Training a Deaf Puppy

[astilbe]

Originally, I was his foster and took him in at 7 weeks. He and his litter mates had been abandoned, and he and his siblings were left to their one fate at a high kill shelter. They were transported nearly 700 miles to the shelter I volunteer at for a chance to find a home.

Within no time, I grew attached to the little guy I named Tucker. We had went through a lot together. Half of his litter unfortunately died of parvovirus, he was one of the few who survived. I am also fortunate that my other puppy Dexter also survived...the virus effected him too. Though, I spent a fortune on vet bills that the shelter did not compensate me for. :/

After a few weeks of recuperating, my boyfriend and I decided to adopt Tucker. He was a perfect addition to our family. Tucker had grow attached to Dexter and mimicked his every move. We had started training Tucker like we had Dexter.... Though something seemed a little odd, he just didn't listen. We thought that he was just being a little more stubborn than Dexter.

It wasn't until a few days ago (after having him for now a month and a half) that we had any concerns on his behavior. We had taken both puppies to petsmart to pick up new toys, and were stopped by a trainer. We got the same talk about training through them, and how rewarding it is... The trainer said "hello" to Dexter who immediately wagged his tail, and rushed to greet the new person. Afterwards, he did the same to Tucker and got no response.

I spent 20 minutes or so walking around the store with the trainer squeaking toys, bouncing balls, clapping, whistling, shouting, stomping on the ground, and getting other dogs to bark. The only time he reacted was with a visual que, or vibrations. Te trainer recommended going to a vet for a hearing test... Which we did, to find out he is deaf.


Discuss:
------& Does anyone have experience training a deaf puppy?
------& Would it be beneficial to integrate American Sign Language into hand signal training?
------& What would be a good tool to use while training to replace a clicker? (lazer pointers, lights etc)

[patrochilles]

That's sad. My friend has a deaf dog, they let it sit at the table when they eat.

My dog isn't deaf but he knows hand signals. He knows when we point our finger straight up it means sit, and when it's down if means lay. I'd start by training Dexter, since he can hear, and have Tucker observe what you do and what Dexter does. It could help.

I don't think dogs are Interested in laser pointers. My dogs pay no attention to them. (cats like them better) I'd suggest watching it's me or the dog on animal planet to learn some training techniques.

[Prince Charmant]

FallingNightMares100

I don't think dogs are Interested in laser pointers.

I'd just like to say that my dog is worse than a cat when it comes to the laser pointers. o.o
I have three cats, two are young and go wild over it but my dog has way more fun chasing it.
Actually he'd never stop chasing it if my arm didn't get tired. o;
What you said about dogs not being interested is true for the most part. ;D

[astilbe]

FallingNightMares100

That's sad. My friend has a deaf dog, they let it sit at the table when they eat.

My dog isn't deaf but he knows hand signals. He knows when we point our finger straight up it means sit, and when it's down if means lay. I'd start by training Dexter, since he can hear, and have Tucker observe what you do and what Dexter does. It could help.

I don't think dogs are Interested in laser pointers. My dogs pay no attention to them. (cats like them better) I'd suggest watching it's me or the dog on animal planet to learn some training techniques.

Dexter knows basic puppy commands.. Sit, stay, come, leave it, lay down, roll over, high five, bow, and lose leash walking. Tucker will do the same tasks, by mimicking... though only if Dexter is with him. Tucker gets nervous when Dexter isn't within sight, and doesn't do any commands without his guidance. I just don't know what I should do for praise, scolds, questions and statements.

Dexter will walk to the door if you ask him if he has to go potty... Should I teach Dexter everything he knows in ASL in hopes of Tucker catching on?

[Mistress of Rain]

It might help help teaching both dogs hand signals for their commands.

For potty maybe get hanging bells that go on the door and teach Dexter first then tucker to ring the bell when they have to go outside.

though taking it a step further while trying to train Tucker once you think he is understanding the signs try to only praise him with treats or a pat when he is paying attention to you and not Dexter.

He probably gets nervous with out Dexter around because he feeds off of Dexter's body language and is kind of using him to make sure nothing is sneaking up on himself or something.

[astilbe]

Mistress of Rain

It might help help teaching both dogs hand signals for their commands.

For potty maybe get hanging bells that go on the door and teach Dexter first then tucker to ring the bell when they have to go outside.

though taking it a step further while trying to train Tucker once you think he is understanding the signs try to only praise him with treats or a pat when he is paying attention to you and not Dexter.

He probably gets nervous with out Dexter around because he feeds off of Dexter's body language and is kind of using him to make sure nothing is sneaking up on himself or something.

Hmm I never thought of using bells, thank you! That is an excellent idea. Right now I have only been working on the sign language for "do you want to go outside?" then the hand signal "come" followed by "go potty here." while pointing at where I want them to go.

As far as praise, you think it would be appropriate to give a treat. Would you sign "good boy" with a level of excitement or leave it at a good petting and a treat?

I think you are absolutely right about how he watches Dexter. I would be nervous too if I didn't what may be behind me. smile

[Mistress of Rain]

astilbe

Mistress of Rain

It might help help teaching both dogs hand signals for their commands.

For potty maybe get hanging bells that go on the door and teach Dexter first then tucker to ring the bell when they have to go outside.

though taking it a step further while trying to train Tucker once you think he is understanding the signs try to only praise him with treats or a pat when he is paying attention to you and not Dexter.

He probably gets nervous with out Dexter around because he feeds off of Dexter's body language and is kind of using him to make sure nothing is sneaking up on himself or something.

Hmm I never thought of using bells, thank you! That is an excellent idea. Right now I have only been working on the sign language for "do you want to go outside?" then the hand signal "come" followed by "go potty here." while pointing at where I want them to go.

As far as praise, you think it would be appropriate to give a treat. Would you sign "good boy" with a level of excitement or leave it at a good petting and a treat?

I think you are absolutely right about how he watches Dexter. I would be nervous too if I didn't what may be behind me. smile

I don't know how much a dog could fully understand long chains of sign language. It may just be good to have him learn just learn simple signs.

I have never had a deaf animal but with normal animals they can tell inflections by how we speak so saying something in a really excited happy manner will get the dog excited but saying something like your anger with normally come off on the dog as him doing something bad.... so I don't know how much signing can make up for praise....

if he isn't dumb though he will put two and two together and see that when he does something and he gets a treat he did something right. Also if you are giving Dexter a treat when he is learning something for the first time and don't do it for Tucker.... he may get a bit annoyed...

[astilbe]

Mistress of Rain

astilbe

Mistress of Rain

It might help help teaching both dogs hand signals for their commands.

For potty maybe get hanging bells that go on the door and teach Dexter first then tucker to ring the bell when they have to go outside.

though taking it a step further while trying to train Tucker once you think he is understanding the signs try to only praise him with treats or a pat when he is paying attention to you and not Dexter.

He probably gets nervous with out Dexter around because he feeds off of Dexter's body language and is kind of using him to make sure nothing is sneaking up on himself or something.

Hmm I never thought of using bells, thank you! That is an excellent idea. Right now I have only been working on the sign language for "do you want to go outside?" then the hand signal "come" followed by "go potty here." while pointing at where I want them to go.

As far as praise, you think it would be appropriate to give a treat. Would you sign "good boy" with a level of excitement or leave it at a good petting and a treat?

I think you are absolutely right about how he watches Dexter. I would be nervous too if I didn't what may be behind me. smile

I don't know how much a dog could fully understand long chains of sign language. It may just be good to have him learn just learn simple signs.

I have never had a deaf animal but with normal animals they can tell inflections by how we speak so saying something in a really excited happy manner will get the dog excited but saying something like your anger with normally come off on the dog as him doing something bad.... so I don't know how much signing can make up for praise....

if he isn't dumb though he will put two and two together and see that when he does something and he gets a treat he did something right. Also if you are giving Dexter a treat when he is learning something for the first time and don't do it for Tucker.... he may get a bit annoyed...

Hmm so perhaps separate training sessions may be best? I have an awesome fenced in back yard. I could always put one in the back yard for a little while, and work with one in the house.

I was starting to feel the same about how much he may actually learn of a sentence. I also dont know how much I should expose them to at once. With Dexter, we introduced 1-2 new hand signals a week, and reinforced those he had already been taught. So maybe 1-2 hand signals with 1-2 words that relate to the topic instead?

[~ Aki - Fairy ~]

Separate training is probably the best way to go - Tucker needs to learn to trust you without Dexter beside him. Especially if you can pick a quiet space/room in the house to work with Tucker, so that he doesn't have to be so afraid of something sneaking up on him. Regardless, they need to learn that they can survive apart and don't always have to be together.

I'd stick with just some basic hand signals, rather than long chains of it, because like with verbal commands they'll probably pick up on shorter ones quicker.

As well, only teach one trick/command/signal at a time.

I'd use good petting and treats for reward (and it doesn't hurt to use your voice just so both dogs get the same treatment).

If he'll learn to follow the laser, it could very well prove to be a useful tool, especially for stuff like 'come' when he's not watching you (because let's face it, you can't expect him to always have his eyes on you and you need a way to get him to come for any number of reasons).

[astilbe]

~ Aki - Fairy ~

Separate training is probably the best way to go - Tucker needs to learn to trust you without Dexter beside him. Especially if you can pick a quiet space/room in the house to work with Tucker, so that he doesn't have to be so afraid of something sneaking up on him. Regardless, they need to learn that they can survive apart and don't always have to be together.

I'd stick with just some basic hand signals, rather than long chains of it, because like with verbal commands they'll probably pick up on shorter ones quicker.

As well, only teach one trick/command/signal at a time.

I'd use good petting and treats for reward (and it doesn't hurt to use your voice just so both dogs get the same treatment).

If he'll learn to follow the laser, it could very well prove to be a useful tool, especially for stuff like 'come' when he's not watching you (because let's face it, you can't expect him to always have his eyes on you and you need a way to get him to come for any number of reasons).

Him being afraid of smoothing sneaking up on him has been by far the biggest hurdle. My boyfriend and I try to make sure that if we are behind him, we try to walk a little harder to create vibrations, or make a loop and come to the front of him. I live next to two in home daycares. My biggest fear is that even with training him well, an accident will happen and someone will get hurt. Before bringing Tucker into our home, we had already requested that they keep an eye on their children closely, and not to allow them to stick fingers or random objects though the fence..... Or throw rocks at them! ( urrrrgh, I was outside with Dexter when he was about 10 weeks old, he was playing with a ball.... Minding his own business, and a darn kid threw a rock at him!) I have also caught the neighbor kids (not the daycare kids) hopping the fence in the backyard unsupervised by their parents to try to play with the two of the two puppies. (we were grilling in the backyard and the kids didn't think we were outside with the puppies.)

As far as the laser pointers I thought it would be useful for getting is attention when he isn't facing towards us, or with training some simple commands.

[Master Momoku]

for blind or deaf dogs, an animal companion is their comfort blanket. i would try to build up tucker's confidence that way he wont need dexter by his side 24/7.
as for training, do make sure u watch "its me or the dog" on animal planet- best show ever

[~ Aki - Fairy ~]

astilbe

As far as the laser pointers I thought it would be useful for getting is attention when he isn't facing towards us, or with training some simple commands.

Is there any way you can create a 'solid' barrier that the kids can't see through infront of the fence (boards, plants, etc..)? If so, that'd probably help. Also make sure you have 'beware of dog' and 'no tresspassing' signs.

It wouldn't hurt to try the laser pointers - if he'll respond to them positively, great, they're small and it's easy enough to keep one on your person at all times; if he doesn't, he doesn't.

[astilbe]

~ Aki - Fairy ~

astilbe

As far as the laser pointers I thought it would be useful for getting is attention when he isn't facing towards us, or with training some simple commands.

Is there any way you can create a 'solid' barrier that the kids can't see through infront of the fence (boards, plants, etc..)? If so, that'd probably help. Also make sure you have 'beware of dog' and 'no tresspassing' signs.

It wouldn't hurt to try the laser pointers - if he'll respond to them positively, great, they're small and it's easy enough to keep one on your person at all times; if he doesn't, he doesn't.

Unfortunately, with the house we are renting we are not allowed to modify the property. :/ I don't think we will be here for too much longer though. We had rented the house for 12 months, and are only 3 months into our lease..... Buuuut the safety and welfare of our pets, as well as the children around us is our largest concern. Unfortunately, both of my puppies are not having a good experience with smaller kids, and I do see kids of my own happening within the next 3-4 years. I don't want my dogs to not work well with children.

Luckily, both dogs are microchipped, and we were going to look for a sign to put on our fence. Also, we talked about also doing an invisible fence paired with a fence. (urgh, they dig against fencing! to keep them from digging out as they get older.)

[~ Aki - Fairy ~]

astilbe

Unfortunately, with the house we are renting we are not allowed to modify the property. :/ I don't think we will be here for too much longer though. We had rented the house for 12 months, and are only 3 months into our lease..... Buuuut the safety and welfare of our pets, as well as the children around us is our largest concern. Unfortunately, both of my puppies are not having a good experience with smaller kids, and I do see kids of my own happening within the next 3-4 years. I don't want my dogs to not work well with children.

Luckily, both dogs are microchipped, and we were going to look for a sign to put on our fence. Also, we talked about also doing an invisible fence paired with a fence. (urgh, they dig against fencing! to keep them from digging out as they get older.)

Can you put a tarp over the fence and just tie it down so it doesn't blow away?
If you know some well-behaved kids, try and get the dogs socializing with them in a positive manner so they realize that not all kids are hellions.

[astilbe]

~ Aki - Fairy ~

astilbe

Unfortunately, with the house we are renting we are not allowed to modify the property. :/ I don't think we will be here for too much longer though. We had rented the house for 12 months, and are only 3 months into our lease..... Buuuut the safety and welfare of our pets, as well as the children around us is our largest concern. Unfortunately, both of my puppies are not having a good experience with smaller kids, and I do see kids of my own happening within the next 3-4 years. I don't want my dogs to not work well with children.

Luckily, both dogs are microchipped, and we were going to look for a sign to put on our fence. Also, we talked about also doing an invisible fence paired with a fence. (urgh, they dig against fencing! to keep them from digging out as they get older.)

Can you put a tarp over the fence and just tie it down so it doesn't blow away?
If you know some well-behaved kids, try and get the dogs socializing with them in a positive manner so they realize that not all kids are hellions.

I could see about doing something like that for the fence. That's a fairly inexpensive solution.

Hmm... Now to find kids!