Deaf Dogs

By Marilyn Marks
Owner of The Good Dog Spot! offering day care, training and boarding in Bloomfield, CT.

Although it might seem like your dog can’t hear you sometimes chances are they only have a condition called "selective deafness" – hearing only what they want to hear, often observed in kids and husbands as well.  But some dogs are actually deaf.  As with humans, deaf dogs may be born that way or acquire a deficit during life, especially in their senior years.   But lack of hearing doesn’t relate to any other lack of ability at being man’s  (and woman’s) best friend.
One difference with dogs is that deafness in often related to coat color.  Breeds with large white areas, such as Dalmatians, Boxers, Collies (of all sorts) and Great Danes often have deafness in the family, especially when blue eyes are also present (same for cats, too).  
Historically, any deaf pups were immediately put down, but today they make it into the adoption pool and find loving homes.   There is a myth that deaf-white dogs (and cats) are more aggressive.  This is grounded in some truth, since our behavior may startle them more than dogs who can hear us coming.   When a deaf dog also has an aggressive temperament, it is easy to say it’s because of the deafness.   But deaf dogs are no more likely to be aggressive than any other dog; it just depends on individual temperament. 
Deaf dogs are unaware that they live in a different ("hearing") world from everyone else.  They can bark just like any other dog and can learn that it gets them the attention they desire.  All dogs watch their humans for indications of their mood, and deaf dogs rely on and hone that skill more than hearing dogs.  Deaf dogs can sleep through thunderstorms or a kennel of barking dogs, but can learn how to get all excited at front-door greetings, they just don’t know it was "caused" by a doorbell, like most dogs. 
Raising a deaf dog does add some challenges, but only because we have to think outside the box.  Deaf dogs may seem dumb, but that is because we are used to teaching our dogs via verbal "commands".  Once you learn how to communicate with hand signals, the dog learns quickly too.  Although you can use any hand motion you like, many owners of deaf dogs use American Sign Language to teach their dog, much to the pleasure of any deaf kids they encounter.  By utilizing a radio controlled collar that delivers a vibration rather than a shock, it is even possible to train a deaf dog to come when called which, of course, takes just as much diligence and practice as it does for any dog to turn it into a safe, reliable command.  Because of the potential for startled dogs to respond aggressively, it is a good idea to train a deaf dog that being surprised by human touch always leads to good consequences.  This is done by purposeful, repetitive training sessions as a precaution for a startling moment that’s bound to happen.
If you’re interested in reading more about how to speak so a deaf dog can understand you, here are some web sites that offer information on training deaf dogs:
www.deafdogs.org/training/#language 
www.wagntrain.com/deaf_dog.htm 
www.deafdogtrainer.com 
 All three advocate using positive, clicker-type training, not physical force, to get your point across.