The pictures below were taken whilst helping to train a group of 5 deaf dogs ( well... 4 & 1 honorary!), if you click on the individual pictures there is an explanation of what is happening in the picture.

From time to time a deaf or partially deaf dog passes through a training course, but it is a rarity and I think this is mostly due to owners thinking that there is very little that they can do with their dog and some very sadly are written off from an early age and end up being euthanised.

So I was so pleased to be involved with the group of dogs (& people!) shown above, as it showed me that there are people who are still willing to give these 'special needs' four legged friends a chance at living a fully rounded life, and in the few short training sessions that I spent with them, they all achieved at some of the basics, and seemed committed to continuing their training after I left.

When I first received a call from Sarah I have to admit it was a little daunting! The list she was giving me was mind boggling and it went something like this; 5 dogs in total to train, 4 of which were 5 months old and from the same litter - however only 2 of those were completely deaf, 1 was deaf in one ear and possibly blind in one eye and the 4th one of the litter was fine but needed some training anyway. The 5th dog in the line up was deaf but was 16 months old and was in some way related to the litter but for the life of me I can't remember how! All in all though whilst I was trying to process this information, I was impressed that Sarah had found these dogs good homes and was now rallying everyone together to get a bit of training instilled - so I would like to extend my thanks to Sarah & Rob for inviting me into their home and turning it into a training venue for a few weeks and to their children Georgie & Paddy who got fully invovled in the training process with Sidney & Alfie, well done! Also my thanks to the camera shy Bernie for bringing sweet, sweet little Ruby along and to Lynn for bringing her star pupil Molly and last but not least to Peter for bringing the beautiful and truly loved Maude - keep up the good work everyone, and lets hope this inspires other owners with 'special' dogs.

TIPS FOR TRAINING DEAF DOGS
(my advice would be to consult a professional trainer for help, the tips listed are just a guide)

'Look at Me'; You are going to find it invaluable to teach a strong 'look at me' signal, I would suggest a gentle two finger tap between the dogs shoulders, - you need your dog to look at you, no attention - no control!

'Good Dog'; Make sure before you begin any training with your dog that it understands a 'good dog' signal, this can be done by showing your dog a signal (a thumbs up for example) and then giving it a treat - you will need to do this approx 6-8 times so that the dog associates getting a treat after seeing the thumbs up signal. You will then be able to use this to let your dog know when it has done the right thing.

Using Hand Signals; it really doesn't matter what hand signals you choose to use for each command, they can be personal to you - however, when you have settled on a signal be consistent & stick to it, make sure the signal you use is clear, it is not reasonable to expect your dog to respond to 'weak' signals.

Rewards; keep the treat/reward you are using interesting and varied. - This can be food or favourite toys.

Facial Expressions; Speak the commands as well as giving your dog hand signals, you may feel a little silly knowing they can't hear you, but dogs read a lot from our facial expressions.

Useful Equipment; Vibrating collars, flashing lights & long training lines may be useful for recalling your dog to you.
High visibility clothing for you & your dog may help with identification when out & off lead.
The book 'Hear,Hear' by Barry Eaton may be a useful training guide for you.
www.deaf-dogs-help.co.uk

Finally; Training should be fun & stimulating, and only kind & gentle methods used - please remember these dogs are only deaf and not stupid, they do deserve our respect and in return will give us their undying loyalty.

If you have any questions or would like any more information on training a deaf dog then please contact me and I will be more than happy to help or advise you.