Tips for deaf dogs are the most important dog training information you should know. In this article I will tell you how to train your dog to understand and respond to verbal commands. Most dog training tips focus on behavior, and that is very important, but without a basic understanding of what is causing the problem your training will fail. Most causes of deafness in dogs are congenital.
Dogs with congenital hearing loss are deaf from birth, never having had their auditory canal open before the canals opened. The first step in dog training is to get your dog spayed or neutered if breeding is possible. The inner ear bones do not fully mature until the dog is three months old, and breeders tend to sell puppies to be pregnant so they have puppies to mate with. The lack of experience in dog breeding leaves dog owners vulnerable to genetic problems. The small, spiral-like ear canal gradually deteriorates until the nerve fibers are destroyed, killing off the cell that creates the sensory input to the dog’s brain.
Training a dog to respond to his owner’s verbal cues requires a simple plan of action. First, tell your pup what you want him to do. You might want to start with something simple like standing next to a dog treat (your dog will soon get it) and give him your hand when he finishes what he was doing. As he starts to get the idea, reward him verbally and with a treat. Do this consistently, and soon you will have a dog that simply sits still while you hand him a treat or sits and plays for long periods without taking any command.
A common cause of deafness in dogs is trauma. This is why most training tips for deaf dogs recommend positive reinforcement for all commands. Punishing a dog for breaking something he is not trained to do can have very negative consequences. It can also lead to behavioral problems like chewing, barking, running away, or ignoring commands.
Deaf dogs also need positive reinforcement for obedience behaviors. Once your dog knows you mean business, you can use rewards to teach him what you want. A dog that ignore you will lose focus and your commands will become harder to enforce. For instance, if you are trying to teach him to sit, and you take a handful of dog cookies from him, he may ignore you. If you then offer a treat, he’ll be tempted to stop by just to have a snack.
Clicker training is also an effective method of teaching dogs. Clicker training is a training technique based on the principle that if you give a dog a treat when it does an acceptable behavior, he will be more likely to repeat the behavior in the future. For example, if you are trying to teach your dog to sit, you can use a clicker to reward your dog when he complies. The clicker goes off, and a tiny treat is given as a reward. He learns that when he sits, he gets rewarded with the treat.
Dog owners who want to teach their dogs to be hearing aids should also be aware of how they should train their pets. Most dogs are naturally born deaf. However, they can learn to hear using masking techniques. If you have a dog that has an impairment or has been previously trained to be hearing-impaired, you can still teach him to use a hearing aid. You can teach him by using a clicker, or repeating a word that he has been taught. You can also use an audio tape or CD, or find one that your dog can follow along with.
Other tips for deaf dogs include using the “clicker” collar. In this collar, a small metal piece comes on when your dog’s collar is put on, and it makes a sharp sound when it touches your dog’s collar. It is very similar to a metal clipper that nurses small clumps of fur. This gives your dog the idea that if he goes near the collar, he will get hit with some sort of sound.
