* or anyone that knows how to work with Deaf dogs

[kimkats000]

Our local shelter has a deaf bull dog. I have someone that is thinking about adopting him. They have several questions. I thought of Noofies and am hoping someone can get me in touch with her or can help on their own. Thanks for any and all help. Kim

[Tambrey]

Hopefully these links will be of some help

http://www.deafdogs.org/training/

http://deafness.about.com/cs/deafpets/a/deafpets.htm

I hope your friend adopts the dog...

[k9Karen]

Allie was born deaf. I''ve had her since she was 8 weeks old, and did not know that when I got her. If you didn't know she was deaf, you'd never guess. In fact, it took us about 3 weeks to realize it when she was a puppy. She is a talker and a barker. She knows when I come home and meets me at the door, even when the others are sound asleep. She is incredibly alert - always watching. She knows about 6 hand signals and is very astute at picking up on our facial expression. The hardest thing I've found is correcting her when she KNOWS she's doing something wrong. She will turn away from me and bark (or whatever) so she can't see my 'bad dog' hand signal - she knows it's wrong and she know's I'm going to be mad at her, so, if she can't see me, she doesn't have to stop! She's a stubborn critter, but that doesn't haven anything to do with her deafness. I'm quite sure she would have been that way regardless. The main thing to remember with a deaf dog is the danger if they get out. They cannot hear traffic and they cannot hear you calling for them. They also cannot hear you say 'NO' if they get into something dangerous.

Was this dog born deaf? If so, he doesn't know there is anything wrong with him and is probably just fine. Dealing with a deaf dog involves learning how the dog responds to different stimuli and teaching yourself how to interact with him. If the dog has become deaf (aging, disease, etc.) recently, there may be more issues. When Mickey lost his hearing, he was very depressed and confused. He did eventually adjust well, but that involved me learning how to relate to him in a different way. For a long time, he was my only dog, and I talked to him all the time. He was always wherever I was, and he would come over near me, and I'd say something to him as he laid down. When he could no longer hear me, he seemed to think I didn't care about him anymore. I had to begin reaching out to him and petting him - giving him the same type of notice that I had given him verbally, but changing it to something physical. As soon as I realized what was happening and made this change, he perked up and began to adjust.

I would definitely encourage anyone to adopt a deaf dog. You will find that they are just like other dogs, just with a little bit of change in they way you communicate. You just need to be a bit inventive and figure out what works for your dog.

[Traci]

Sorry, the person you're referring to isn't allowed on the forums.

A helpful link for you: Deafness in Dogs & Cats

[kimkats]

THANKS! This info will be SO helpful no matter who adopts this wonderful dog. It appears he was born deaf. He is under 1 yr of age. Some guesses are 6 months but I think that he is older than that. He is a HAPPY dog that LOVES everyone! Thanks for all of the links. I am making a page just for him with all of this info. on it! Kim