Living With a Deaf Dog

There are numerous reasons why a dog can go deaf and there are even owners that choose to adopt deaf dogs because nobody seems to want them. The truth is that deaf dogs can be great companions and we will now discuss some facts that will make appreciate them to the fullest and make it easier for you to live with them.

First off, the easiest way to get the attention of your deaf dog is to stomp the floor or shine a light. As with humans, lack of hearing leads to the pet being more attentive to the other senses. When you wake up the dog make sure that you always touch the same spot and that you do it gently. This is in order to get him to get used to the touch and not feel threatened as he might bite.

Now a very good idea would be to start teaching your deaf dog hand signals based on the American Sign Language system. You don't need to teach the dog the alphabet! All that is needed stands in some signals that will aid you to communicate effectively with your pet. You can use treats and praising when teaching him, just as with training a regular dog! The training routine needs to be incorporated in your daily schedule and always treat the dog well, smile and pat him when he does something good. Remember to teach the dog a sign for it's name as well and always establish full eye contact when you talk to your pet in order to draw attention!

One rule that you must never break is keeping your deaf dog on a leach every single time he is not located in a confined place as running away would be very problematic as you can not call the dog back and danger will not be heard by your pet if it is approaching. If you have to crate the dog you should leave on a light, the TV or a favorite toy because deaf dogs usually have problems with being in a crate as they do not hear noises.

To keep it simple, living with a deaf dog is not difficult and all you really need is attention, love and caring for your pet!