My New Deaf Puppy. With Pics

Well, my new deaf foster puppy...

He came from quite a ways away today, to be in our rescue. His breeder couldn't sell him-- He's supposed to be a pure AmStaff. His mother was pure white, and deaf. So when they bred her, Surprise! A white, deaf puppy was born. Someone bought him, only to find out a few days later he was deaf and took him back.

Anyway, he's SUPER sweet, and super cute! He loves everybody. He snores, which worries me a little bit, but he's got a vet appt. tomorrow anyway.

I wanna read up as much as I can on how to train, handle, and adopt out this puppy. Does anybody have any links for raising deaf puppies/dogs? I'd appreciate it. I've got the gist of it, easy, but the more I read the more I learn! My Archie is mostly deaf, also.

By the way, his name is appropriately "Knock-Out"-- he came with it.

aww he is so cute. I don't have any advice but I just wanted to say he shouldn't have much troub;e finding a new home, he's too cute.

Hand signals, I have very succesfully trained two deaf dogs using hand signals. It takes loads of patience but the theory is very similar to normal training. Give the signal, place pup in position and treat. You have to be very clear in the signals and I used a long line to train with distance work. That way if their attention wandered all you do it twitch the line.

Soooooooooo adorable

I'd say it wouldn't be much harder than training a hearing dog, I actually train hand signals before I train spoken commands with any dog. Simply teach him what you want by rewarding it and then start using the hand signal each time before you have him do the thing. for example if you want to teach him sit you lure him over and over then start using the hand signal right before you lure him. OR use the lure movement of your hand as the hand signal just make it, slowly, less dramatic. You can also do clicker training using a pen light. Instead of clicking and treating flash the light and treat. The hardest thing I'd say is getting your his attention for a command when he's not looking. I've heard you can stomp your feet and the vibrations can get his attention, if he's outside you can flash the porch light on and off (he'd have to be trained that means to look for you though) and inside flip the light switch on and off or but a VIBRATION collar (not shock!) to use to get his attention but you need to train him to look at you each time it vibrates. You have to be sure though, that he does not find the vibrations uncomfortable and aversive. There are some other methods as well, check out this site: http://www.deafdogs.org/

He's beautiful, just look at that face and those blue eyes, what a cutie!! Have fun with him!

Awwwwww!!!! I have never dealt with a deaf dog, but have seen some in agility and its pretty cool to see how well trained they are! I know there are some people who thrive on the challenge of raising and training deaf pups!!

He is VERY cute, best of luck!!

Oh my god I am in love!

What an absolute cutie!

I read an article about a woman who took in a deaf APBT pup and taught him - not hand signals - American Sign Language! He responds to more than just the signals of the hands, but also to the facial expressions - it's infinitely more flexible and gives him far more communicative contact than hand signals

Thanks I'm sure training him regular obedience won't be a problem, but I wonder about other dogs. Do you think it would be better to place him in a home with other dogs, or not?

Someone told me to place him in a home with dogs, because he'll learn how to manage everything easier. On the other hand, He can't hear the other dogs whine when he gets too rough, or growl when he gets too in-your-face. That worries me a bit.

Watch and see how he does with the dogs you have there I'm betting he will do well with other dogs though, especially larger dogs.

Awwwwww, what a cutie!!!

He's so cute. I use hand signals with my dogs as well even though neither are deaf. I had a family member who had a dog and as he got older started losing his hearing and eventually went deaf. Because he was trained with signals, it's wasn't much of a difference or problem.

Good luck placing him!!

THose Ears are incredible....a kiss for each one. WHat a beautiful beautiful puppy. I hope the angels bless you for being there for him, i hope he gets a perfect forever home. Secretly wishes it could be me.

Sweet !!! Actually the training will be interesting and rewarding . Also see if he responds to vibrations ..... like a bang on the floor etc .

What an awesome marking...

I bet that as he gets the chance to, he'll pick up on body language and be ok. Growls create a bit of a sonic vibration that you can feel, in addition to hearing.

We had a deaf spaniel mix at daycare and we got through to him pretty easily. He was a loner by choice, but when he did get down to mingle, he was constantly watching the other dogs for cues.

OMG He is soooooo cute!!!.

What a cutie!

I've fostered several deaf dogs, mostly of the "pit bull" variety such as yours, and have owned 3 in my lifetime.

I've got some links, but I'll need to track them down for you.

In the meantime, invest in a vibration collar (just vibration collars are harder to come by so you might have to go with a shock collar that has a vibration feature which is what I use). The vibration collar is going to be your way of getting the dog's attention when he's away from you. Start by just getting him adjusted to wearing a collar. Then begin training, him on a leash by you, by pushing the button for a vibration and then rewarding him with a treat when he reacts to the vibration. It's vital that you instill in him that the vibration means good things, rewarding things, and to focus on you at that time. For instance, when Sukari or Dakota were out in the yard, all I had to do was vibrate the collars and they knew to come in....or at the very least look at me in the doorway (we all know how hardheaded dogs can be....even deaf dogs ).

Also, like someone already mentioned, being training with the use of hand signals. It's actually very easy and every single one of my hearing dogs knows hand signals as well as I'm not always in the mood to give verbal commands. If you want a list of some of the things I use, just pm me and I'll be glad to help.

Also, I've found that the biggest issue with deaf dogs is the startle factor. As they cannot hear, they tend to overreact to having people pet them from behind or wake them up from a sleep. And these things WILL happen so preparing your dog for them is also extremely important. I don't tolerate aggressiveness, defensiveness, or nippiness from deaf dogs just as I don't tolerate it from hearing ones. Temperament is temperament. But even so, when approaching the dog from behind and he's on the floor, try to stomp so that he'll feel the vibrations. You'd be amazed at the other senses on these dogs. Also, get him used to the "undesired" behaviors such as being petted from all angles, being touched all over (like the vet will do), being petted while resting and so on. Hands-on training is a must!

Good luck and I'll get those links for you. If you have any specific questions, I'll do my best to help!

Although most deaf dogs do better when accompanied with a hearing dog, this is still a dog of the "pit bull" breeds and dog aggression is a major issue....even in deaf dogs.

While the dog is a pup, socialization with other dogs is a good thing. However, with this dog and any deaf dog, you MUST create a human-dog bond that is strong and secure or you're going to have problems. If the dog becomes more bonded to another dog, you're going to find a lot of unwanted behaviors being shown.

He is PRECIOUS.

I think something important would be to get a signal for him to look at you. That's probably the first thing. Since he can't respond to his name or a sound, how will he know to look at you when you give hand signals?

I think there's a way to teach them to respond to vibration. Like if you stomp your foot, he'll look at you, but i'm not entirely sure.