The Challenging Aspect of Training a Deaf Doggie

Dealing with fear and anxiety in dogs is a very challenging aspect while training normal dogs. But when you have to train a deaf pooch it becomes a different ball game all together. If you are a proud owner of a deaf dog, chances are you might have seen him/her redirecting aggression while waking up from sleep and getting petrified with the presence of fences or areas that are protected.

VS-Deaf-Dog

So, the question that comes in the mind is: How should you go about training this specially-abled dog? The very first thing that can be done is to understand the fact that your association with the dog is going to be for a very long time and so you need to plan every move in such a way that they can understand every aspect that you are telling them.

You can start with hand signs which are a great way to communicate with the doggie. Let us look at some of hand signs before taking the discussion forward:

  • In normal dogs you can use clickers as a means to train them effectively, but since your dog cannot hear you can use thumbs up gesture or flash of your palm to teach him things that you want him to learn. You can then give him treats for following your commands.
  • Draw your index finger towards the nose and then make your doggie look directly into your eyes. This way you can teach him “watch me” command. You can offer him a treat once he sees you. Once the dog associates seeing you as a reward he will watch you for even the littlest of information.
  • Give directional training to your doggie through non-verbal cues like pointing your index finger at the chest or pointing a finger at them and moving the finger in the direction where you want him to go whether it is his crate, away from the front door, or outside the kitchen. To make your pooch follow the direction it is best to lure him with a treat and then make him follow the instruction.
  • The last sign that is very important is no-release stay. Teach your doggie to stay in a position without moving until and unless you specify him to move to a specific location. After you make your doggie sit specify with a gesture what you want your pooch to do: whether it is playing, going into the car or some other fun activity. This way the doggie will always follow your command and never get into trouble.

Once you have learnt these gestures, you need to follow the things mentioned below:

Socialize your doggie and then desensitize him

It is very important that you socialize your pooch just like a normal pet, but along with that you also need to desensitize him so that he does not get startled. You can do this by banging on the floor to catch his attention, putting your hand in front of him while he is sleeping. Whenever the pooch wakes or turns towards you reward him with a treat.

Ensure that your doggie is properly confined

Since we are talking about deaf dogs, it is important to keep them in a confined place where they cannot run off. If they are given a free run then it won’t be possible to get them back through the “Come here” command that you use for normal dogs.

Get a vibrating collar

This is a great way to ensure that your pooch gets back to you even if he gets away. With the help of vibrating collar it is possible to catch the attention of your doggie when you find him not around or when he is not following your command. Try to train your pooch slowly with great patience, so that he can get back to you when he feels the collar vibrating.

It is important to note that training a deaf dog is not a child’s play. It takes lots of effort from the side of the owner to properly train the specially-abled dogs. You need to learn lots of signs in order to train your furry friend properly. But believe us in the end; once the pooch gets trained, you will reap the benefits of the hard work done in the past.

Share with us how did you go about training your deaf doggie and we would be glad to incorporate a blog, especially sharing your personal experience and giving due credit to you for that particular blog!! So what are you waiting for? Share your thoughts today…..