Hi all, Has anyone had any experience with deafness. Poor old Meg has gone completely deaf so therefore can't hear me when we're out. I've started walking her on lead but doesn't seem right as she's used to noseying around. Never goes far from me. I let her off if there's no-one about but if I see someone in the distance I put her back on lead, but believe it or not at 14 she can certainly run to go and say hallo to someone so sometimes she's quicker than me. I've started using hand signals, lightly touching her and beckoning her with my hand, but main problem is if I'm not quick enough to get her back on lead. Maybe I should keep her on lead all the time, that's the only solution I can think of, just seems not fair to her.
Re: Problems with deafness I have no experience of deafness but was just wondering if she's universally deaf across the whole range? I wondered if a high pitched whistle might still work. I hope you find a solution for you and your lovely girl
Re: Problems with deafness Yes, my lovely Gavin went deaf in his last few years. He understood hand signals really well. He did become more clingy and when his best friend, Callum, died aged 15 I put Gavin's bed next to mine - before that they had always been crated downstairs. But he did fine - his passer by syndrome was curtailed mind you! Here is Gavin on his quiet perch away from crazy croc puppy Tatze last summer
Re: Problems with deafness Barbara, thanks for that. Hadn't though of a whistle. Will try it. Just ordered an acme dog whistle from Amazon. Will arrive tomorrow.
Re: Problems with deafness Thanks Mags, beautiful photo. Will wait and see if whistle works. Fingers crossed.
Re: Problems with deafness When my old dog Billy got very deaf and doddery at around 15, I started walking him on an extendable lead. Otherwise he would sometimes stray into the bushes and then not be able to find his way back to me.
Re: Problems with deafness Ah bless him, Karen. 15 is too young to be old, if you know what I mean. Meg doesn't stray that far from me and I always keep an eye on her. She can go into bushes and quite happily come out and find me. It's the running towards people and their dogs that worries me. Most people and their dogs I know down the park, but sometimes there are new people down there who I don't know.
Re: Problems with deafness The only experience I have is with dogs who were deaf from birth. We trained him to respond to a vibrating collar, much like you would with a clicker. It had a remote so you could press to vibrate and then when he looked at you he would get a treat or a hand signal to respond to. It only vibrated as much as a mobile phone in your pocket, so it was nothing too harsh.
Re: Problems with deafness [quote author=Penny+Me link=topic=5805.msg74576#msg74576 date=1399474217] The only experience I have is with dogs who were deaf from birth. We trained him to respond to a vibrating collar, much like you would with a clicker. It had a remote so you could press to vibrate and then when he looked at you he would get a treat or a hand signal to respond to. It only vibrated as much as a mobile phone in your pocket, so it was nothing too harsh. [/quote] Clever !!
Re: Problems with deafness Getting some really good ideas. Thanks so much everyone. Will now go and google vibrating collars. Thanks Lauren.
Re: Problems with deafness I used a vibrating collar when one of my springers went deaf. She was elderly but apart from her deafness she was very fit and loved coming out with me when I rode my horse. The collar made it possible.
Re: Problems with deafness We do dummy training with an almost-deaf border collie, which makes the stop whistle VERY challenging for her owner!!!
Re: Problems with deafness I use an ecollar on Phil, set to vibrate only (no stim, that would scare the heck out of the old fella!) He learned hand signal very quickly. Mainly I use the vibrate to let him know its time to come into the house, otherwise he lays in his wading pool all day long.
Re: Problems with deafness Received whistle today. Have tried it but Meg doesn't respond. Will try it when we go down park later. Reckon I'll have to have a look at these collars. Would only use vibrate though, like Philsmom said if I used the stim poor old Meg would be petrified and at her age that's a no no. Thanks again people.
Re: Problems with deafness If you want something to use in training as an event marker a pen light is good. One flash of the light (pointed at the dog) is the event marker. Charge it up first just like a clicker or a marker word.
Re: Problems with deafness Thanks Rachael, certainly got some good ideas. Well, tried the whistle yesterday and this morning and I think poor old Megs really is stone deaf. No response at all. So have got collar on order, but will try pen light as well. I worried yesterday that if I blew the whistle all the dogs in the park would come running, but it was ok. This morning we were on our own so sat her down, facing me, blew the whistle and then did hand signal, but the look said it all. "What are you doing Mum?"
