Deaf dogs will not hear approaching vehicles or nearby people or dogs. – For their safety, always keep a deaf dog on a leash or in a fenced yard. A printable poster of basic hand signs for deaf dogs can be found at: Here are a few suggestions for life with an animal who has hearing impairment: The Acorn Project is trying to standardize deaf dog signs for use by veterinary personnel, shelter staff, boarding kennel workers, groomers, and individuals. It is used to tell your dog that she did something good or what you wanted her to do. You can create your own signs but using standardized signs are more practical as more people may know them. Signs need to be clear and made with only one hand since the leash may be in your other hand. Initially, signs will be needed for watch me, come, sit, stay, off, heel, no, wait, leave it, and good job/ok. Once you decide to teach hand signs, you have to decide which signs to use. If hand signs were not taught or your dog does not have obedience skills, it is not too late for them to learn. You can continue communicating with your deaf dog with those signs. If you taught your dog hand signals when they learned basic obedience skills (come, sit, stay, etc.), you are ahead of the game. Once the veterinarian confirms that your dog is hearing impaired, you may think now what? Separate that individual from the pack for a few minutes and perform the clap or whistle test to determine if there is a hearing concern.

However, one dog may be running in response to the other dog’s actions, not because he heard you. For example, the dogs may be outside on the far side of the yard.

If you live in a multiple dog household, you may have a hearing impaired dog and not know it. A trip to the veterinarian for further diagnostic testing can confirm the suspected diagnosis and determine the level of impairment. If the dog does not startle or look in the direction of the noise, they may be hearing impaired. When they are not looking in your direction, make a noise such as clap your hands loudly, blow a whistle, squeak a toy, rattle keys, or ring a bell. Stand behind your dog but at least six feet away from them. So how do you determine if your pet is hearing impaired? There is a simple test that can be done at home that can give you some information. Rather, it might be that they are not hearing you. Have you noticed that your dog is less responsive to your verbal requests? Do you have to call them multiple times before they pay attention to you? Are there times that you think that dog just isn’t listening? It might be that they are not ignoring you. Regardless of the cause of the hearing impairment, deaf dogs are just as intelligent as hearing dogs and are just as capable of learning manners and other skills as their hearing counterparts. Some dogs have reduced hearing while other individuals essentially have no hearing at all. Other animals may develop deafness as a result of head trauma, infection or inflammation of the ear canals, exposure to loud noises, use of antibiotics, or because of old age. Deaf and hearing impaired dogs want and need the same things as other dogs: a loving family, safe shelter, plenty of good food at regular intervals, and lots of positive attention.Ī dog who is born deaf has congenital deafness. However, their ears may not be completely functional. They usually have four paws, two ears, and maybe a long tail. Many of us have never met a deaf dog but it is estimated that between five and ten percent of dogs in the United States are deaf or hearing impaired.

Hand signals for dea dogs