will my blind puppy....?

Question

Ok thankyou to all the people that answered my first question about the pup....... i have thought about the pup alot and i would like to know if the pup will bond with me in the same way as a dog that could see and will it be able to play i know fetch may be out but what about other games? will my pup want to go out for walks or stay around the house where everything is safe and familiar to her? will moving house stress her out too much? if she gets attached to me but i am unable to be there for her will this distress her?

Answer 1

it won't need eyesight to recognize you as dogs have a very strong sense of smell...being blind it will be even stronger and it will bond with you without a problem!!!

Answer 2

Although I have never been in that situation I believe that the dog's sense of smell will be very beneficial to her...

I would say that, as long as you keep your house pretty much the same, the pup will know and find her way around quite well.. i.e don't go moving the furniture, keep food bowl and water in the same place... stick to routine and there wont be a problem.
if you move house it may take her a while to adjust but she will... I think she is more likely to feel anxious if you are anxious... but if you are calm then it should go well... begin by keeping her in one room.. then expand to another and so on.

Walks may be more stressful if they are near busy roads.. if you are near fields then it should be easier for her... I would keep her on a lead at all times though!

obviously the bond that you two have will be slightly different than that of a seeing dog but i can't see it being any less special. I have heard of blind and deaf dogs being rescued and living very full lives.

I think you'll find she copes a lot better than you are expecting.. always good to discuss it over with your vet or an animal behaviourist if you are concerned though... obviously training techniques will be a little different..

Good luck :)

Answer 3

A blind dog can lead a normal life just like other dogs and as your pup has been blind from a very early age,she will no no other and adapt really well.Your pup will bond with you just like any other pup,you will proberly always feel over protective of her aswell which isn't nessaraily a bad thing but as long as you let her be a dog aswell,the most heightened sense in a dog is there nose so your pup will always be able to smell other dogs and socilise that way.Good luck.

Answer 4

Was the puppy born blind? If she was, it's not like she'll miss being able to see. I know that sounds cruel, but my chihuahua went blind from glaucoma at 7 years of age. It took her about 3 months to adjust. Her sense of smell and hearing is MUCH better than my other dogs. She has no trouble negotiating the stairs or the yard. If we are somewhere new and come to a flight of stairs, I put her paws on the first one and tell her "step" until we are all the way up or down. As long as I keep saying "step", she'll keep climbing! She is still able to jump onto the furniture and still loves rides in the car. As for moving house, she will probably bump into things until she figures out where everything is again. She will also be fine by herself if you have to leave the house for a while. My vet told me when my dog went blind that dogs don't see that well anyway. Their sense of smell is much more important for them. Also their hearing. Mine still plays fetch with a cat ball that has a bell in it. Your baby will be as brave as you allow her to be. And she will be a good companion for you. Good luck to the both of you!

Answer 5

Your dog may be blind but she has all her other senses to guide her around. She will bump into things at first but she will learn very quickly. you can even buy dog toys that make noises when they are thrown, so you dont have to rule 'fetch' out!

Bonding with your dog will be just as easy as long as she knows your voice and those that live around her she will be fine.

Your pup may be scared when going out for walks but talking to her constantly and reassuring her should eventually bring her out of her nervousness. Sometimes you will be amazed at how she acts, when people first met the blind dog that i used to walk they couldnt believe she was blind because she coped so well.

Dont worry too much. Your vet will be able to give you any other advice you will need.

Good luck!

Answer 6

You would be very surprised about what a blind dog can learn. I had a buddy who had a blind Labrador and they played fetch all the time. He worked very hard to teach Sasha to work on voice commands (left, right, stop, forward, back up) and she would retrieve based on his guidance. He could send her out past all sorts of obstacles, and even taught her to dive into the water (she LOVED that!) by giving her a Stop at the edge, and then a WATER at which point she'd gleefully dive right in. You just have to establish a serious amount of trust in the relationship from the beginning, but your pup can do just about anything a sighted dog can do, provided you train it to listen to your commands and you become it's eyes when you are out of the house.

Answer 7

A pup will bond with whomever loves it. yes walks games like tug will be a normal event ..

Lots of dogs are blind and enjoy life as much as seeing dogs.. Dogs have a great sense of smell and walking they sniff to catch up on the daily gossip I am sure of that

Answer 8

I have a blind dog, too. (Dalmation named Cheyenne) She is 13 and she gets around really easily. I think that if you moved, she would be a bit confused at first and bonking into stuff, but within a few months, she should have the whole house mapped out, and she will only run into new obsticles. Cheyenne only trips over shoes, her bone she got for Christmas, furniture after my mom recently rearranges it, orwhen she's extremely excited. (Somewhat unrelated, a man that's been blind his whole life has been to our house like 5 times and already has it mapped...)

All in all, I think your puppy will be fine. Oh, and I'm sure she'd like walks around the neighborhood, and you can play tug-of-war with her. Cheyenne LOVES the bone she got... just, keep it where she knows where it is!!

Answer 9

If you call him he will readily come to you. With a blind dog of any age it will learn to walk around without bumping into things, if you move home try and lead it round so it knows where everything is and it will learn. Don't forget that the dogs biggest assets are their sense of smell and sound not their eyes. If you call him he will readily come to you running without banging into anything but like I say if you move furniture around lead him and he will then know where it is. good luck with him and enjoy.

Answer 10

yes ,the puppy will,, it only can not see, we have one an she get around good,dogs are like peoples they learn ,to do thing like we do, so spend a lot of time with your dogs an love it

Answer 11

Your blind puppy will *definitely* bond with you (as long as there are no other neurological problems -- I recall that you noted, in your previous post, that her blindness is the result of a brain problem); in fact, I am more closely bonded with my *blind* dog than I have ever been with another dog, ever before in my life (and I adore all of my dogs). She probably won't be able to play fetch exactly as other dogs play it (heck, my sighted dog has little interest in fetch), but you can adapt all of the "normal" dog games and play routines to suit a blind dog. Use squeaky toys... lots of things with sound and smell. Instead of "fetch the stick", you might teach her to play "find the toy" or "where did the treat land?", etc. Since your dog is a puppy (mine was seven when he suddenly lost his sight), she will probably adapt remarkably well, and for the most part will be like a normal, playful puppy. As with all puppies, you will need to be vigilant about keeping her out of trouble -- and, for blind dogs, the definition of "trouble" sometimes expands a bit. Yes, you will also be able to walk her, if you train her properly (as is the case with any "normal" dog); she'll need to get acclimated to her surroundings, and *may* sometimes be fearful; you can work with her on this (most owners of blind dogs find that it is easier to walk them with a *harness*, as opposed to a regular line leash, as it gives the owner more control and it makes the dog feel safer). She will need to learn voice commands, and you will need to teach her about stairs, steps and curbs (try saying "UP" when she needs to step up -- you'll need to show her at first; and say "DOWN" whenever she needs to step down).

She will, of course, have fears and bad habits, like any other dog, and will need to be trained (like any other dog). Many people use "clicker training" with blind dogs -- check out the websites and books that I posted in your last question for more information about this. She will also adapt, if you should move; it may take a bit of time for her to map out her new surroundings (you'll need to be patient with her and attentive to her needs and fears), but most blind dogs adapt remarkably well. As I noted in my other post, their other senses are keener, and they take over; blind dogs can do remarkable things and they are, most often, remarkably "normal." And yes, she will get attached to you and will be distressed if you leave her (if you go to work or something), but she will also adapt, as do many other normal dogs who get distressed when their owners leave them (she will eventually map out your house and do fine). I really urge you to check out the websites that I posted in my other answer, and you should definitely sign up for the blind dogs Yahoo list. If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail (can you post your e-mail address somewhere -- then I'll write to you with mine). Best of luck! :)