When people ask me how they can get their deaf dog's attention, they often mean how can they get its attention right now in this moment. Usually this is because the dog is doing something they want it to stop, or they need the dog to come to them.
There are various ways to get a deaf dog's attention in the moment. By far, the most foolproof one is to actually go to where the dog is to get its attention. By going to the dog, we can now position ourselves in a way the dog will easily see us, or we can touch the dog - either is going to alert the dog to the idea that we want its attention.
I often notice people trying and trying to get their deaf dog (or any dog for that matter) to pay attention without success, and instead of going to the dog, they just continue to try on and on. Meanwhile the dog is getting into trouble, and sometimes into a dangerous situation. If what you're doing is not working - it's always best to step in and go to the dog to manage the situation quickly.
Sometimes we may be in a situation where the dog will be able to feel a vibration through the floor. Be aware, however, that some dogs will not really pay attention to this unless they've been taught that the vibration has some significance. Also, surfaces carry and distribute vibrations in various ways. In my experience, wooden decks carry vibration very well, while harder surfaces such as concrete really aren't that good at conducting vibration.
Some dogs may respond to the vibration of a loud clap or noise. Again, this usually works best if the dog is taught what that vibration means ahead of time.
Flashing a light when the environment is darkened can be a great way to get a deaf dog's attention. Many of us who live with deaf dogs have learned that flashing the porch light when the dog is in the yard at night is a suitable way to let it know to come back into the house. Similarly, if this can also work in a darkened room of the house.
Waving an arm in a large arc that takes up a lot of space can get a deaf dog's attention too, if you can catch their eye.
An important part about getting a deaf dog's attention is to take the time to teach the dog that these things mean you'd like it to look at you for more information. This doesn't have to take very long, and it's not complicated. In fact, the more of these signals that you teach, the easier it will be in various circumstances to get your dog's attention quickly.
Let's take the example of teaching a dog to pay attention to a large wave of your arm. Begin close to your dog and with your dog already paying a bit of attention to you. At first you need to create an association so your dog understands that an arm waving in the air is a wonderful thing to see! So having your dog's attention when you start is the best way to create this association. Have plenty of tasty treats handy.
Associate the wave with a good thing - the treat! The sequence is to wave first - make it as big as you can - and then feed a treat. Make the treats extra special and you will see your dog making this association very quickly! A large wave - a great treat. This is the sequence. Do it many times. Then take a break and go do something else. Probably your dog will follow and watch you closely for a bit. That's normal.
Do many mini sessions during the day and in different rooms of the house, or in the front yard, or the back yard. You can even practice on walks - take your treats with you. Right now, you want there to be a great treat every time you wave your arm so the association your dog is creating will be very strong.
After you've practiced this for several days in different environments, you can begin to throw a random wave into your day here and there. Make sure you have that tasty treat but hide it for a bit beforehand in a pocket or a container hidden around the house. When your dog is nearby but is not paying a lot of attention to you, wave that big wave. When your dog notices, it should quickly pay attention to you - at which point you can reward with the treat and lots of praise or even a game!
Paying attention to you should always be a super fun thing for your dog to do! Be sure to make it worth your dog's while to pay attention to you when you ask!
With more practice, you should be able to give the wave signal from farther away or at more random times during the day. If you have created a strong association by rewarding often with things your dog loves, your dog should be learning to watch for that wave out of the corner of its eye, in the hopes of seeing that you want its attention and getting something great in return!
You can teach other attention-getting signals with the same process. Use the signal you want to teach followed by things your dog loves! Create the association. Start off close to your dog and make it easy, then gradually start incorporating it into your daily life.
Once you know the association is strong, you can begin to randomize the rewards you give. Sometimes play a game, or give some petting if that's something your dog likes, or go for a ride in the car - just make sure it's something your dog really likes. Getting your dog's attention for things that aren't pleasant will create avoidance instead of alert attention.
Now you've created easy ways to get your dog's attention so you can call it to come to you, or give it a different cue signal, or just redirect its behavior.
But ... there is one more key ingredient to getting and keeping your deaf dog's attention. And, we'll talk about that tomorrow!
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