He's been so much more relaxed since we started shouting at him
April 16, 2011 7:36 PM Subscribe
Senior dog going deaf. Care of deaf dog: anything I'm overlooking?
We've determined that our cocker simply doesn't hear like he used to. Perhaps this is progressive and he will eventually go completely deaf.
Fortunately, I've worked with a lot of dogs in "rehab" and so many of them responded better to hand signals, that I just teach every dog voice commands and matching hand signals. I use the hand signals out of habit, too. We actually missed his progressive hearing loss for a while--some months, perhaps?--because he's clever and he's responding to the hand signals just as he would to voice. He's also predicting what we're going to ask of him, and trying to anticipate it. What a good little dog :)
One thing I didn't have a hand signal for was "good boy," but I realized I'd better make a connection with one quickly in case he does lose his hearing entirely. I'm working on establishing that now, while also raising my voice a lot to make sure he hears it to make the association. And I'll just add this to the toolbox, too.
Okay, got hand signals for commands. Got a hand signal for rewarding him when he's good. Am I missing anything else that I should be doing? Is there anything else I ought to work on while he still has hearing? Is there anything else about a dog who's gone deaf that I should know?
Thanks!
We've determined that our cocker simply doesn't hear like he used to. Perhaps this is progressive and he will eventually go completely deaf.
Fortunately, I've worked with a lot of dogs in "rehab" and so many of them responded better to hand signals, that I just teach every dog voice commands and matching hand signals. I use the hand signals out of habit, too. We actually missed his progressive hearing loss for a while--some months, perhaps?--because he's clever and he's responding to the hand signals just as he would to voice. He's also predicting what we're going to ask of him, and trying to anticipate it. What a good little dog :)
One thing I didn't have a hand signal for was "good boy," but I realized I'd better make a connection with one quickly in case he does lose his hearing entirely. I'm working on establishing that now, while also raising my voice a lot to make sure he hears it to make the association. And I'll just add this to the toolbox, too.
Okay, got hand signals for commands. Got a hand signal for rewarding him when he's good. Am I missing anything else that I should be doing? Is there anything else I ought to work on while he still has hearing? Is there anything else about a dog who's gone deaf that I should know?
Thanks!
Best answer: Good for you for doing all you can to make accommodations as your dog's hearing capabilities diminish. Maybe this link to the Deaf Dog Education Fund will help? I'd recently come across it on the Facebook page of the shelter we'd adopted our (non-deaf) dog from, and seeing your question here now made me recall it.
Good luck to you and your dog; it sounds like he's in good, loving hands (and I hope you'll post pictures!).
posted by DingoMutt at 8:27 PM on April 16, 2011
Good luck to you and your dog; it sounds like he's in good, loving hands (and I hope you'll post pictures!).
posted by DingoMutt at 8:27 PM on April 16, 2011
Best answer: My mother has a cat that went progressively stone-deaf, and there is some overlap with needs.
Two of the biggest were:
1) How to approach waking the animal up, coming from behind, etc. We generally try to be a bit more stompy when walking in these situations, trying to get the vibrations from our feet to alert kitty to our presence. If she's in a deep sleep or really not paying attention, a light touch on her shoulder lets her know we're there. We can't just swoop in with cuddles because she'd get startled too badly. (Even the shoulder touch startles her sometimes, so we make sure to reassure and praise her asap.)
2) Helping her be aware where we are. Kitty gets separation anxiety sometimes, and does the "sit in the middle of a dark room and meow for someone to get her" thing (and since she's deaf, she meows VERY loudly). She's learned that the flicking of a light means someone is in another room in the house and is "calling" her. This is especially useful when it's bedtime.
As for a dog, making sure he's very well leash-trained will be critical, as it's generally not a good idea to let him run around unleashed.
posted by Wossname at 8:31 PM on April 16, 2011
Two of the biggest were:
1) How to approach waking the animal up, coming from behind, etc. We generally try to be a bit more stompy when walking in these situations, trying to get the vibrations from our feet to alert kitty to our presence. If she's in a deep sleep or really not paying attention, a light touch on her shoulder lets her know we're there. We can't just swoop in with cuddles because she'd get startled too badly. (Even the shoulder touch startles her sometimes, so we make sure to reassure and praise her asap.)
2) Helping her be aware where we are. Kitty gets separation anxiety sometimes, and does the "sit in the middle of a dark room and meow for someone to get her" thing (and since she's deaf, she meows VERY loudly). She's learned that the flicking of a light means someone is in another room in the house and is "calling" her. This is especially useful when it's bedtime.
As for a dog, making sure he's very well leash-trained will be critical, as it's generally not a good idea to let him run around unleashed.
posted by Wossname at 8:31 PM on April 16, 2011
Best answer: We had a cocker spaniel who went deaf as well. It will really help if he has a place in most rooms where he can lie down and sleep (or watch the goings-on in the house) that is out of the usual traffic pattern, so he doesn't have to worry about people tripping over or stepping on him.
posted by DrGail at 8:35 PM on April 16, 2011
posted by DrGail at 8:35 PM on April 16, 2011
Response by poster: I didn't include any pictures! Oh no, what WILL you think of me?
Galahad in mischief
Galahad in snow, once in his life
Galahad perching on the back of the couch
posted by galadriel at 8:51 PM on April 16, 2011 [1 favorite]
Galahad in mischief
Galahad in snow, once in his life
Galahad perching on the back of the couch
posted by galadriel at 8:51 PM on April 16, 2011 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Aw, good doggie!
Yeah, dealing with deaf animals, I usually try to be extra stompy. Also, even more eye contact than normal to make sure the dog feels included in the pack since there's less awareness of verbal recognition.
posted by rmd1023 at 11:38 PM on April 16, 2011
Yeah, dealing with deaf animals, I usually try to be extra stompy. Also, even more eye contact than normal to make sure the dog feels included in the pack since there's less awareness of verbal recognition.
posted by rmd1023 at 11:38 PM on April 16, 2011
Response by poster: ♫ Spaniel eyes ♪ are watching you ♪ picking up every move ♫
:) Can't avoid eye contact with the little bright-eyed boy, so no worries on that score. He's also fond of perching in high places where he can full observe his kingdom, so I hope that staying out from underfoot will remain a non-issue.
For what it's worth, folks, we're fervent about containing pets. He's always either in a fenced yard or on a leash, and this will be the case for the rest of his life. That is a good point that he won't be able to hear possible dangers, though, so even on leash we'll need to watch out for cars, other dogs, etc since he won't hear them coming.
I tried walking around very stompy today and it's not appearing to do anything, nuts. We have tile and carpet directly on a cement slab; I couldn't get anything that seemed like vibrations in the floor, and neither of the dogs appeared to react. If we move or are we take the dogs visiting somewhere, etc, I'll try to keep it in mind.
Galahad is nervous about flashing lights but I'll get started on making a positive association with them instead. That seems like an excellent way to get his attention if he's not looking at me, great!
I appreciate all the suggestions! I've been reasonably confident that everything will be fine even if he loses hearing completely, but it's good to have these pointers too. I am encouraged. Thanks so much!
posted by galadriel at 3:36 PM on April 17, 2011
:) Can't avoid eye contact with the little bright-eyed boy, so no worries on that score. He's also fond of perching in high places where he can full observe his kingdom, so I hope that staying out from underfoot will remain a non-issue.
For what it's worth, folks, we're fervent about containing pets. He's always either in a fenced yard or on a leash, and this will be the case for the rest of his life. That is a good point that he won't be able to hear possible dangers, though, so even on leash we'll need to watch out for cars, other dogs, etc since he won't hear them coming.
I tried walking around very stompy today and it's not appearing to do anything, nuts. We have tile and carpet directly on a cement slab; I couldn't get anything that seemed like vibrations in the floor, and neither of the dogs appeared to react. If we move or are we take the dogs visiting somewhere, etc, I'll try to keep it in mind.
Galahad is nervous about flashing lights but I'll get started on making a positive association with them instead. That seems like an excellent way to get his attention if he's not looking at me, great!
I appreciate all the suggestions! I've been reasonably confident that everything will be fine even if he loses hearing completely, but it's good to have these pointers too. I am encouraged. Thanks so much!
posted by galadriel at 3:36 PM on April 17, 2011
Response by poster: Galahad is still a little worried about flashing lights, but he's gradually getting desensitized to it. I have a laser pointer with an LED as well and he's learning to come--and expect lots of treats-- when he sees either the LED flickering or the laser dot.
It's already coming in handy when calling him inside after dark. That was really a fantastic idea, and I appreciate it very much.
posted by galadriel at 5:41 PM on May 9, 2011
It's already coming in handy when calling him inside after dark. That was really a fantastic idea, and I appreciate it very much.
posted by galadriel at 5:41 PM on May 9, 2011
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He's going to need to learn to compensate for danger signals he can no longer hear.
posted by orthogonality at 8:00 PM on April 16, 2011