Anyone have any tips in training a deaf dog?

Question

Just adopted a new pup and he is deaf..anyone out there have any good ideas or known tips to train him? He is a white pit bull puppy...named stewie..

Answer 1

I also have a deaf dog and I am teaching her hand signs with american sign language. We work on one or two new signs a week. I usually start introducing one around meal time because I can use her kibble to keep her attention and reinforce the new sign.
Right now she knows sit, stay, down, and no. I'm working on getting her to come to me and that is a challenge with her. I also keep a spray bottle handy to zap her when she's being too rough with my cats. Flipping the light off and on will also sometimes get her attention.
I am also consulting with a trainer on fine tuning some skills and behavior because I would like to put her through Good Citzenship Test and Therapy Dog Training
My dog is crated 95% of the time when I am not home. She likes to nap in strange places and my cats need a break.
As far as housebreaking goes, Matilda sits by my front door or comes up to me and barks. Take your pup out the same door so he associates it with outside

Answer 2

I really know nothing on this subject, but I did know a deaf person a long time ago.

This may sound odd because you are talking about a dog, and I am talking about a person. But the way we used to get the persons attention was to stomp on the floor. they could feel the vibrations and would look around. I am sure a dog would do the same thing.

You could probably try to train that way, with stomps, something they can feel instead of hear...

Answer 3

we took our dog to a great dog trainer who used more sign language than verbal commands. dogs respond well to this. the key to training a dog is not what command method you use but how consistent you are with it. You and everyone who works/plays witht he dog will have to be consistent. If you are not all doing the same things and expecting the same behavioural responses from the dog, it won't matter what you do or how well your dog hears or does not hear..commands should ever only be given once or else the dog learns that they do not have to obey until you have given the command several times. I would take the dog to a respected dog trainer. Even if you don't, you will see results if you are consistent with what ever you do.Dogs love to work for us. they thrive on it. Give lots of praise ( a pat or scratch) as a reward every time the desired behaviour is achieved. Food treats work too but be careful not to end up with a fat dog.If the dog is particularly difficult, I recommend a prong collar which looks worse than it actually is. It is only cruel when used incorrectly.If you choose this method than I really think it is best to get a trainer to show you the correct non cruel method of using it.Good luck.

Answer 4

there are some excellent books available at the puplic library about sign training dogs. We've never had a deaf puppy but we always have one old dog and one young one so we train all the dogs to sign language as they arrive here to live. The dogs are hunting dogs and they do lose their hearing when they get past 10years usually so we need the signs. We use more large signing(like dolphin trainers use) because old dogs have vision problems too(vision gets hazy and they respond better to large signs. We've decided that it's just so handy to teach them visual signs so that when they are out in public we do not have to yell,bark orders etc to get the dogs attention. Best of luck to you and Stewie. You can do this.

Answer 5

Take your pup Stewie to a special puppy training school for deaf dogs. I don't know of any, but I'm sure they have some around. Good Luck with your pup.
It's great you adopted a deaf pit bull puppy. :)

Answer 6

Try taking her to a teacher or coaching categories that experience labored with deaf puppies earlier than. You can coach your puppy with visible cues, truthfully in our coaching magnificence that is how we begin, then we upload the phrase, so if you happen to consider approximately it, you might have it simpler! For instance, for sit down we might have a deal with, get the puppy intrested within the deal with, then deliver the deal with over the diogs head which makes them sit down, then open your palm as you toss the deal with. Soon the movement of you doing this turns into the visible cue on your puppy. We use a clicker to inform the puppy whilst the puppy it (ie - whilst the puppies bum hits the ground, you click on, then deal with). You might mainly have got to discover an option to the clicker or simply move without - regardless that it could take the puppy slightly longer. But name round whilst you're signing up, evaluate now not simplest fees, however running shoes revel in and the approach of coaching that they use. You desire this to be a posative revel in for each you and your puppy so you do not desire to do stuff that could harm the puppy (ie choke collar coaching - they harm the trechea and will rationale spinal twine accidents which are very painful on your puppy)

Answer 7

if hes deaf you are going to need to train him mostly on visual cues and some on vibration. There are lots of training books out there and I know some must touch on the subject of impared dogs. Look on the internet , Im sure there is lots of resources

Answer 8

Teach him sign language. Not trying to be funny, honestly. Alot of handicapped people who are deaf cannot speak and the dog looks for sign language.

Answer 9

great question. Training deaf animals requires much patience and commitment. Animals respond more to touch than anything else, so this is a good advantage in your situation. i would recommend joining the Yahoo group deafdogs for further advice:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/deafdogs/join

Answer 10

Consult a local dog trainer. You'll be able to train him with hand signals.