Deaf Dals

What can I tear- up today?

Barked: Sun May 13, '07 6:50pm PST


	Hi. Does anyone out there have a deaf dalmation? Molly is deaf and we are trying to figure out ways to train her. She keeps us busy but we love her to death.

Where's the- fire?

Barked: Thu May 24, '07 4:32pm PST


	Lola is also deaf. I took her to some one-on-one training (with just a regular dog trainer) and what we did is modify the clicker method for her. Instead of a "clicker", I would give Lola a special hand signal. We then decided on signs for all the usual commands (sit, stay, heal, come, etc.) It worked great!

Ain't no- mountian too- high for them!

Barked: Mon Jul 9, '07 2:05pm PST


	Hi! In training my Huskies we use verbal commands and hand signals...because even hearing dogs will miss a command if ya aren't loud enough! I think hand commands should be standard practice. Here is a video of a girl from our training class doing hand signals. Around 14 you can see them most clearly. In case your curious...(in our training class anyway): Sit = with your hand open (fingers extended) and facing up, raise your arm from your side up to above your head. This should be a quick and confident movement so the dog sees it as a command. In situations where your arm might blend in w/the rest of your body, you can raise your arm to the side a little. Down = Opposite of sit (above head to your thigh). (sit and down don't always have to be that exaggerated if there isn't any distance involved. You can just move your arm up and down like you are curling and working your biceps.) Heel= slap your thigh on the side of your body you intend to heel your dog on and walk away. The dog should be taught to follow. Stay = with your hand open place your hand in front of the dogs nose in a confident, quick motion. Kinda like you are telling it to "stop" Come= with your arm extended in front of you pull it in toward your chest and then run backwards. you can also spread your arms wide.

The hottie

Barked: Sat Aug 18, '07 10:25pm PST


	Henry understands hand signals very well. Dals are so smart and so eager to please, but all training requires patience. Deaf dogs tend to be a little extra sensitive, and dals in general are sensitive ~ Henry does not like to be patted on the head, for instance. Most importantly, since your hands are going to be your main source of communication, always be aware of what you are doing with your hands and make sure your gestures (even when you aren't "talking") are non-threatening. Also, there are great books out there and you might get some tips on www.deafdog.org. Henry is getting ready to do some one-on-one with a specialized trainer because he has developed some fear aggression. This is only in certain instances, such as when entering the dog park at the gate and sometimes when leash walking. We will let you know how it is going... Good luck!!!

The hottie

Barked: Tue Oct 30, '07 10:01pm PST


	This is an update to my previous post. According to our trainer, because Henry is deaf, he takes a lot of information in through his eyes, and he can become overwhelmed with information in certain circumstances. As it turns out, he does not have "fear agression" per say, but he has a problem coping with too much stimuli. It is up to me and also Henry's daddy to make Henry's environments as stress-free as possible, and to know when something is or will be too much for him. We have now put a crate in our vehicle and Henry rides in that instead of where he can see everything. It makes me a little sad to do that, but our trainer says Henry is not as stressed and that he appreciates it, and he will ultimately feel safer and more secure. We also got some great training tips. Henry already knows many hand signals, but he still needs to learn how to be on leash with other animals that are also on leash (comfortably) before we can go to any group classes. For this specific issue we were instructed to reward him as he moves towards other leashed dogs without reacting (and not reward him as we walk away) and eventually get closer and closer to the other dogs. We will report back. I hope things are going good for you Molly and mom!

Keebler - Perfect- Gentleman

Barked: Wed Dec 19, '07 9:17pm PST


	Congratulations I had the most wonderful deaf dalmatian ever. He was a perfect gentleman. I trained him with hand signs while training my non deaf dal Drizzt. It worked out great. If you do not have another dog to train, maybe you have a friend that is taking training classes and will let you come over when they are practicing.