• Deaf Dog Links
• Homeless Deaf Dogs
• My Deaf Dogs
• Deaf Dogs Happy Tails!

Deaf Dogs are dogs first, then a breed, then a personality...their Deafness does not define them.

Deaf Dog Links

BAER Testing (testing for dog's hearing) Sites world wide

BAER Testing in San Diego at Veterinary Speciality Hospital

Coco & Rocket's Myspace (My Dog's Myspace - helpful blogs & videos)

Collared Scholar Training in San Diego (business owner has a Deaf Dog)

Deaf Dog Education (inactive for postings but good information)

Deaf Dog Atlas (find other Deaf dogs all over the world)

Deaf Dogs Yahoo Group (over 2900 Deaf Dog owners world wide)

D2Care (Deaf Dog Info & Advocacy)

San Diego Deaf Dog Meet Up (over 40 Deaf Dogs in San Diego's meetup)

Signs of Love (Deaf Dog article from Ladies Home Journal)

Spirit of a Deaf Dog (a Deaf Dog adoption resource showing thea adoptable Deaf dogs that are available from all over the U.S.)

Titan and Friends (Titan the World's Tallest Dog - Deaf & Blind, located in San Diego! YAY!)

Homeless Deaf Dogs in San Diego/SO CAL (updated 3/14/10)

Please refresh your browser on this page so you have the most up to date information. **I do not know any more about them than what was contained in the E-mail sent to us or posted on the rescue's website. Please contact the person or organization listed with the posting if you need more info. If you have a Deaf (Uni or Bi) Dog in So Cal you would like posted please Email ME with a photo and description & you must include your contact information that you would like posted on here...THANKS!

Sorry - none that we know of in San Diego at the moment

My Deaf Dogs

Deaf Coco our girly girl Boston Terrier (left side) we rescued Dec 2006, she was still a puppy but had some issues already that we helped her break within a few months of some serious daily training. She is now the sweetest little girl and a great snuggler - she has her AKC CGC title (Canine Good Citizen - which is for obedience and temperment) we hope that we can get her involved with official Therapy Dog work soon - although she does it on the side unofficially for fun.

Deaf Rocket is our baby boy Boston Terrier (right side) we rescued on Christmas Day 2007. He was a mere 8 weeks old and poor baby was under developed and his wee wee needed surgery. Thanks to the help of some friends at just a few weeks old his surgery was all done with, and unfortunately because of some (plumbing) issues from hypospadious his red rocket wasn't working and had to be removed. (sorry guys I know that's a sensitive subject). Rocket has turned out to be one of the sweetest dogs I have ever meet and I have meet several dogs in my time with rescue and photography. He loves to be held like a baby and have his belly rubbed, and he gives the most gentle kisses ALL THE TIME. He's got this big sweet puppy eyes that makes him irresistable. We're so happy to have him and know that he too will be a great Therapy Dog one of these days.

A TON of photos and more details about their personality is online on their myspace page http://www.myspace.com/cocoboston

 

Deaf Dog Happy Tails - We've Helped Find Homes For

**click their name to see their myspace page too**

Ellie (Boxer), Sammy Davis Jr (Boston Terrier- hearing), Zero (Boxer)

Tasslehoff (Boston Terrier)

Lola (Boston Terrier)

Keller aka Baby Boy (Boston Terrier)

Our Deaf Dog Training Videos

The Signs We Use to train our Deaf Dogs (sorry I didnt do full sign language on this one)

 

Teaching a Deaf Dog to Sit - I sign & say the instructions for hearing or Deaf people interested

 

Teaching a Deaf Dog to Lay Down, I sign & say the instructions for hearing or Deaf people interested

Our Deaf Dog Advice/Suggestions for Training Etc

• HOW TO TEACH THEIR NAME SIGN & COME HERE
  • OK so this is probably the 1st thing you should do when you bring a deaf doggie into your life...give him/her a name & name sign. This is what worked for us, hope it will work for you too. In doggie land name signs are more for attention getting and distinguishing who you are giving commands too so we suggest choosing a name and using the first letter of that name waving it back and forth as the doggie's name sign. This will help at the dog park or open area to get their attention - sometimes people look at us funny because mom will wave my name sign & if I don't come she will wave louder (bigger) and if I still don't see her she will wave REALLY loud. People look at her like she is a crazy lady until she explains haha. It also helps all those people at the park who can't figure out your name (or don't have good hand coordination)...all they have to do is wave and it will get your attention.
  • Some letters to avoid: names starting with the letter 'T' - wave that back & forth means bathroom or go potty, 'D' looks a lot like 'where'for where is your ball?, 'A' 'S' 'M' & 'N'can be confused with T and you would hate to say your dogs anme and have them go potty instead of look at you haha, Generally shaking the following letters have a different meaning as well: B is the color blue, G is the color green, H means hurry up, I can be for insurance or infection, O means none, P means party, R means ready, Y is for the color yellow. (there's more but these are the ones that stand out most in my mind)
  • During ANY training or any commands for the first 6 months (at least) you should sign their name sign first & then the command. To Start teaching them their name.... Have 2 people sit on the floor about 3 feet away from eachother (each with their own secret stash of small chewy treats). One of you sign your dogs name. When he/she comes to you give it a treat once it arrives. Then, the other person should try signing its name...at first it may ignore the other person knowing you have treats so it may help to look directly at the other person ignoring the dog. Once the dog sees the other person and goes to them they should give him/her a treat. Then it is your turn again. Bounce the dog back and forth between the two of you until it gets the idea of its name (about 5 smooth times). Then, scoot a couple feet away from each other. Do it again 5 times back and forth. Then, scoot a couple more feet away...keep doing the name sign and scooting away from eachother until you feel confident puppy gets the idea. Then, try kneeling with the name....and eventually standing doing the name sign. When you are really comfortable take your dog in your enclosed yard (on a lead if you want) and proceed with the same game. Randomly throughout the day call its name and when it comes to you reward it.
  • Once you think he/she has its name down then start adding commands like NAME + COME + SIT. Teaching your dog to COME. We did the same process as above but started tagging the sign COME as well. For COME we chose to use a modified sign instead of ASL. We simply point to the ground where we want them to come. In the beginning we crouched down and pointed (especially at the park when their attention is eye level). Then everytime we wanted them we could croutch down and point and they would come running. This pointing system will be helpful for learning to HEEL, GET OFF, GO IN THE OTHER ROOM/OUT, BACK UP, MOVE OVER Etc :)
• POTTY TRAINING A DEAF DOG
  • Our family lives on the 2nd story of an apartment building that has a grass patch across the way from the parking lot - not really ideal for a 10 week old small puppy potty training. So at first we used litter box. Purina has puppy litter called SecondNature it is made of recycled newspaper and we use a big plastic storage bin with one side cut out so they can get in. All these methods could be used outside though too.
  • The 1st week is always the hardest!! So every hour they should be taken to the potty box. When they go to the potty box always point at it and then show the ASL sign BATHROOM (which means go potty). If they don't go at first or if they try to escape put them back in the box and sign BATHROOM. This done over and over until they finally go -- eventually they will get the hint and will go faster....it takes a LOT of patience. When they go look VERY VERY happy sign BATHROOM at the spot they went and you can even give them a treat to reenforce.
  • Don't punish them at all if I have accidents outside of the box while they are training. Just ignore them while you clean it you don't have to look happy but there is no need to punish when they are learning. If they have an accident in the crate we make them stay in there while I clean it so they know that just because they have an accident it isnt their ticket out...and because we ALWAYS watch them while they are out of the crate if they start to go we pick them up and rush to the potty box (warning: sometimes it is a messy run).
  • For feeding time they are always READY to eat...but we makes sure they sit first by holding my food bowl up high and waiting oh so patiently. Once their buns touch the ground we give them thumbs up and signs FOOD, put the food on the ground & away they go!
  • Here is our daily schedule for the first week home for crate/potty training:
  • 9am - wake-up/ go to potty box/ crate time
  • 10am- go to potty box/ EAT /go to potty box (poo too)/ crate time
  • 11am- potty box/fun training/crate
  • 12pm- potty box/ play time or walk/ water/ potty box/ crate
  • 1pm- potty box/ 5 min training/ crate
  • 2pm- potty box/ 5 min training/crate
  • 3pm- potty box/ play time or walk/ water/ potty box/ crate
  • 4pm- potty box/5 min training/ crate
  • 5pm- potty box/5 min training/ potty box/ crate
  • 6pm- potty box/ crate
  • 7pm- potty box/ EAT/ potty box/ crate
  • 8pm- potty box/cuddles/ potty box/crate
  • 9pm- potty box/ bed time (Ours slept in a travel bag with a disposable baby's changing table pad on the bottom incase they had an accident - this way they could easily be in the room with the ability to see&smell us with the lights off. Reduced night time separation anxiety for ours as a puppy...as an adult they do not sleep with us or in the room and they are fine with that no separation anxiety problems from any of them).
  • After the first few days make the trips to the potty box farther and farther apart in time :) & the popular formula for how long is too long before potty box time. For every month they are old their bladder should be able to hold that hour amount (2 months = 2 hours max) until they reach about 5 months...however if they have to go poo or if they eat/drink/play/exercise they will need to go soon after.
  • USING A VIBRATING COLLAR WITH A DEAF DOG
  • training a deaf dog with a vibrating remote collar RECALL I can't guarantee that our method will work for your pup because every dog is so different but here is what we did to teach recall to Coco & Rocket
  • 1st our dogs already knew their Name sign/COME HERE first, this is important for success. When training start in your home where the environment is very controlled until they understand the connection that the vibration is coming from you and you are asking something of them. Then move it outside to a yard where there is a little more distraction...and to a desolate safe area off leash that is new to them...the final area would be a place like a dog park where there are so many distractions. There will be a difference in the amount of vibration needed - the collar should have levels.
  • Start each area with a high vibration** (not shock we're talking vibration like a pager) and then lower it once they get the feel. Have a pocket full of small chewy treats. Start by introducing the collar...let them wear the collar for a day or so without any vibration until they are comfortable with it on. The goal is to let them have a positive connection with the collar so freaking them out first thing is a bad idea ;)
  • Have 2 people sit on the floor with a lot of treats hidden somewhere in your pockets etc. One person will have the remote - don't make it apparent who but that person will have to work twice as hard. buzz the collar and call the dog to you...then they come give a treat. Then buzz the collar again (you can double buzz if you want to have separate buzzes for separate people- even collars sometimes offer different buzzes)...the other person will get the dogs attention and call the dog to them giving a treat when the dog arrives. (start out 6ft away or so) Do this a few times until you can tell the dog is making a connection with the buzz and then going to someone calling them. Then, the 2 people should move away from eachother. get further and further away until you have reach the point where you can go around the corner and not be in the same room. The dog at that point should have had plenty of times to catch on that the buzz means look for someone...(tip: both people should have a name sign so if the dog just stares at the person they are standing with (which is a good thing but not the point) then you can sign the other persons name and point in the direction and sign ___?___ WHERE )
  • Have the dog wear the collar everytime you are going to do something they love but at first don't even turn it on...meaning walks or trips to the dog park - so they associate it with "we're going somewhere fun" ... my dogs are thrilled to put the collar on because they know it means we're going to the dog park or on a walk"
  • Everyonce in a while play a fun game of hide and seek with treats in your home. Hide when they are wearing the collar and not expecting it (make it easy at first). When they find you treats and praise gallore. (fun for you too...I promise hehe) Once you think your dog gets the point inside move to the new location/harder challenge. You shouldn't need 2 people anymore.
  • When the dog is playing and doesn't realize you have a treat, buzz and when it looks at you call it to you & give a treat. Do this randomly and often...eventually they will pick pick up on the concept if I feel a Buzz look for mom because she has a treat or something for me...even when you don't. Hope that helps :) I would love to know if it works for you as well as it did for us!
  • p.s. http://leerburg.com/318.htm has some good DVDs to watch however they are not catered to deafies but still a good resource to understand positive training with a remote collar p.p.s we think the BEST vibrating collar is the dogtra one http://www.dogtra.com/ we bought one that wasn't as nice and it is crappy! but our friends like this one and we borrowed theirs and LOVE iT!
  • TEACHING "DANCE" TO A DEAF DOG
  • This one is fairly easy for smaller dogs but even our 78lb Boxer Charlie can do it. :) start by breaking up some chewy treats into really small pieces and have them in your left hand.
  • Get your dog's attention asking them to COME to you. S
  • how them the treat so they understand there is something motivating them. Hold one of the small treats in the fingers of your left hand so that your doggie can see it. Hold that treat right over its eye just like you were teaching it to sit...when its nose goes up/back keep the treat just over its nose luring it keep trying until your dog lifts its front paws off the ground. Even the tiniest little disconnection from the ground should be rewarded at first.
  • Do this a few times so it gets that you want it to come off the ground (depending on how trained your dog it will be easier or harder to get it to follow your hand and rise up).
  • Then, the next few times add the sign DANCE with your right hand while luring with your left. To Sign DANCE: It is like the number 2, the peace sign or the letter V - BUT turn it upside down so that it looks like a pair of legs. Shake your wrist with the hands back and forth like the legs are dancing. Taadaa easy huh? Keep giving the treat with the left hand using your right hand to show the sign - each time making your dog stand on its hind legs longer and longer. After about 10 times with both hands start using one hand put the treat in the crotch area( holding it in place with your thumb so that your fingers can still be apart) of the dancing legs that you are signing and hide your left hand away. Keep doing this until you can sign without the treat in the hand and your dog will stand on its hind legs.
  • ADDED DIFFICULTY -- TIME TO TURN IT IN CIRCLES. We actually changed the sign once we wanted our dogs to turn the dancing move instead of just standing on their hind legs. To do this put the treat in the crotch area of your dancing legs sign like you did before - this time keep the treat close to the dogs nose and lead it into a circle. In all honesty, don't expect it to make a full turn the 1st time. If it starts to circle but falls out still give your dog the treat. Keep trying until you can make your dog go in a full circle. At this point you will probably look like are drawing an invisible circle around your dog with your little dancing legs hand. That's OK start out big so that the dog understands the circle. Then, once it gets the idea take your hand a little high and make the circle a little smaller. Practice for a while (usually take a couple days of practicing 5min a few times a day) and then eventually your circle movement will be all in the wrist and very small. Your dogs will catch on and spin on its back legs.

Deaf Dogs Need LoveToo!!!