Author: Carol Thompson, VMD, LSHC-S

Train Your Dog to “Settle” It’s of benefit to train any dog to lie on a mat quietly while other things are going on. It is especially helpful for hearing-impaired dogs since they may not sense when another dog is getting irritated by their behavior. You, as the owner, must be aware of what is going on in your dog’s environment so that if needed, you can have them go to their mat to avoid unnecessary conflict or danger. You can use a bed, towel, or platform. Start by rewarding your dog for placing a single foot on the object, and then keep requiring your dog to move farther onto the object until she has her whole body on it.,Use Hand Signals You will also have to pair hand signals with behaviors. You can use any signals that you desire. Remember to be consistent and decide on a hand signal before starting to train. Many people use signals from human sign language, but you can also use your own. It’s usually better to use one-handed signals, so that your other hand is free to give rewards. Start by using your hand flash, and reward your dog for offering the behavior (shaping). Then add your signal before the behavior, and reward with a “flash” and treat for the correct performance of the desired behavior.,Deaf dogs are more common than you think—they make up approximately 5-10% of the pet population.   Hearing loss can be congenital (they are born with it) or acquired. Acquired hearing loss can come from injury, drug reactions, or age-related loss. Congenital hearing loss is seen at a young age and is often associated with coat color patterns. No matter the cause of deafness, just because a dog cannot hear, it doesn’t mean they are untrainable. You just need to think outside the box. Tips for Training Deaf Dogs Here are some ways you can modify training to fit the needs of deaf dogs. Teach That Touch Is Good Since the hearing-impaired dog cannot hear when you call them, you need to train that touch is good. Remember to train this as you would any other behavior. The touch is meant to be a way to get attention, just like calling your hearing dog’s name gets their attention. Decide where you will touch your dog to mean, “I want your attention” (for example: shoulder or rump). Pair the touch with positive reinforcement so that your dog understands that you want attention when you tap in that spot. Use a single or double tap, not repetitive tapping, as this is considered to be nagging and may be a bit annoying for the dog. If you desire, you can teach your dog to turn to the side on which you are tapping by only reinforcing when they turn their head to the side of the tap.

Everyone wants a perfectly well-behaved dog. But not everyone realizes how much work goes into having a well-behaved dog. A lot of time and effort goes into building a strong relationship with your dog and helping them build good obedience skills. When done correctly, practicing obedience with your dog can be a great bonding activity that helps the two of you grow even closer. Here’s some insight and tips on dog obedience training. Why Is Obedience Training Important? While training your dog to do entertaining tricks like play dead, shake, and fetch can be fun, there’s a lot more to obedience training than that. Good, basic obedience can help you keep your dog safe. For example, a strong recall, where your dog responds and comes back to you, can get your dog out of a potentially dangerous situation (like running in the street). A strong “drop it” cue can help you keep dangerous or life-threatening items out of your pet’s mouth. Basic obedience can also help your veterinarian out, because it will make your dog a better patient.