How to Teach Your Deaf (and Blind) Dog to be Quiet

I’m always amused when people find out my dogs are deaf. One of their first questions is, “Do they bark?” Oh yes, and boy, can they bark! Some deaf dogs have a very high-pitched bark. Some have a deeper bark.   

You may hear that deaf dogs bark more than hearing dogs.  Some people may even tell you this is because they can't hear themselves so they don't know they are barking.  

The truth is that dogs bark!  It is a trait specific to dogs.  And deaf dogs are really just dogs that can't hear. They still have all the behaviors, urges and needs that other dogs have.  This includes their desire to communicate.  Dogs communicate many things through barking - an alarm that someone or something is outside, to demand attention or other reinforcers, to invite play, out of boredom, from stress, and the list goes on.  Deaf dogs are no different.

There is another truth involved here, and that is that you CAN teach a deaf (or blind/deaf) dog to be quiet when asked.  And you don't need a vibration/shock collar to do it!  All you need is to set aside some time to actually teach your dog what you want.  Here, let me tell you how I teach quiet.

The way I start to teach a dog to be quiet is by naming “quiet” when the dog is actually being quiet and then offer calm praise. I use one finger pressed to my lips as the quiet signal. With a blind-deaf dog, use a touch signal for quiet that is a finger placed gently on top of the dog's muzzle. 

When the dog is being quiet, give the quiet signal and then quickly give the good dog signal and a treat. I do this sequence several times while the dog is quiet. You are essentially naming for the dog what “quiet” is while they are already being quiet. This allows the dog to associate being quiet with the cue.

When the dog does bark (because it will happen), I am ready as soon as the dog stops barking (even if it’s only a quick pause) to give the quiet sign and then the good dog sign. I give a treat after the good dog sign. Chewing the treat helps to distract the dog from whatever it was barking at, which allows me to get more quiet signals practiced and reinforced in quick succession before the barking starts again. It also helps to more strongly reinforce the dog for being quiet. 

Be sure not to give the quiet signal until the dog is quiet at this stage. You are teaching the dog what the quiet signal means, so you must be sure to only give it when your dog is quiet. Until your dog has really learned the quiet cue, practice naming and reinforcing it often whenever he is being quiet. 

Be very sure when teaching quiet that you are not reinforcing the dog for barking. If your dog barks at you and you throw the toy, you are teaching him that barking gets him what he wants and he will be more likely to bark. If your dog barks at you and you give him part of your snack, or pet him, or open the door to let him outside, you are teaching him to bark more. 

If you want a quiet dog household, focus on rewarding quiet dogs and not barking dogs. If you do, you will find less and less barking happening. 

To begin using the quiet signal when your dog is barking, you will need to first get his attention if he's not looking in your direction – waving your arm in the air in his line of sight may work, or a gentle tap to his body. When he looks at you, be ready to give the quiet signal quickly before he looks away. 

If you’ve done your homework in using the quiet signal often and then giving a treat, your dog should at least pause and look at you expectantly. Reward quickly! If you wait, he may start to bark again because he’s excited about whatever he’s barking at. Continue to give the quiet signal and reward with several treats one at a time while he is quiet. And don’t forget the praise too! 

What if your dog gets quiet with the initial quiet signal and eats his reward, and then turns back to barking again? Don’t let him continue to bark. Get back in there and interrupt the barking again by getting his attention back on you. 

If he does not respond to your quiet signal at all, you will need to go back and review giving the signal and rewarding when he is already quiet. Your job is to make that quiet cue super important to your dog so he will pay attention to it. 

As you continue to practice the quiet signal, you can gradually space out those treats to get longer periods of quiet between each one. Give the first treat right away when the dog gets quiet, and then pause for slightly longer periods of time before giving the next treat, etc. Do this step gradually. Only expect a few seconds of quiet between treats at first. If you try to move too quickly, your dog will start barking again in between treats. 

You can build up the time as your dog is ready. Over time, you can give fewer treats, but rewarding the quiet now and then will help keep the behavior strong. Giving a quiet cue does not mean that your dog will never bark. Dogs bark. That’s something they do. A quiet signal will give you a way to communicate to your dog when you’d like him to stop barking. 

And if you teach your dog to bark on signal, too, then when people ask you if deaf dogs bark, you can show them that yes, indeed, they do! 

Teaching Deaf (and Blind) Dogs to Use Their Mouths Gently

A common complaint among those who live with deaf (and blind/deaf) dogs is that they use their mouths roughly. This is very common throughout puppyhood and adolescence, but if dogs are not taught to use their mouths gently, this problem can extend into adulthood.  Deaf dogs sometimes get a bad rap for being more aggressive than other dogs.  But this is a myth.  Let me tell you more ...  

Dogs use their mouths in many ways – when they eat, chew, play, discipline, bark, and too many more ways to list. Dogs can cause injury to humans if they are not taught to use their mouths gently and to be respectful of human skin. This means it is our responsibility to teach our dogs the behaviors that we like, such as treating our skin gently. 

We cannot expect our dogs to stop using their mouths because it is a normal dog behavior. Just like when we use our hands. But just like we must learn to use our hands gently and appropriately in life, so must our puppies learn to use their mouths gently and appropriately. 

Because there is a myth that deaf dogs are more likely to bite than hearing dogs, it is of utmost importance that we, as advocates for deaf dogs, make sure our dogs know how to be gentle and respectful with their mouths. It’s important that we can show others by example that deaf dogs can be safe and wonderful companions, so that more homeless deaf dogs can get adopted. 

Sometimes a dog that is deaf may have a harder time learning to be gentle with its mouth than a dog that can hear. Let me explain why. 

These lessons begin when a dog is still a baby puppy with its mother and littermates. When one puppy bites another too hard, the one that is being bitten will yelp sharply. This often startles the first puppy into letting go. That puppy learns that in order to continue playing with the other puppies, it needs to control the strength of its mouth. Since puppies play with their mouths, they learn to grip each other with less and less pressure. 

When a puppy enters a human household, it needs to also learn to control its mouth with its new human family. Human skin is even more fragile than dog skin and is not covered with fur as protection, so the puppy needs to learn to be even more careful with us than with other dogs. 

Our natural reaction when something hurts is to blurt out, “Ouch!” This will often stop a hearing puppy. Some puppies are more persistent than others and continue to bite too hard, but many will learn to play more gently to keep the game going. 

Obviously, deaf puppies cannot hear the other puppies yelp, or hear us say, “Ouch!” They may need some extra guidance learning to be gentle. One way of letting your puppy know that its play is getting a bit rough is to stop playing every time it bites you too hard. When it bites down too hard, immediately remove yourself from its reach. Remove the body part from the puppy’s mouth gently but matter-of-factly and stand up so the puppy cannot reach you. 

Exaggerate your body movement and facial expressions to convey your disappointment. The attitude of your body and face should be saying, “Ouch! Stop that!” The puppy will recognize the sudden difference in your demeanor. You should also say the word “Ouch!” out loud. Yes, I know the puppy is deaf, but saying the words will add to the genuine picture of how your body and face look. 

It’s important to note here that you should not allow yourself to get angry or act threatening. Remember that your puppy is just acting like any normal puppy would act while playing or while excited. It is not doing anything wrong; it just needs to learn how you would like to be treated during playtime. 

This break doesn’t need to be long. Once your puppy calms down, even for a moment, give the good dog signal and slowly and calmly return to its level. Allow your body and face to soften back to normal and begin to interact again but more gently and calmly. You must be consistent and end the interaction every time that your puppy bites too hard or plays too roughly. This is how it will learn. 

With consistency, you may find that just changing your facial expression and withdrawing your hand for a moment is enough of a reminder for the puppy to be gentle. 

Sometimes puppies can’t seem to stop themselves from grabbing everything around them in their mouths. This usually means that the puppy has gotten over-stimulated and needs help to calm down. Giving the puppy some quiet time to calm down is a good idea. It might be a good time to give a special stuffed food toy to occupy puppy’s mouth and encourage calmness. 

Be sure to praise your puppy frequently when it is interacting appropriately with you. In teaching our dogs to be gentle with us, it is important for us to also be gentle with our dogs. Playing games that mimic wrestling or slapping of a puppy will encourage it to play more roughly with us. 

While it may seem cute now with a little tiny puppy, think about that bigger adult dog with much bigger teeth. Will you still want the dog playing with you that roughly? If you have children, it’s especially important for you to model calm and gentle ways for the children and puppy to play together. Show your older children how to appropriately handle the situation if puppy gets too rough. Always supervise and be ready to step in during playtime. 

Keep lots of safe toys and chews around to help redirect your puppy from mouthing things you don’t want it to. Chewing on toys can keep a puppy’s mouth busy and help it learn appropriate behaviors. When your puppy is mouthing your skin too much or too hard, offer it a toy to chew on instead. Often that will be enough to divert its attention. 

A dog that knows to be gentle with its mouth is likely to be welcomed into so many more of the family’s activities than one that doesn’t. By taking some time early in your puppy’s life to teach gentleness, you can set it up for a lifetime of success.  

Re-Posting: Quality of Life for Blind/Deaf Dogs

This has been THE most popular and most read blog post that I've written.  The question of whether blind and deaf dogs can have a good quality of life is one that is asked a lot.  I think it is appropriate to post it here again as part of Deaf (and blind) Dog Awareness Week...

I received a lot of great ideas for new blog posts - Thank you so much for those.  I'm always looking for ideas to write about that will be useful to each of you as readers.  One idea that truly intrigued me was to discuss what quality of life a blind and deaf dog can have.  I think it caught my interest because I had never thought about my dogs not having a good quality of life.  I began to think about how we measure quality of life and why.

I have had many dogs in my life over the years, and there have been times when I have made the decision to have them euthanized when they no longer had a good quality of life.  Of course, this was always based on my opinion, the veterinarian's opinion, and the fact that I knew those dogs very well.  Pain is perhaps the biggest reason I would make this decision.  If the pain could not be controlled and if it was affecting the dog's daily activities.  If she no longer showed any interest in the activities that she used to love - then, in my opinion there is a loss of quality of life.

But now, I wonder, how do others measure quality of life.  Why would people think that blind/deaf  dogs don't have a good quality of life?  And were they seeing something that I was not?  I searched the internet, hoping to find some ideas.  I found this quality of life scale on a veterinary site.

 http://www.veterinarypracticenews.com/vet-practice-news-columns/bond-beyond/quality-of-life-scale.aspx

I'm going to use some of the ideas that are mentioned there to address my own blind/deaf dogs.  Of course, every situation is different, so I can't make any recommendations as to the quality of life for all blind/deaf dogs.

The first consideration is pain level and ease of breathing.  This is more of a health-related issue that would not be dependent upon the dog's ability to see or hear.  My dogs are healthy and pain-free at the current time.

The second and third sections pertain to eating and hydration.  My dogs are able to eat and drink normally on their own.  They are a good weight.  Again, this seems like more of a health-related issue.

The next section is about hygiene.  My dogs have no difficulty staying clean (although they do like to roll in the mud sometimes!)  They have no open and oozing sores.  Treasure does have many skin cysts, but they are not dangerous and don't cause her any discomfort.  The vet and I keep an eye on them in case they change.

The next consideration is happiness.  I think maybe this is one that most people wonder about with a blind/deaf dog.  The questions suggested on the scale are: does the dog express joy and interest? Is the dog responsive to things around her?  Is the dog depressed, lonely, anxious, bored or afraid?  Can the dog be included in family activities or is she isolated?

My dogs are all members of the family.  We spend a lot of time together as a family group.  They certainly express joy and interest in the activities going on around them.  They wag their tails.  They play.  They seek out affection.  They are responsive to things going on around them, reacting to air currents changing, movement and vibration, smells, the actions of other family members.  My dogs are not depressed or anxious.  I have no questions that my dogs are happy and content, and I do work hard to keep them that way.

Mobility is next.  My dogs have no problem with getting around.  I do manage the environment to keep them safe, but there is really not too much to do once the environment is set up safely for them. 

The last section says that there are more good days than bad.  For my dogs, each day has more good in it than bad.  Keeping my dogs enriched and happy is a huge part of my responsibility as a dog owner.  If I was not able to give my dogs what they needed, it might mean that I was not the most suitable home for them, but it would not necessarily mean that my dogs had a bad quality of life and should not live.

I can honestly say that my blind/deaf dogs have a wonderful quality of life.  Some people think that a blind/deaf dog can't possibly have a good quality of life.  They wonder what enjoyment a dog can possibly get out of life if she can't see and hear.  But dogs live in a world full of so  much more than sights and sounds.  Their lives are rich in smells and vibrations.  A dog that is born blind and deaf never learns to rely on her sight and hearing.  She doesn't know that she's any different.  She learns from the time she is born to explore and enjoy her world. 

Even my older dogs that have lost their sight and hearing from age, are still enjoying their lives.  Sure, there is an adjustment period where they may have to learn to rely on other senses and to do things a bit differently than they are used to.  That is to be expected.  But they still enjoy their walks and belly rubs and mealtimes.  They love to sniff around in the yard and find something to roll in.  They may even still enjoy that favorite bone. 

I hope the quality of life scale may be of good use to you, and thank you for the wonderful suggestion for this post.  It caused me to stop and think about what quality of life means, not just to me, but to others.  I hope that anyone who questions my dogs' quality of life watches the videos of them and sees them having fun in all activities.  

I hope we can change minds to realize that those with differences are not bad or to be thrown away.  When given the chance, they can blossom and teach us so much - and, they can have wonderful quality of life. 

Does a Deaf (and Blind) Dog Need a Hearing Dog Buddy?

Many people think that a deaf (or blind/deaf) dog needs to have a hearing dog to follow around.  This is usually not necessary.  Although, if you do have a hearing dog, your deaf dog will watch him closely for cues to things that are important to him – mealtimes, going for a walk, etc.  A deaf dog (or even a blind/deaf dog) will notice when the other dogs around him are getting excited, heading towards the door for a walk, or the kitchen for a treat.  In fact, sometimes it is even hard to tell which dogs can't hear, as the deaf dog learns to respond just as quickly as the hearing dogs.

A deaf dog will also watch you closely to see what cues you give.  Sometimes your deaf dog will notice cues that you aren’t even aware you are giving!  They are very good observers!  If there are not other dogs in the home for a deaf dog to take its cues from, it will take its cues from you and from other members of the household.  

Deaf dogs are individuals, just like people and hearing dogs are.  Some enjoy the company of other dogs, while some may not.  And some dogs get along with certain dogs and not others.  It's not fair to try to push certain dogs to live with other dogs if they aren't comfortable with that.  And, just because a dog enjoys playing with other dogs doesn't mean it needs to live with other dogs all the time.  It might be just as happy as an only dog that gets to have regular playtime with the dog next door. 

There is nothing wrong with having hearing dogs if you adopt a deaf dog.  There is nothing wrong with having several deaf dogs together either!  Any dogs that live together will develop relationships all their own.  Dogs don't really care which dogs can hear and which ones can't.  

We as humans love the idea of a dog "knowing" another dog is different and taking on the role as helper.  We have a fairy tale image of two dogs developing this type of relationship.  And it does sometimes happen and is a magical thing to watch.  But don't pair up two dogs with the expectation that one will take on the role of helper to another. 

In reality, this very rarely happens.  The dogs will develop a relationship, but normally it is not the hearing dog helping the deaf dog at all.  Normally it is the deaf dog learning to read the hearing dog's behaviors and what they mean. 

I have also lived with deaf and blind/deaf dogs long enough that I have seen them step into a helper role with my other hearing dogs on occasion.  Their ability to see and hear (or not) in no way hindered them from helping another dog in a useful manner. 

Please don't rely on myths when choosing dogs to live together.  Instead, take into account each dog as an individual.  Make choices based on each one's personality and what personality of dog would be a good match for the household and for the other dogs.  If you choose to live with a single dog, please don't ever feel guilty or sad about that, as your dog will be thrilled to have all your time and attention, and will learn to watch you just as closely for information as it might have learned to watch the other dogs.  

Deaf (and Blind) Dog Awareness Week

There's a special week every year set aside to bring awareness to deaf dogs.  This is Deaf Dog Awareness Week!  The gang and I want to also include dogs that are blind and deaf in our week of awareness.  

So many misconceptions exist about deafness and blindness, not only when it comes to our dogs, but in our human culture as well. Those of us with the senses of hearing and sight can't imagine what it must be like to lose them.  The truth is, we have become overly dependent upon these two senses.

If you've been reading my blog very long, you've seen my posts talking about all the other ways our dogs (and we!) can gather information from our environment.  Dogs are so in tune with things in the environment that you and I ignore on a regular basis.  Things like vibrations, temperature changes, light and shadows, air currents, scents, energy and intuition, that give them information about their world.

Many deaf and blind/deaf dogs are waiting in rescues and shelters for the right family to adopt them.  They are often overlooked in preference for a dog that can see and hear.  I can't help but think this is because of people's misconceptions and myths that get passed around.  

Do they know that deaf and blind/deaf dogs can go hiking?  Do they know that many really enjoy children?  That they can play with other dogs?  That they can play with toys and play fetch?  That they can learn cool tricks and even compete in certain dog sports?

The purpose of this special week is to highlight the amazing things deaf (and blind/deaf) dogs can do.  If we can change people's perceptions and impart new knowledge to them about what deaf and blind/deaf dogs are capable of, surely more of those waiting for homes will be adopted.  

Come along with us this week while we help to erase some of the misconceptions that exist, and while we brag a little bit about some amazing deaf and blind/deaf dogs we know! 

Seven Years!

Seven years ago, she came into my life.  Treasure, a small white, blind and deaf dog, has changed my life.  She has changed the lives for many, many dogs like herself through helping me educate.  She has become more than anyone had ever expected.  And yet, in the end, she's just my pal - my special girl.

I remember when I brought her home.  There were only a couple sites on the internet to find information about dogs that were both blind and deaf - and they were sorely lacking in appropriate and helpful information.  There were a few more sites about double merles, but not all of them gave information that would be helpful to someone who was adopting one of these special dogs.  

Misinformation and misunderstanding was the norm.  I felt like we were trail blazers to provide information, instruction, and an example. And so ... this blog was born.  So many people followed this blog as Treasure repeatedly broke down barriers and rose above expectations.  Over and over again she proved what was possible.  

Seven years ago, today, I typed in my first blog post.  The first of many posts that I hope have given my readers a glimpse into the magical life of a little dog and her friends.  So many posts that have helped many who were thinking of adopting but weren't sure if they could do it.  

For all the rescues and shelters and foster homes, just learning about double merles and how to communicate with dogs in a different way - Treasure helped to create hope.  So many dog's lives have been saved.  So many dogs that have gotten to stay in their homes, as we were able to help with training issues and concerns.

We have educated so many and now when I look online, there are so many sites and places to find information.  The word is out there!

There are so many double merles now doing fun dog sports and activities with their families.  That was almost unheard of when this blog began.  What a difference!  

Thank you to everyone who follows this blog, who shares it, and who recommends it to others.  I hope it will continue to be an inspiration and a source of useful information for another seven years! 

And, of course, a super special THANK YOU to my dear Treasure.  Without her, there would be no White Dog Blog.  She has been my special girl ever since I first laid eyes on her picture.  She has truly changed the world in so many special ways!