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Written by Barry Eaton
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 INTRODUCTION
My wife and I bought Lady in 1988 and she succumbed to cancer in 2002. During those 14 years she was exceedingly friendly and playful, adored children, and loved our other two dogs. We enjoyed long walks where she ran and played, came back when I ‘called' her and walked quietly on-lead. When she was about two years old, she was surrounded by ten Irish Setters, jumping and bouncing all over her as Setters do. Although they only wanted to play, it obviously frightened her and the experience left its mark. Consequently was not keen on dogs she didn't know coming too close. Apart from that, she was friendly, lively, as obedient as many dogs we meet on our walks and probably more obedient than others. A fairly typical average family pet you may think - except Lady was born deaf.
Despite her disability, there was little Lady didn't do as a pet dog that hearing dogs can. OK, she was a bit slow to realise when visitors arrive because she didn't hear the door bell, and she was usually the last to know that it was meal time as she didn't hear the chink of bowls or rustle of the food bag. But she acted and behaved like any other dog and enjoyed life just as much.
Regardless of one's view as to whether deaf puppies should routinely be put to sleep, as many are, the fact remains that, as long as deaf puppies continue to be born, there will always be people willing to give them a chance of a normal life. It's these owners and their dogs that need help. With care and patience and the right kind of training, a deaf puppy can enjoy a full life; grow up to be an obedient, well behaved member of our society and a pleasure to own. After all, a dog's lack of hearing is more of a handicap to his owner than to the dog himself. How I trained Lady is explained in my book ‘Hear, Hear, (A Guide to Training a Deaf Puppy). The methods used apply to both puppy and older dog.
I have no wish to give the impression that training a deaf puppy is as straight forward as training a hearing puppy (if you can describe training any puppy as straight forward). Obviously it won't be. As an owner of a deaf puppy you will need a far greater degree of patience and perseverance than owners of hearing pups. If you already have another, hearing dog, this will definitely help, as the deaf puppy will watch and learn from him, (bad habits as well as the good ones!). That's not to say that the hearing dog will train the deaf one, relieving you of the job. It doesn't work like that. The emphasis of the training is between the deaf puppy and his owner and there must be a strong bond between them.
Hereditary, congenital deafness is present in many breeds of dog to a greater or lesser extent. In the United States, they have identified over 70 breeds that are affected by hereditary deafness to some degree. Many deaf puppies are routinely put to sleep, but others find their way into a family environment with owners who want to give them as good a life as possible.
FIRST THING'S FIRST
Inform the Breeder
Breeders of dogs that are susceptible to deafness should check their litters for deafness, but if you are unknowingly sold a puppy that is deaf, you must immediately inform the breeder so the source of deafness can be traced. Even if the puppy is partially deaf, you must inform the breeder who can then take steps to ensure that the sire or dam is not bred from again.
The breeder may offer to take the puppy back, but most will then have him put to sleep. The decision to keep the puppy, or not, is entirely yours. If you decide to keep the puppy, it's not unreasonable to expect a partial refund of the purchase price.
A Visit to the Vet
The next thing to do is visit your veterinary surgeon to have him checked out and to start his course of inoculations. Your vet may suggest carrying out some tests to determine if the deafness is hereditary or whether there is a deformity or disease in the ear. While a deformity or disease may be treated and even cured, there is no cure for hereditary or congenital deafness.
You should also discuss with your vet the earliest possible time to have your puppy neutered as this is essential. I realise there are people who still think it "cruel" to neuter a dog, or it's not "macho" to have a castrated dog, but it will be foolhardy to risk the genes for deafness being passed on to other puppies.
Testing For Deafness
Testing for deafness has moved on from the days when a vet stood behind the dog and clapped his hands, and the dog's response, or lack of it, determined whether he was deaf or not. Today puppies can be scientifically tested using sophisticated computer technology. A test called a Brainstem Auditory Evoked Reaction (BAER), can determine whether your puppy is totally or partially deaf in one or both ears. The test consists of a sound at different levels of loudness being presented to the puppy through headphones or small ear plugs. This generates an electrical signal which is recorded and displayed on a computer. The test can identify if there is a problem, the site of any problem, the probable cause and whether treatment is possible. Puppies as young as five weeks old can be tested, and sensibly, dogs of breeds that are susceptible to deafness should be tested before mating. There are only a few centres who are equipped to carry out these tests, so ask your vet to refer you to your nearest one.
SOCIALISATION
An essential part of a dog's education is learning how to cope with everyday life. He must become accustomed to, and behave correctly with, people old and young, male and female, and other animals both within his home environment and in the outside world. This is an extremely important process for any puppy but probably more so with a deaf puppy. You must accustom him to as many different stimuli and different types of people, so he has the attitude of seen it, done it, read the book, got the tee shirt and takes life in his stride.
Socialisation with people should start when the puppy is about 2 weeks old by being picked up and gently handled. If puppies are subjected to mild stress at this age, they are more likely to cope with other stresses later in life. If a puppy has not been socialised with people by the age of 12 weeks, it may have a detrimental effect on his future behaviour. Equally important is the puppy's socialisation with other dogs. A puppy must learn how to behave and interact with other dogs or he may grow up to be fearful of them.
So the responsibility for starting the puppy's socialisation lies with the breeder, and should be continued by the new owner when the puppy goes off to a new home. But having gone to a new home, there is this period of 'solitary confinement' when the puppy is not allowed out because he is waiting for his vaccinations to take effect. This doesn't mean he can't be socialised. Invite friends, relatives and neighbours, including children, round to meet your puppy. Invite men with beards; wearing a uniform or carrying a stick or umbrella; anything that may be slightly unusual.
You can also take your puppy out in the car for short journeys so he gets used to car travel and he can see there is more to his world than the back garden. Carry him out into the street so he can see and smell the outside world.
Some veterinary practices hold 'puppy parties' which is an excellent way for owners to continue the socialisation process. Puppy parties are usually run by a veterinary nurse and consist of a number of puppies who are in the process of having their inoculations. The puppies learn to play and interact with each other while the nurse explains about puppy care and welfare. Later, when the inoculations are complete, you can graduate to a puppy training class, where he can continue with his socialisation and you can practise your training techniques with the distractions of other puppies and their owners.
Grooming and Handling
Many people groom their dog only when he needs grooming but this may be so infrequent that the dog is not used to it and objects. He may try to bite the brush, or the owner's hand, or he'll squirm around the floor and be a general fidget. The owner ends up fighting the dog to carry out the simplest grooming task - and the dog usually wins. Bearing in mind that you won't be able to use your voice to control your dog, it's better that he becomes used to being groomed from an early age, so when the time comes and he really needs brushing, he's quite happy about it.
Brush your puppy every day whether he needs it or not. Gently groom him for just a few seconds to begin with, after which give him a food treat or play with him so he associates being groomed with something nice. Everybody in the family must groom the puppy including children but only under parental supervision.
There will undoubtedly be occasions when you will need to examine your dog. He may have a lump that needs inspecting, a grass seed stuck in his paw
TRAINING
Training Classes
Unfortunately, there are some dog clubs that will not accept a deaf puppy into their class. Personally, I think this is a sad reflection of the limited training capabilities of those trainers. Just because your puppy is deaf, there is no reason why he shouldn't go to training classes and join in all the activities.
One piece of advice I give to my clients, even though they are coming to me for one-to-one training, there is to enrol in a training class. I sent one of my students with her Dalmatian puppy to an enlightened training class and at the end of the course, she gained top marks, something that had never been done before by any dog. She then graduated to the more advanced class at the end of which, again achieved top marks.
Despite those clubs that won't allow deaf puppies, there are many good puppy training classes that will. However before enrolling in a class, go and watch a session to see how they operate. If they won't allow you to watch, go somewhere else. Ideally you should find a class specifically for puppies between the ages of about 12 weeks and 24 weeks. There should be a limit on the number of puppies attending to ensure a balance of group activity and individual tuition. An open-door policy could result in chaos and a lot of sitting around waiting to do something. Training methods should be kind and fair, using rewards, like titbits and toys, and positive reinforcement. If you see owners or instructors using choke chains, don't enrol. Talk to the instructors and ask pertinent questions about their experience, qualifications and how they would help you with your deaf puppy.
Having considered the methods of communication, and how and when to use them, we can now look at training. The general rule for training is; praise the behaviour you do want, ignore the behaviour you do not want, unless it's so bad, in which case, interrupt it. Therefore, the dog will either be rewarded for getting something right or if he doesn't get it right, there's no reward.
The training methods I use are generally hands-free. The conventional method of pushing down a dog's rear end to get it to sit would be difficult if one hand is pushing the dog down while, at the same time, trying to give a hand signal. It doesn't matter what hand signals are used providing the owner follows the guidelines for hand signals mentioned above. The hand signals I use for my deaf dog, Lady, work for me and Lady understands them but they are not written in tablets of stone.
Unless the instructor has experience of training a deaf puppy, (and very few have), go prepared to do your own thing, but listen to the instructor's advice, particularly regarding any behavioural problems you may be having with your puppy.
COMMUNICATION
Companion dog training as we know it, relies totally on being able to communicate verbally with the dog. So how does one communicate with a dog that cannot hear? What we must remember is that much of dog-to-dog communication is through body language and facial expression. They are masters at reading other dogs body language and indeed, their owner's body language and facial expression. With these two forms of communication, and probably most importantly, the use of hand signals, we now have three ways of communicating with a deaf dog.
Hand Signals
The primary form of communication will be hand signals. They must be:
Consistent. Everybody in the family must use the same hand signal for the same command.
Simple . The dog will have much to learn without confusing him with over-complicated hand signals.
Clear. Ensure the dog can see the hand signal. If the hand is held away from the owner's body as much as possible, the owner's body won't silhouette the signal.
Exaggerated. Eventually, when the dog is off-lead, he must be able to see the hand signal from some yards away, so use exaggerated, and expansive signals.
Structured. With a hearing dog, an owner can use a normal, soft, tone of voice to ‘ask' the dog to sit, for example. Assuming the dog knows the verbal command for ‘sit' but chooses not to obey, the owner can use a firmer tone of voice to ‘tell' the dog to sit. With a deaf dog this is not an option. Hand signals should therefore be structured so that an ordinary signal is used to ‘ask' and a firmer signal used to ‘tell'.
Commands. As well as the commands the dog is expected to obey, a hand signal for ‘good dog' and ‘bad dog' must also be developed.
Body Posture
Relax. A relaxed body posture is essential during training. A dog may read the signs of stress or anxiety in its owner and consequently may not respond as well as it might.
Bending Over. Some dogs are intimidated by an owner bending over it, particularly when the owner is ‘calling' it back. The owner bends over and the dog stops a few yards away, not wanting to go underneath the owner's body. Alternatively, some dogs see bending over as a sign of play and will jump up towards the face. If it's necessary to get down to the dog's level, it's best for the owner to crouch down rather than bend over.
Leaning Forward. Leaning forward slightly is part of the two-stage structure of ‘asking' and ‘telling'. When ‘asking' the dog, the owner should be standing up straight. If the dog chooses not to obey, assuming he knows what the signal means, the owner ‘tells' the dog by leaning forward slightly, taking one step towards the dog and using a firmer hand signal.
Facial Expression
Happy Face. When training a particular exercise, if the dog gets it right, smile and say “Good dog.” This will automatically brighten up the owner's face and the dog will eventually associate a happy, smiley face with the fact he's done the right thing.
Blank Expression. While the dog is still working out what is being asked of it, the owner must have a blank facial expression, so as not to give away any emotion. The owner is not please because the dog is not doing what the owner wants so there's no happy, smiley face. Neither is the owner displeased because the dog is still learning and is not choosing to ignore a command so there is no harsh, scowling face from the owner.
Scowl. A harsh facial expression is used only when the owner is certain the dog understands a command but is choosing not to obey. A scowl, leaning forward slightly and the firmer hand signal will then all be used to ‘tell' the dog rather than ‘ask'. The harsh facial expression will also be used when the dog is getting into mischief and the owner needs to communicate his displeasure.
EQUIPMENT
Equipment I use are leather or fabric collar and lead, an extendable lead, a long line, toys and food. I may possibly use a head collar or body harness for adult dogs that have not been trained properly and have a tendency to pull on an ordinary collar and lead.
MOTIVATION
With a hearing dog, the dog learns by associating what he's doing with the verbal command being used by the owner at the time. So when the dog is in the processes of sitting and the owner says, “sit”, the dog pairs it's action of sitting with word “sit”. In addition, the consequence of the dog sitting is rewarded by a food treat and if a dog finds a behaviour rewarding, he is more likely to repeat the behaviour. With a deaf dog, the process is the same except the dog associates his action with a hand signal. However to get the desired response from the dog, it must be motivated, and whatever is used as a motivator, is used to reward the dog for correct behaviour.
Most dogs are motivated by food; toys motivate others and just being stroked motivates a few dogs. The first task for an owner is to find out what motivates their dog. If it's food, it should be a high-grade motivator like cheese, sausage or frankfurters rather than its normal dog food which it will have every mealtime. If it's a toy, it must be the dog's favourite toy.
Having found what motivates the dog, the owner can use it to get and keep the dog's attention. This is essential for training. If the owner hasn't got the dog's attention, training will be impossible.
Sit
Show the dog a food treat and place it in the palm of the hand with the fingers outstretched. Place the thumb over the food treat and turn the hand over so the palm is facing downwards. Position the hand just over the dog's nose and move it slightly back over his head. As he looks up and back towards the treat, his rear end will go down. As soon as he's sitting, give him the treat, smile and stroke him. When the dog is consistently following the hand with the food treat, move the treat to the hand not being used to give the signal and try the same hand signal. As soon as he sits give him the food treat from the other hand, smile and stroke him. At this point the dog has paired his actions with the hand signal.
Down
With the dog sitting, lower the hand with the food treat slowly to the floor positioning it between or just in front of the dog's paws. The dog will lie down in an attempt to get the food treat. As soon as he is lying down, give him the treat, smile and stroke him. Gradually the dog will understand that the hand on the floor will be the signal to lie down. At this point, lower the hand to within, say, two inches of the floor and wait for the dog to lie down. When he's doing that consistently, lower the hand to within, say six inches of the floor, so eventually the hand is lowered less and less leaving the owner standing and pointing to the floor as the signal to lie down.
Heel
During training the dog must be walked consistently on either the left or right of the owner. It doesn't matter which. It's important to keep a loose lead because if there is tension on the lead, the dog will pull against the tension, hence teaching the dog to pull on the lead. Having the dog on the left for example, the owner should hold his left hand with the food treat down by his left leg and in line with the dog's nose. As the owner walks off the dog will follow the hand with the food treat. After two or three steps, stop, give the dog the treat, smile and stroke the dog. Repeat the process but walk four or five steps before rewarding with the food treat. When the dog is consistently following the hand with the food treat, move the food to the right hand but still keep the left hand as if it still had the food treat in it. After a few steps, stop and reward the dog with the food treat. At this point the dog has started to pair his action with the ‘heel' hand signal.
If the dog starts to pull ahead, change direction or do an about turn, give the ‘heel' signal and start again. If the dog pulls ahead again, it may be necessary to walk two steps, change direction, take another two steps, and change direction and so on. The dog will start to realise he has to pay attention to its owner, as he doesn't know where he's going. If the dog jumps up, stop. Do not look at or touch the dog and wait for him to calm down before setting off again. Eventually, the hand signal will be a straight left arm held downwards with the fingers of the hand also outstretched.
Stay
It's important the dog is looking at the owner, so stand in front of the dog and raise an arm as though taking an oath in court. At this stage it doesn't matter if the dog is sitting, lying down or standing, providing he's staying. Later, once the dog will sit or lie down on command and understands the ‘stay' signal, the two can be put together for a sit/stay or down/stay. Take one step back and immediately return to the dog. Smile and reward him. As the dog becomes more competent at staying, gradually move further and further away. The hand signal will alter slightly the further the owner goes from the dog so the arm is outstretched and the hand is vertical, like a policeman stopping traffic. If the dog wanders off during the exercise, just return to him, put him back and start again. If the dog looks away from the owner, stop and get the dog's attention before continuing backwards. Don't forget to smile all the time the dog is staying to reinforce what he's doing.
Recall
This is probably the most important exercise any owner wants to teach their dog. There are two components to getting the dog to come back to its owner. First the dog must understand and obey a ‘recall' signal. Second, the dog must be taught to voluntarily pay attention to his owner.
The recall signal must be expansive and exaggerated. Have all the members of the family in the garden each with food treats. To start with, the dog may have to be lured with the treat to go to the first person but when he gets there, hold the collar so he doesn't run off, and give him the food treat. The next person then ‘calls' the dog. When he arrives, hold the collar and give the food treat. The dog will soon get the idea that going to each member of the family is fun and rewarding and will soon pair his action of going to someone with the ‘recall' hand signal. Remember to smile when he's doing the right thing. Also remember not to bend over the dog until taking hold of his collar.
When the dog is going to each member of the family consistently, move to unfamiliar but secure surroundings, like a neighbour or friend's back garden.
The next stage is to teach the dog to voluntarily look at his owner. With the dog on a long line, walk around the garden holding food treats or his favourite toy, allowing the dog to wander wherever he wants. Eventually the dog should look back towards his owner and when he does, give the recall signal and when he arrives, give him the food treat or a play with the toy. If the dog doesn't voluntarily look at his owner, walk into the dog's line of vision to get his attention and give him the ‘recall' signal. Once the dog knows the owner has something he likes, he should start to get the idea to look to the owner in the hope of getting food or a play with his toy.
There are two things to remember. First, the line is only on the dog to stop him wandering off. It is not there to tug him back. Second, only reward the dog when he has fully returned to the owner and has not returned just part of the way.
When on a walk, change direction frequently to keep the dog guessing where he's going. If he doesn't know where he's going he is more likely to keep an eye on the owner. Also take a toy and play with the dog for a few minutes then take it away before the dog gets fed up playing. A few minutes later, take the toy out again and play for a few minutes more. This will keep the dog guessing when he's going to be played with and he's then more likely to keep an eye on his owner.
The training exercises mentioned are the basics of having a well-behaved, obedient deaf dog. Deaf dogs have competed successfully in obedience, agility and flyball. What one can achieve with a deaf dog is limited only by ones imagination and dedication.
FINALLY
What you can achieve is limited only by your imagination and dedication. I'm sure I could have achieved more with Lady if I had been more imaginative!
Finally, the prospect of training a deaf puppy may seem daunting to begin with and will probably put many people off because of the challenges they will face. There are a lot of good words used to describe training a puppy; perseverance, patience, commitment, time and dedication to name but a few. Multiply these several times over and you have an idea of what is involved in training a deaf puppy. There are no quick-fixes, short-cuts or magic formulae. However, it is possible to train a deaf puppy given the right environment and the right training methods. Eventually your efforts will reap their own rewards and you will be able to enjoy your relationship with your puppy to the full.
Barry Eaton
September 2004
Click here to purchase Hear Hear - A guide to training a deaf puppy
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