Animal Welfare Professionals

we have a deaf puppy in that needs help. how do we train him so that he can reach his full potential? are there any online classes or phone apps that you guys know of that could help?

#AccesstoCare

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Tristan Larsen
Smith Creek kennels
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Hi Tristan,

Great post! Training Deaf Dogs is tough. I am not a fan of vibration collars which are commonly used. I am a fan of using a flashlight as a marker (like a clicker) to teach new behaviors. We often heavily reinforce eye contact in these dogs so that it becomes a default behavior to check in with you. You can also use light touch as a cue to look at you. Some teach hand signals and there is a pretty universal chart on the hand signals that are taught to deaf dogs. 

There are several resources out there like:

Controlled Unleashed Games can help with focus (direct eye contact) like the up/down and ping pong game. Both very easy games to teach.  Here is an example of the up/down game using a chair: https://youtu.be/M6b9f_-TrTU and this is an example of the Ping Pong Game: https://youtu.be/O-3zF7tErVg
Deaf Dogs Rock: https://deafdogsrock.com/
Karen Pryor Academy: https://www.clickertraining.com/how-to-communicate-with-deaf-dog


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Christine D. Calder DVM
Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Behaviorists
Calder Veterinary Behavior Services
www.caldervbs.com

Veterinary Behaviorist
Behavior Specialist, MPF
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Thank you for all of these great links!  I am fostering a deaf 9 month old Queensland heeler pup and we are working on hand signals.  Looking forward to learning more on how to communicate better with her and help her reach her full potential. 

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Robin Griffiths
Foster
Better World Rescue
CA
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-14-2021 09:56 PM
From: Christine Calder
Subject: How to train deaf puppies that come through the shelter?

Hi Tristan,

Great post! Training Deaf Dogs is tough. I am not a fan of vibration collars which are commonly used. I am a fan of using a flashlight as a marker (like a clicker) to teach new behaviors. We often heavily reinforce eye contact in these dogs so that it becomes a default behavior to check in with you. You can also use light touch as a cue to look at you. Some teach hand signals and there is a pretty universal chart on the hand signals that are taught to deaf dogs. 

There are several resources out there like:

Controlled Unleashed Games can help with focus (direct eye contact) like the up/down and ping pong game. Both very easy games to teach.  Here is an example of the up/down game using a chair: https://youtu.be/M6b9f_-TrTU and this is an example of the Ping Pong Game: https://youtu.be/O-3zF7tErVg
Deaf Dogs Rock: https://deafdogsrock.com/
Karen Pryor Academy: https://www.clickertraining.com/how-to-communicate-with-deaf-dog


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Christine D. Calder DVM
Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Behaviorists
Calder Veterinary Behavior Services
www.caldervbs.com

Veterinary Behaviorist
Behavior Specialist, MPF
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