Useful Verbal Cues for Blind Dogs

A blind dog with useful hearing will appreciate you teaching and using verbal cues to help her navigate her environment safely and with as little stress as possible.  Keeping our blind dogs safe is a consideration that is always foremost in our minds.  How helpless we feel when we are across the room or yard and we see them about to crash into something they can't see.

Teaching your dog some safety words and words to describe what's happening around her can help make our job easier and can keep our dog safer.   Knowing what to expect will also help to alleviate anxiety and stress for the dog, which will decrease many unwanted behaviors.

Safety Words

Wait/Stop: This may be the word you'll use the most to prevent your dog from bumping into things and moving forward into dangerous situations.  There are a couple of ways to teach it.  You can use both in combination or choose what works best for you and your dog.

In day to day life, when you are close to your dog, say Wait and immediately use your hands to prevent your dog from moving forward.  As soon as she pauses, praise her and give her a treat.  Then give her an All Clear cue and allow her to move again.  It is important to say the word immediately before (not at the same time) as you stop your dog.  This allows her time to hear and recognize the word before you stop her.  Gradually you will need to physically stop her less and less as she starts to understand and respond to the Wait word.  With repetition, she will learn to stop when you say Wait, and to move when you say All Clear.

I also like to teach this with the dog on a leash and walking with me.  I practice Wait on walks and in all environments so I have peace of mind that when I really need it, my dog will respond quickly.  On a walk, I will cue Wait and then stop walking as I prevent my dog from moving forward.  Again, I praise and treat when she stops and I practice until she can stop on her own with just my verbal cue to Wait.  Continue to reinforce this behavior with praise, petting and treats to keep it strong.

Curb: This is a cue used to tell your dog to take a step down at a curb or a small step down.  You will have probably already used your Wait cue above to get your dog to stop at the edge of the curb.  Simply say the word Curb as you help lead your dog down the step, then praise and treat.  Your dog will learn this cue with practice and repetition.

Step up: Step Up is the cue used to tell my dog to step up onto the top of a curb or other step upwards.  After the Wait cue to tell my dog to stop at the bottom of the step, I will use the cue Step Up and then guide my dog up the step.  She will learn this with consistent practice and rewards.

Come to me: It's important for all dogs, including blind dogs, to learn to come to us immediately when we call.  This is safety at its finest - to be able to call our dog away from dangerous situations.  With a blind dog, we do need to keep in mind the environment we are calling our dog in.  If there are obstacles in the path back to us, it is likely that our dog will bump into them on her way to us.  This can actually be upsetting to the dog and she may begin to associate us calling her with bumping into things.  It's important to ensure that when we call our dog, the pathway is clear to get to us.  If it's not, it's better to try to get to our dog quickly instead.

Choose a word that you will only use for your dog to come to you quickly - Cookies, for example.  When you first start calling your dog, do it very close to her and give her lots of cookies.  Gradually move farther away from her so she learns to come towards you to get her cookies.  Keep in mind that your dog can't see where you are when you call.  She will hear your initial call, but then if you are quiet, she may not know where you are.  As you call a blind dog, continue to make a noise - clap, pat your leg, continue to talk, etc - so she can follow the sound and come right to you.

Words for Walks

Let's go: This cue will let your dog know that you're going to start walking and you want her to come along with you now.  She will learn it with repetition.  As you give the cue, it may be helpful to continue to talk to her or pat your leg to encourage her so she knows which direction you're moving.  Some people will wear a small bell which will provide ongoing sound for the dog to orient to while you're on walks.

Right/Left: These are helpful cues to let your dog know which way you'll be turning.  Give the cue before you actually turn and then help your dog to go in that direction.

Close to me: This cue will bring the dog in closer to you to make passing trees, hydrants, and other people easier.  You will need to guide your dog closer to you and may need to at first keep a shorter leash to keep her close to you.

Dog friend: Your blind dog won't be able to see other dogs approaching her.  Even if the dogs aren't going to meet, if you will be passing another dog, your dog will surely smell it.  I find it's handy to point out a Dog Friend as a dog is approaching or passing us, and then to keep talking happily and feed my dog many small treats.  This can prevent my dog from learning to pull towards other dogs as her attention will be on me for the treats, and it can prevent my dog from being startled by there suddenly being another dog smell in her space.

Say hello: You may meet people on your walk who want to stop and greet you and your dog.  Your dog will smell them but won't be able to see them reaching out a hand.  Most people reach out a hand to a dog for a sniff before they touch.  You can teach your dog to sniff for someone's hand on a cue Say Hello.  If your dog wants to greet the person, that can offer a chance for her to prepare herself for touch so she's not suddenly being touched by a stranger.

Day to Day Words

Petting/Touch: It's a courtesy to let a blind dog know before you touch or pet her.  She may or may not be aware that you're going to reach for her, and letting her know before you touch her will give her a moment to prepare herself.  She will be less likely to be startled.  This might be as simple as saying the dog's name first, or as elaborate as telling her which part of the body you're going to touch - ears, belly rub, etc.

Grooming: Dogs can tell the difference between pieces of grooming equipment and learn to associate them with how the tool is used.  Take the time when grooming your blind dog to tell them which tool you're going to use.  With consistent repetition, she will learn each of them by name.  How much nicer is it to your dog to know the brush is coming next, or the nail clippers, or the scissors, than to be surprised and startled with each one?

Elevator: Small dogs who are picked up will be very happy to have a cue that means, I'm going to pick you up now.  Not all dogs enjoy being picked up, although many tolerate it.  Knowing they will be picked up is going to be much nicer than suddenly being swooped up from the ground with no warning.  Blind dogs can't see you bending and see the body language associated with you picking them up.  Give them a verbal cue to let them know before you pick them up.

Sound words: There may be sounds that startle or scare your dog because they are sudden, loud or unusual.  Adding a cue word to tell your dog what the sound is can be helpful to helping her return to a state of calm.  Telling your dog that a noise is a motorcycle may not help her to know what a motorcycle is, but it will tell her by the matter of fact tone of your voice that it's not a big deal to stay upset about.  And the more you hear motorcycles, and name them for her, she will begin over time to recognize the word.  If you remain calm in the way you name the noises for her, you will be helping her not to be as upset by them.

Bedtime: Some blind dogs are challenged to know what behaviors we expect at certain times of the day. They are not seeing the visual cues of us getting ready for bed and they can remain active at night while we're trying to sleep.  There are many cues we can use to help our dog distinguish bedtime from daytime, and adding a verbal Night, Night cue can add to these.

**For more information about blind and/or deaf dogs, visit my website at www.yourinnerdog.com  You will find articles, books, online classes and resources there to assist you!  To subscribe to this blog and receive emails as each new post is published, please scroll to the blog header at the top of the page and add your email address!**

Blind Dogs and Fear Aggression

Some dogs that are going blind begin showing behaviors like growling, snapping, or biting.  This is very disturbing to the dog's family.  Suddenly the dog they thought they knew is acting very uncharacteristically.

The dog may be snapping at family members or other animals in the home.  If these behaviors are not understood and dealt with in the proper ways, they can escalate.

There is a period of transition when a dog is losing or has lost her sight.  How long this transition lasts is dependent upon the individual situation.  There are some things we can do to help a blind dog adjust while also keeping everyone safe.

Realize the Reason

If you can imagine for a moment that your vision is deteriorating or has suddenly disappeared, I'm sure you would be feeling a bit scared and uncertain.  As your dog is becoming blind, her world is feeling scary and uncertain now too.

There is no one specific way of becoming blind, so it's difficult to know for sure what your dog is seeing or not seeing in most cases.  But we can be sure that your dog's way of experiencing the world is changing drastically.   What she once thought was normal and made sense to her no longer feels that way.

If she's in the process of losing her vision, she may still be able to see, but what she sees may no longer make sense to her.  What she sees may be blurry, distorted, or have large areas of darkness within her line of sight.  She may be able to see light and dark contrast, or she may not.  Bright light may be painful to her or completely white out anything she may still be able to see in the shade.  Her depth perception may be changing.  She may not know how far down a step is or how close something is to her.

Perhaps your dog has become blind very suddenly.  This would be similar to the power going out and you trying to navigate in complete darkness.  Most of us would run into things, stub our toe, be startled by someone else running into us, knock things off the table, etc.  It's very disorienting to suddenly be in darkness.

As you can imagine, these changes are confusing to your dog.  She's going to be scared and unsure about her surroundings and what's going on around her.

When dogs are not feeling safe and secure, they may begin to show behaviors that people often interpret as aggressive - growling, snapping, and biting.  Your dog is not being mean or bad if she shows these behaviors.  She's telling you in the only way she knows how that she is not feeling safe.  She has needs that aren't being met, and she's doing what she knows how to do to cope in that moment.

If your dog doesn't feel safe in her environment because she's perceiving it differently now that she's losing her sight, she will be on edge and more alert to everything going on around her.  While she's on edge, anything else that happens to her, or anyone who approaches her, may scare her even more and feel like a potential threat to her safety and well-being.

When you are feeling your way around that dark room when the electricity goes out and you hear a noise, you are going to be much more startled by it than you would be in the daylight.  Your senses are on higher alert as you are feeling your way around the room, so you will be more startled by noises or unexpected bumps than you would be if you were feeling secure in your environment.

When your dog is in her environment but things don't look right to her, she will be more easily startled as well.  When a dog is startled, she may feel unsafe and will attempt to keep whatever has startled her or feels threatening away from her.  She does this by growling - that is how a dog says "stay away."  When that threat keeps its distance or goes away, the dog feels safer.  A growl is her way of trying to feel safe by creating distance around her.

If the dog still doesn't feel safe, or if the threat continues to affect her, she will escalate her growl to a snap and perhaps a bite in the direction of the threat.  Again, she's trying to create safety for herself.  She's not trying to be mean.  She's protecting herself from something she doesn't feel good about.

Learn the Signs

Your dog will show certain behaviors when she is feeling unsure.  Learn the signs of uncertainty so you can help your dog before she feels that she needs to growl or snap.

You may notice your dog staying in one place a lot of the time.  This can be due to uncertainty.  She may be afraid to move because of the unknown (what she can no longer see).  She may not know what's in front of her or where she is in the room.  She may feel safer staying in one spot than venturing out to move around freely.  Some dogs look like they are sleeping a lot, but if you watch, you will see that they are awake.

You may notice her moving very slowly if she does move around.  This is a sign that while she is wanting to move around, she's still not feeling very safe in her environment.  She may avoid being touched or doing things that she used to like to do - going for a walk, playing, eating or drinking.  You might notice her turning her head or body away from you or from something you're trying to engage her with.

There are many good resources that can help you learn to recognize signs of stress and fear in dogs.  Some of these signs are very subtle, but they are important ways in which your dog is communicating with you.

When you notice the subtle signs that your dog is not feeling comfortable, you are in a position to do something to help her.  Helping her to feel safer when she's showing these little signs will build her trust in you, and hopefully prevent her from feeling she needs to protect herself by growling or biting.

How to Help

What your dog needs now more than anything is for you to create an environment and routine where she feels safe.  You may know that she's safe and there's nothing that can hurt her, but until she also feels safe within herself, that feeling of uncertainty and being on edge is not going to go away.  Look at things from her perspective as much as you can.  Help create that space where she truly feels safe, and she won't feel the need to protect herself anymore.

Keep your dog's space and routine as consistent as possible.  She will feel safer knowing where she is, where the furniture and other objects are, and what is coming up next in her day.  Begin to guide her gently to help her learn new ways of navigating her environment.

Some dogs prefer a smaller area to navigate as they transition to losing their sight.  This usually isn't forever, but blocking off a room or even part of a room for your dog may help her feel safer.  She will feel more contained and will only need to map out and experience a small area and not the whole house or yard all at once, which might feel overwhelming.

Dogs that can hear will appreciate being notified of things happening in their environment with verbal cues and sounds.  Speak when you come into the room and let her know when you are leaving the room.  This can be as simple as saying "Hello, Penny" when you enter the room, and "I'll be back" when you leave.

If your dog is also deaf, teach touch cues and just touch base with your dog when you enter the room and leave.  If your dog is unsure of being touched at this point, you can gently toss a treat to her so it lands near her and touches her lightly.  This will help her be aware of you being in her space.

Take time to condition your dog that touch and being surprised are good things.  If you've taught this previously, this is the perfect time to begin to practice it again as a refresher.  It's also a great time to teach your dog a cue that means you're going to touch her now.  Use a verbal cue for dogs that can hear.  It may be enough for you to ask her if she'd like to be pet now before you touch her, or your dog may prefer you adding a name for various body parts that you're going to touch - would you like a belly rub?  I'm going to wipe your feet now.  How about an ear rub?

This allows your dog time to prepare herself for your touch instead of your hand just plunking down on her body.  Knowing what's coming allows a dog to feel safer with what's going to happen.  Tell your dog throughout the day what you're about to do - put a leash on, fill the water bowl, etc.  She will learn through repetition.  Remember, she used to get this information by watching you.  But she can't see now, so you can give her this information in another way.

Many blind dogs don't like to be bumped into or awakened suddenly.  If there are other animals or young children in the home, closely supervise them.  Even if your dog has been fine with them in the past, remember that now she is losing the ability to gather information visually.  She won't see them approaching her, and it can be scary to be grabbed or bumped into suddenly if you don't know it's coming.

You can give your dog advance information cues to let her know that the baby is nearby or the cat is approaching her so she's not startled with them suddenly being close or touching her.  It's also important to give your dog alone time without interruptions when she can relax and sleep soundly.  Sleep is important to all of us.  It is important especially during this time of transition that you create a safe place for your dog to get uninterrupted sleep. 

Dogs that are deaf and are losing their sight can be given informational cues through touches on different parts of their bodies.  Take the time to condition touch as a good thing first.  If you try to add touch cues before your dog feels safe, you may trigger behaviors such as growling or snapping.  Always pay attention to your dog's body language and what she's communicating to you.  Don't be afraid to hire a positive reinforcement based trainer to help you through the transition if needed.

Some dogs are more startled and concerned about noises as they lose their sight.  Normally a dog would hear a noise and then look to see what it was and where it was coming from.  A dog hearing a noise but not knowing where it's coming from or what's happening can feel uneasy.  This can lead to feelings of anxiety.

Give your dog information about noises in her environment.  If you use the same words and a calm tone each time, she will begin to recognize that the noise is something that happens regularly and is not something that you're concerned about.  Calming music or a white noise machine can help to mask noises during the day or night that your dog may be concerned about.

Other Resources

Here are some other related resources you may find helpful:

Learning a New Way to Communicate 

Encouraging Play and Activity with Newly Blind Dogs

Conditioning Touch

Signs of Stress

Tips for Stress Reduction




**For more information about blind and/or deaf dogs, visit my website at www.yourinnerdog.com  You will find articles, books, online classes and resources there to assist you!  To subscribe to this blog and receive emails as each new post is published, please scroll to the blog header above and add your email address!**

A Guide Dog for the Blind Dog?

From time to time, I’m asked how someone can go about adopting a dog to become a guide dog for their blind dog.  Or how someone can teach their existing dog to guide the blind dog.  I’ve even been asked what is the best equipment to use to tether the dogs together, so the sighted dog can lead the blind dog around.  Sometimes we even see this happening in the media, and it is presented as a wonderful thing.  

But is it really?

I think first we need to have realistic expectations.  

Should I get another dog to help my blind dog?

When deciding whether to get another dog to help your blind dog, it’s important to consider that each dog is an individual.  Some dogs enjoy dog companions and some don’t.  And even among those that do, each dog has an individual personality, activity level, etc, and will not react to each dog the same.  It’s important to make the right match for everyone concerned.  

Will the blind dog enjoy  having another dog friend?  If so, what temperament and activity level are suitable?  Not all adult or senior dogs enjoy puppies and young, bouncy, active dogs.  Getting a second dog that will bump into or climb on top of the blind dog while trying to play may result in a lovely game between two dogs, or it might result in the blind dog becoming stressed and grumpy.  

Can your household accommodate another dog?  Caring for an additional dog involves greater financial, physical and emotional resources.  Is the household ready to take on those added responsibilities?  

Take your time when deciding whether to add another dog to the family.  Take your blind dog to meet other friendly dogs of various sizes and temperaments while you decide if this will be a good decision for everyone.  If it is, then take the time to find just the right match.  Don't rush into this decision.  

Can my sighted dog lead my blind dog around?

Is it realistic to expect a dog to understand, on a conceptual level, another dog’s blindness?  In my many years of experience with blind and visually impaired dogs, I'd say no, it's not especially realistic.  We all want to see this magical thing happen where the sighted dog takes the blind dog under his care and never lets anything bad happen to it.  This is more of a romantic view of what actually happens. 

I have seen dogs do amazing things for each other, including sighted dogs appearing to lead blind dogs around.  But this is not the norm.  You need to understand going into this, that those idealistic visions are not necessarily realistic. If they happen for you, that's amazing and wonderful.  But please take the time to consider what is probably more realistic.

I don't believe that dogs understand blindness in the way we understand it.  Dogs don't think ahead and realize that their buddy can't see something in his path, so perhaps they better move that buddy out of the way.  But dogs can learn that their blind buddy does things a bit differently.  They learn this by experience, observation and trial and error.  

For instance, my sighted dogs have learned that the best way to engage my blind dogs is to touch them.  They may play chase games or distance games with my other sighted dogs, but those don't work as well with the blind dogs and so the game ends quickly.  They learn that in order to keep the games going with my blind dogs, they need to maintain physical contact.  

Dogs aren't born knowing these different ways of interacting.  They learn them.  Nor are dogs born knowing how to look out for another dog's safety.  When push comes to shove, the sighted dog will push through a narrow space, even knocking over and into the blind dog to get where they want to go.  This is realistic.  This is how life really looks in a household with both blind and sighted dogs. 

Can my dog have a service dog?

A sighted dog leading a blind dog is not considered a guide dog in the service dog or assistance dog realm.  Assistance dog (including guide dog) is a legal term used by the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) to label a specially-trained dog assisting a HUMAN to mitigate a disability.  The assistance dog, when used in accordance to ADA guidelines, is permitted to accompany the HUMAN into public places in order to do its job (in this case guiding the person around obstacles and hazards).  It is the HUMAN with the right to take a specially-trained guide dog into public places. 

A dog does not have the legal right to utilize a guide dog of its own and go into public places where pet dogs are not already permitted.  Guide dogs are taught extensively the skills necessary to lead a blind person.  They are not born knowing how to allow a certain amount of space around their bodies to allow the person to clear an obstacle.  This is something that takes lots of specialized training and practice.  

Should I tether my blind dog to my sighted dog?

Tethering two dogs together, regardless of whether they can see or not, is rarely comfortable for the dogs.  I have not seen an example of tethering dogs together where both dogs are not showing signs of being uncomfortable. 

When dogs are tethered together, we are taking away two things that are very important to their well-being and comfort - personal space and choice.  Personal space is very important to dogs - just like it is to us.  They use space to communicate with each other, to feel safe, and to feel less pressured and stressed by situations.  In order to use space for these purposes, a dog needs to have the choice to move closer or farther away.  

Think about times when you are uncomfortably close to other people - conversations when someone is talking right up close to your face, a crowded elevator, a train or plane commute where you are sitting elbow to elbow with others.  Normally our choice in those situations is to create more space around us.  When we can't do that and our choice is taken away from us, we feel uncomfortable, stressed, maybe even anxious.  

Our dogs experience the same thing.  We take away their choice and their ability to use personal space to feel safe when we tether them to us or to each other.  It is not something to take lightly.  

When a blind dog is tied to a sighted dog with the intention of having it be led by the other dog, both dogs are likely to be stressed.  The sighted dog is being placed into a role and responsibility that is not natural for him.  As discussed above, a dog is not born knowing how to allow extra space around its body for another body not to bump into obstacles, trip over curbs, etc.  So the sighted dog only knows that there is another dog attached to it, following it, touching it, bumping into it or other obstacles.  He doesn't know why.  This is stressful.  What if the blind dog slows down, gets caught on something, or is bumping into things?  The sighted dog is feeling all of this through the tether and also not understanding that information.  Stress builds.  

The blind dog is certainly also stressed - being pulled by another dog into a space and situation he can't see.  It can't possibly feel safe to be pulled along everywhere.  He has no freedom to communicate that he wants to stop or go slower, or that he needs to stop and investigate something to know what it is.  I have seen some videos of blind dogs that are completely shut down and just follow wherever they are dragged, showing no interest in life, because they have no choice.  They must follow or be drug along.  Stress builds. 

Blind dogs can and do enjoy walks and exploring new places, please don't get me wrong.  But they enjoy this most when they can feel safe to explore and discover at their own pace, not because they are forced along.  Blind dogs do often learn to cue off of a sighted dog and follow along.  This learning is done by experience, the same way a sighted dog may learn to play differently with a blind dog.  The blind dog learns from experience that following the sighted dog leads to good and fun things!  This is fabulous and can be very helpful.  

Do you notice the difference?  When tethered, neither dog had a choice and it can be very stressful for both dogs.  Stress is not fun.  But when the dogs can learn from and with each other, each making choices and feeling safe, they can learn how to interact with each other and have fun at the same time!

Ways to encourage a beneficial relationship

There are ways that you can encourage your sighted dog and your blind dog to engage in mutually beneficial relationships.  Help them learn new ways to play together.  Can they enjoy playing tug with a toy together?  Sit on the floor with them and hold a long tug toy in the middle to help temper the play so that both dogs are able to hold the toy and play.  Help less as they get the idea to engage with each other.

If the sighted dog tends to like to play chase games or games at a distance and the blind dog is getting lost, use your own body to become a bridge between them.  Be in on the game.  As the sighted dog starts to dash off, encourage him to come back in close, while using your body to keep the blind dog engaged.  With practice you will probably see the sighted dog begin to realize that he has to stay a bit closer or touch the blind dog more often to keep the game going.  Then you can begin to back out of the game more and more. 

On walks, use two leashes to allow both dogs to walk at a comfortable pace for them, sniff, explore, etc.  A blind dog will often learn to listen for and follow the sound of a sighted dogs ID tags jingling, or you can add a small bell to the sighted dog's harness as well as to your wrist.  This will help the blind dog be able to keep track of each of you.  This may really help your blind dog learn to follow your sighted dog if this is important to you.  (Of course, be sure the sighted dog is not bothered by the sound of a bell jingling first!)

You will probably notice just in the course of day-to-day activities how your blind dog follows the sighted dog's lead. You may notice the blind dog following along slightly behind the sighted dog at mealtimes, potty times, etc, as he follows pathways around the house and yard.  But not all blind dogs will be followers.  Many will also be out in front leading the way!  

**For more information about blind and/or deaf dogs, visit my website at www.yourinnerdog.com  You will find articles, books, online classes and resources there to assist you!  To subscribe to this blog and receive emails as each new post is published, please scroll to the blog header above and add your email address!**