

Something I'd recommend- a lot of people get vests for their dogs that say 'I'm deaf, please ask to pet me' or something along those lines. If he can't hear people coming up behind him him, he could get easily startled by people touching him without warning.

I don't have experience training deaf dogs, but most of what I have seen people do is things with stomps (vibration- e.g. two stomps means sit), touching the dog (e.g. tap the head means sit). The easiest is probably hand cues, which many use anyway for hearing dogs. They develop pretty easily on their own when you lure a command.

For recall, I would get a quality e-collar and a trainer and properly condition the dog to it. Keeping it on a very low setting, you can teach him that the vibration means come. E collars are NOT shock collars and don't hurt the dog at all. That will be the only way to get his attention if he cannot hear you, and recall can be life saving. I personally believe that all dogs should be kept on leash until they have a reliable recall.

 

[black_cat]

What breeder is this dog from?

 

[coach723]

Another way to train engagement or focus or to look at you with a deaf dog is with a flashlight. A flash of light, they look at you, you reward. A deaf dog is the same as any dog, except they can't hear. Visual cues are going to be more important, so the dog needs to learn to look at you. Even many hearing dogs respond better to hand signals than to verbal cues also , so you are just going to be focusing on that method out of necessity. There are loads of video's and techniques on line from many good sources, so if you reach a place where things seem stuck, use them as a resource. I have a hearing dog that can be very easily over stimulated by sounds, so I use much more visual cues and hand signals with her. Every dog is a bit different. I'm glad you are keeping the puppy and giving it a good life!
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/advice/how-to-train-a-deaf-dog/

 

[Lenny loves chickens]

I would NOT take him to dog parks. Dog parks are dangerous as is, and if he can't hear you calling or other dogs giving warning growls or barks, he could get seriously injured. I don't recommend dog parks to anyone, but especially not with a deaf dog.

Something I'd recommend- a lot of people get vests for their dogs that say 'I'm deaf, please ask to pet me' or something along those lines. If he can't hear people coming up behind him him, he could get easily startled by people touching him without warning.

I don't have experience training deaf dogs, but most of what I have seen people do is things with stomps (vibration- e.g. two stomps means sit), touching the dog (e.g. tap the head means sit). The easiest is probably hand cues, which many use anyway for hearing dogs. They develop pretty easily on their own when you lure a command.

For recall, I would get a quality e-collar and a trainer and properly condition the dog to it. Keeping it on a very low setting, you can teach him that the vibration means come. E collars are NOT shock collars and don't hurt the dog at all. That will be the only way to get his attention if he cannot hear you, and recall can be life saving. I personally believe that all dogs should be kept on leash until they have a reliable recall.

Thanks for everything this is helpful

 

[Lenny loves chickens]

How is training going?

Training is alright he knows sit when I hold my fist up....and he knows stop and come

 

[coach723]

You can use a flashlight the same way you would use a clicker with a hearing dog. It may be useful when you are first training a new behavior, or until the chosen hand signal becomes familiar. "Come" is going to be a really important one, since he is missing audible cues you need to know that recall is 100 percent with him before he's off leash. Could be a matter of life or death.

 

[black_cat]

You can use a flashlight the same way you would use a clicker with a hearing dog.

Excellent idea!