Saturday, October 28, 2017

What to Expect with a Blind and Deaf Dog



"Living with a blind and/or deaf dog is just the same as living with any other dog."
"It's really not hard at all."
"It's actually pretty easy to teach a deaf and/or blind dog."
"Train him/her just the same as you teach any dog, except ... "
"Oh, it must be so difficult to live with a deaf and/or blind dog."
"Wow, bless you for taking care of that poor helpless, blind and/or deaf dog."

Depending on who you talk to, you may hear these comments or even many others.  So, what's it really like to live with blind and deaf dogs?  Are they really  just like any other dog?

The answer is - yes - and no.

All dogs (blind, deaf or otherwise) have the same needs and urges.  They need their physical, emotional, mental and instinctual needs met on a daily basis.  Yes, blind/deaf dogs need exercise and playtime.  They need enrichment and a nutritious diet, as well as routine veterinary care.  They need attention from within their social group.  All these are the same needs - however, how you go about providing for those needs may need to be adapted.  

All dogs need to be kept safe.  Living with blind/deaf dogs does require me to be a bit more vigilant about safety.  Life is not as simple as being able to quickly call my dog away from danger from a distance.  My dog can't see or hear me, so I need to set up the environment to be safe for each individual dog.  One of my blind/deaf dogs is slower and goes through life more cautiously than the other.  My home is set up to be safe for either of them. This may mean leaving a gate up to block open staircases to the basement and only allowing dogs up and down them when I'm present.  This means keeping them on long leashes to let them explore the field near our house (that is also near a busy street.)

On walks, it becomes my job to watch out and warn my dog when a curb is coming up or there is a fire hydrant or a tree in its path.  I need to watch out that my dog doesn't poke her eyes when she's nosing around the bushes and branches.  

Are these things hard?  No. I don't find them hard.  They have become a way of life for me and how I relate to and with my dogs.  In the beginning, it was challenging to remember to always watch out for someone else and remember that he/she couldn't see.  But soon it became basically automatic and didn't take up all my brain power anymore. 

What about teaching a blind/deaf dog?  Is it hard?  Is it just as easy as teaching any other dog?

Again, it's not any harder - it's just different.  It requires me to learn a new way of communicating.  Deaf dogs can't hear me calling them with my voice or by clapping, etc.  So I need to learn how to use my body and create signals that will then mean something to my dog.  It is fairly easy to teach a deaf dog to recognize hand and body signals, because dogs automatically pay attention to our body language and pick up cues on their own.  By taking time to list what signs you want to use for which behaviors, you can help yourself be consistent.

Teaching any dog requires consistency, patience, reinforcement of behaviors you like, preventing behaviors you don't like, fun, practice, breaking behaviors down into easy to learn steps, and so much more.  These things don't change if you are working with a blind and/or deaf dog.  But you may need to adapt how your do them for your individual dog.

With a deaf dog, you will want to focus on developing a visual means of communication.  With a blind dog, focus on giving audible cues - these may be verbal, but they may be other sounds, such as tapping a doorway, a bell on your ankle during a walk, etc.  

And, with a blind/deaf dog, your language and communication will be built around touch.  



OK, I'm still causing it to sound a bit simplified, aren't I?  There are frustrations and inconveniences that I experience living with blind/deaf dogs.  

For example, sometimes I need to actually go looking through rooms in the house to find one of them if they are sleeping.  I can't really just stand in one spot and call their names.  And sometimes this can be alarming if I've looked everywhere and don't see the dog - only to have a small panic attack and then find her sound asleep behind the couch!  

My blind/deaf dogs can't just look around the room and see what I'm doing, so they are very often underfoot and have their noses and paws into whatever project I'm doing.  This can be frustrating at times, but then I remember that they are just trying to figure out what I'm doing. Once I allow them a moment to satisfy their curiosity, they often lie down next to me and let me finish what I'm doing. 

I must get up and go to my dog to communicate things like, leave the trash alone, stop chewing that plant, or please don't pull my dirty socks out of the hamper.  A well-timed "leave it" verbal cue just won't cut it when they are across the room.  

Sometimes when playing, I feel dog teeth on my skin or clothes and it can hurt.  Of course, they don't mean it and I've spent a lot of time conditioning a soft mouth.  But it's hard to tell where a hand ends and a toy begins - especially because I like to wave the toy all around when playing tug and chase games with my dogs.  

Do they bump into things - oh, yes.  Some more than others, but I can say that my blind/deaf dogs probably bump gently into things every day.  So, having things on coffee tables or end tables when I also have an inquisitive adolescent Collie can be tricky!  He knocks everything down - not in an attempt to be naughty, but just in his attempt to sniff everything and check it out ... long noses can clear a table in a second!  

But I can honestly say that yes, my blind/deaf dogs are just like other dogs - they play, they love, they are mischievous at times.  They learn.  They have personalities all their own - likes, dislikes, and little quirks.  How I've learned to communicate with them is different - but is no longer challenging.  We may do things a little bit differently than some other people and their dogs, but we enjoy our lives together.

Most people meeting my dogs cannot tell they are blind and deaf.  It's only when they notice their eyes look differently that they ask me if the dog is blind.  And then they are always super surprised to learn they are deaf as well.  "I never would have known just watching him/her!  He/She acts so normal!"  

That's the reality of living with a blind/deaf dog.  



Friday, October 13, 2017

Autumn Special! - Uniquely Paws-Able


Hi Uniquely Paws-Able Friends!

Wow, autumn is arriving here already! Wherever you are in the world, please join me in celebrating that our school is rounding out the end of its first year! The school and resources are continuing to grow, with many new projects in the works that will be unveiled in 2018! I can't wait!
The current classes will be offered for the last time this year beginning Nov. 1st. At this time, with the new projects for 2018 coming along, it is undecided whether Enrichment & Games, and Grooming, Handling, and Husbandry Games will be offered again next year, or how many times it may be offered. Positive Reinforcement and Clicker Training will continue to be offered as a self-study, take anytime course, as the class is full of foundation learning and skills that carry over to all the other classes.

As a celebration of our first year, and as a gift to you, all three classes will be offered at a substantial discount ($40 - normally $65) this time around. Registration is open NOW and classes will begin Nov. 1st. If you've been wanting to take one of these classes, now would be a great time to register!
Here's the link to see what's offered and to get signed up! Uniquely Paws-Able

Don't forget, there are some free resources at the school also. The blog reference guide has been updated with the newest posts.
I hope to see you all in a class next month! Please take advantage of this Autumn Special to get the lowest prices! 
And, as always, please let me know what you'd like to see offered at the school. I strive to make this a resource to educate and inspire! I'd love to hear what you want to see more of! 
Happy Fall,

Deb


Blind and Deaf Dogs & Dog Sports

Why is it that people assume I will do only nosework and tracking with my blind/deaf dogs?  I know these are sports that encourage the dog to rely mostly on his sense of smell.  I know that most people think a dog that is blind and deaf must have a superior and heightened sense of smell.  But so many people think this must be the extent of what I can do together with my blind/deaf dogs.  

This has been on my mind lately.  People ask me (out of the blue) if I've considered doing nosework or tracking with my dogs.  These are great dog sports!  In fact, Treasure and I loved and did nosework for many years.  But we also did lots of other cool stuff!  

When I adopted Treasure and set out on my training journey with her, there were not many others doing any activities with blind/deaf dogs.  Some were just beginning to take some nosework classes.  But if I looked online I didn't find any blind/deaf dogs doing much of anything or being taught much of anything.  Sure I found deaf dogs, or blind dogs at times, but not those that were both.  Why is that?

Treasure doing K9 nosework
Treasure - PAWS for People therapy and READ program dog
Treasure - Expert Trick Dog
Treasure - Canine Good Citizen

As I was thinking, I realized that humans developed so many dog sports reliant upon our dogs' ability to see.  It seems impressive to get our dogs to do all types of activities at a distance or off the ground.  There are so many sports, even today, that exclude blind dogs from even participating at all.  Even sports that focus on a dog's sense of smell are not always welcoming to blind dogs to give it a go.

I did not set out to prove these ideas outdated.  I just set out to teach and have fun with my dogs in various activities.  We love the online trick dog titles, as most (but not all) offer a wide variety of tricks to choose from for each level.  Even so, many of those tricks seem to be assuming and reliant upon a dog's ability to see.  And I've even found some trick dog venues that specifically say that blind dogs can't compete.  Which I find rather sad.  

With my current blind/deaf partner, Vinny, I am pushing the limits of what people think is possible.  He is a super willing partner and is showing me, and the world, just what a dog without sight and hearing is capable of.  I don't push him, but I do give him the opportunity to learn anything and everything he can, in his own way.  He shows me a bigger glimpse into his world with each accomplishment.  I think he enjoys figuring out a puzzle for himself as well. 

Setting out to get his Advanced Trick Dog title, I wondered how a blind/deaf dog could be sent out away from me to a target 10 feet away to do a behavior.  So we gave it a try.  He learned to go out away from me 11 feet on cue, and do several different behaviors!  Did he always hit the target directly in a straight line?  No, he didn't.  But when he realized he was going off course, he could redirect himself, find the target and do his behavior.  

Vinny - Intermediate Trick Dog
Vinny - Go out 11 feet and push a ball - Treiball
Vinny and Brinks - Playground Equipment - Parkour
Vinny - heeling - Rally, RallyFree, K9 Musical Freestyle
Vinny - Skateboarding and Other Fun!

What does this mean for the future of our training?  Wow, I can only imagine the more we practice together, what he will show me!  

I am so grateful that certain dog sports are open to seeing what all dogs and handlers are capable of.  Through them, dogs and handlers that might not have had a chance before are now able to really shine!  I hope that more and more dog sports venues will learn to keep an open mind when it comes to how exercises are performed to get to the end result.  

Keep and eye out for Invincible Vinny and I in the dog sports venues!  We are having a blast finishing up our trick dog titles and then going for Trick Dog Champion, and beginning our rally and freestyle training.  I hope we have a long and marvelous partnership together.  I know I have so much left to learn from him!