Deaf Dogs Unite

I was at Wood Green Animal Shelters at Godmanchester, taking part in a course and as I was on a coffee break taking a walk around the carasoles, when this dog just sat against the wire front looking at me.  As I walked over to the kennel she rolled over onto her back flashing off her tummy.

I then decided to ask about her and find out more.  They told me that she had got learning problems, and although they had carried out neurological and blood tests, which came back clear, they couldn't find out what was causing these problems.  The shelter staff had decided to keep Jess, then known as Patches, in quarantine because they were not happy to put her up for adoption.  However because I did voluntary work for the shelter and had adopted several different animals they decided that I could give it a try.

The following week we took Ricky and Misty to the shelter to see how they got on, bearing in mind Misty and his love for other dogs.  All went ok, they actually ignored one another.  We then went through to reception to book her out and take her home.  When we got her home and she was afraid of walking through the door, the TV, washing machine, hoover, you name it she was scared of it.

After having Jess for a couple of days she started to protect things like shoes, coats etc.  One particular time I went to move a jacket that she had pulled off of the back of a chair onto the floor, and as I bent down she ran across the kitchen and then launched herself at me.  I just managed to stand up and grab hold of her before she made contact with my face.  As I held her in panic she was constantly trying to bite my arms and face.  Eventually she backed down and I let her go, I was shaking like a leaf.  She then just sat and looked at me.  I have never had a dog go to attack me before especially with such venom.

At this point I nearly called the shelter to take her back.  I didn't want to live with a dog I was going to be afraid of. For the next week we just took things slowly and then she was due to go to be spayed.

When I collected her after being spayed I had booked a couple of weeks off work and thought these will be the two weeks that could make or break this partnership.

Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response (BAER) Test

When I had, had Jess for a year or so, I and the training instructors noticed that although her training was coming along in leaps and bounds within a few feet from me, if she went any further than about seven or eight feet, or even looked away from me she wouldn't do anything.  It was because of this I decided to visit the local vet and they referred me to the Animal Health Trust at Newmarket to have a BAER test carried out.

BAER means Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response.  This involves connecting three wires to various places on the dogs head with very small needles, like acupuncture needles, and then the other end was attached to a machine which measures the hearing.

A series of clicks is then played through one half of a headphone which is placed directly on the dogs' ear.  The information is then fed back to the machine.  The volume is changed to get several readings.  This is then printed off so you can see where the dogs' hearing actually begins.

I had Jess tested in April 2003 and her hearing began at 60db in both ears and it should be 20db.  I then took her back in March 2004 and her hearing had worsened to 80db in one ear and 90db in the other.  Because of the dramatic loss over the year they said that she would be totally deaf within 12 months.

This is a copy of one print out from Jesses last test.

Training a deaf dog isn't much different to training a hearing dog. The main training aids you will require are patience, toys, food, a good imagination and a great sense of humour.  If  I had to say Jess had taught me just one thing, that would be how to laugh at myself.

Body language is very important and facial expressions play a big part, giving a big beaming smile to Jess very often gets a wagging tail in return. However a scowl will get her dropping her ears and a concerned look on her face.

Find what makes your dog tick, such as what treats they like or which is their most favourite toy.  When you have found this out you need to keep that for when you are training.  This will help to get the dogs attention and help to motivate them.

I already compete with Jess at agility and I am hoping that this year I can begin to compete with her in competitive obedience.  Jess also does some tricks such as her prayers, hides her eyes, waves etc. 

I'm not going to go into detail now on training, but you are more than welcome to email me on heidihole1@tiscali.co.uk or you can post a question in the Guestbook.  If  I can not answer them then maybe someone else visiting the site may be able to give a helping hand, however if I do answer them they will be on the training page unless you request me otherwise.

Happy training.