Border Collies who are deaf

[Cody & Duchess]

We have two dogs - have been thinking for a while about adding a 3rd (through rescue) Have noticed that there are deaf dogs on rescue sites that seem to be posted for quite a while . I have worked a little with a deaf dog at the shelter I volunteer at - I understand that they are trained by signing. We are very active - the dogs go for a lot of hikes - usually off leash.

(1) How hard is it to get a deaf dog to bond with you.

(2) Can a deaf dog ever be allowed off leash? Does their nose bring them back to you ( our dogs are whistle trained).

(3) Does a deaf dog fit in okay with two other dogs or should they be placed as an individual dog?

They seem so in need of a home...... I was just wondering. Thanks

[juliepoudrier]

I hope Jo of Jo&Tex sees this. She has both a deaf (Loki) and a blind (Tex) dog (plus a third dog who doesn't have any handicaps I don't think). Hers are off leash when she walks as far as I know. Apparently you can get a vibrating collar that can be used to get their attention, and with my old dog who is now hard of hearing, I have to sometimes flash a light at him at night to get his attention. If you are willing to train in a way that is suitable for a deaf dog, I don't see any reason why you couldn't add one to your household.

 

J.

[MaryP]

I'm sure that it depends on the dog and the training as to whether or not you are ever able to have them off leash. But, that pretty much goes for any dog - hearing or deaf.

 

As to the other two questions, I can only speak from experience with the deaf foster dog that we have now. She is very much a normal dog in every way. She bonds to people - in fact, she loves any attention - and she gets along with other dogs. Honestly, you would probably not even suspect that she was deaf, initially.

 

Good for you for considering adopting a deaf dog. Our deaf foster has been with us for several months now and we've had almost no interest in her. I can only assume that it's because she is deaf. It is very unusual for me to not get some interest in a dog, no matter who that dog is. Nova, our foster dog, is a very pretty dog and has a very nice temperament. If she was a hearing dog, I'm sure she would have been adopted long ago.

[Ninso]

I have a deaf dog (born deaf) and a blind dog (going blind from PRA) too! "Disabled" dogs rock!!

 

To answer your questions specifically:

(1) Jun bonded with me no problem at all! She's a total velcro dog and rarely takes her eyes off me. Most of the time she is glued to my legs! I think it's common in deaf dogs and especially deaf border collies, who are already inclined to be "watchers" to be constantly watching you.

 

(2) I have allowed Jun off leash in certain situations. Obviously in a fenced area there is no problem. I can recall her back to me as long as she's looking at me, and if she's in a safe, fenced area there is no problem with waiting for her to look at me. I have occasionally had her off leash in a non-fenced area as well when we are playing frisbee or fetch. She is obsessed with her toys, so she won't run off as long as I have them. However, recently she's become more reactive and if there are people around there is a risk that she will run up and bark at them, so she's lost her off-leash privileges for awhile. I just today ordered a vibrating collar so I can train her to recall to that before I let her off leash anymore. If the dog has a solid recall (to a signal it can perceive without looking at you), it's just as safe to have a deaf dog off leash as a hearing dog.

 

(3) Jun does just fine with other dogs--loves playing with them, in fact. Any issues she has with other dogs are just dog issues and not "deaf dog" issues. (In fact, all of Jun's issues are just her insane personality and have nothing to do with being deaf.) I hear people say all the time that deaf dogs have a harder time communicating with other dogs, but I haven't found this to be true at all, and it really doesn't even make sense--dog communication is non-verbal and there is nothing wrong with her eyes or her brain. Occasionally she plays too rough with Lok and can't hear his quiet little whine, so I have to step in.

 

Training can take some creativity, but is really no more difficult than with any other dog. Jun and I compete in disc dog and rally obedience, trained in flyball for several months before the schedule got too busy for that, and are working on skijoring. I plan to try agility with her at some point and know a lady in my obedience club that does agility with three deaf bull terriers.

 

Feel free to PM me with any questions. They are really, really great dogs and hardly limited at all by their "disability." Nobody even knows Jun is deaf until I specifically point it out. And then, a lot of people don't believe me!

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

We have a deaf dog. He started out trained to work sheep, before he went completely deaf. So he sort of came with a built in "radar" - that's probably the most important thing - to have some way to get them to look at you from a distance.

 

We had decent results with a vibrating collar. We charged it like a clicker, then used it outside briefly.

 

As to your questions:

 

 

(1) How hard is it to get a deaf dog to bond with you.

 

"Talk" to your deaf dog as much as you would a normal dog, and you won't have a problem. I carry treats and periodically tell Gus he's a good boy and give him a treat. Everything we do together has a sign, in addition to the obvious ones. If you would tell your hearing dogs something, make a sign for it and make sure your deaf dog understands it. Make sure he's looking at you and not following the other dogs, by doing things one on one. I play "tag" with Gus, in addition to the sheep stuff. He's hilarious. Patrick takes him to the convenience store on the corner and Gus gets a Little Debbie.

 

(2) Can a deaf dog ever be allowed off leash? Does their nose bring them back to you ( our dogs are whistle trained).

 

See above with the collar. I'd keep a deaf dog who lived in the city, on a vibrator outside. But Gus listens as well as, or better even, than most of our dogs, to his recall sign. Make sure it's a good clear and consistent one.

 

(3) Does a deaf dog fit in okay with two other dogs or should they be placed as an individual dog?

 

As I said, make sure the deaf dog isn't depending on the other dogs and is paying attention to YOU all the time. But it's not a problem.

 

There's a deaf dog list. Lots of helpful info there. But remember that Border Collies are way smarter and usually more eager to please than the average dog, so a lot of the non-Border Collie people struggle with recalls or never trust their dogs off leash. With a way to say, "Hey, I'm talking to you!" to my dog, I'd trust Gus anywhere, just like my other trained Border Collies.

[Patty Abel]

My deaf border collie was a joy to me for years, he passed away last September around 16 years old. Max was white with black markings/blue eyes and was most likely born deaf. He had other strange quirks that led our vet to believe he had a seizure disorder too(shadow herding and "fly" snapping). He was always very attached to me and when off lead at a dog park or on the farm(once we moved 3 yrs ago) would always check in with me visually. His night time recall was a light flicker. If he was sleeping in the yard I would toss bottle caps at him. He had strong eye and this caused him some problems with dogs that didn't know how to take his body language.

Max was dog # 2 in our pack...followed by many others. He always accepted other dogs.

[Nancy Bovee]

Hi, I have an almost deaf (a leetle bit of hearing remains in his left ear) 3 year old border collie.

 

One thing to keep in mind is that it is we HUMANS who are most reliant upon voice and sound, not the dogs! If you watch them play, they give lots of messages with subtle body language. I think of the number of times I tell my hearing dog to "Listen!", well, you just need a signal to the deaf dog to "Look!" (that's where the vibrating collar comes in, but people have used lights (I flash the back door light to bring him in at night).

 

Gus is still training as sheep dog. I've used a vibrating collar on him, but the best effect is my effusive body language. His recall is MUCH better than my hearing dog. All dogs are capable of disobeying. You just need clear signals for any message you want to deliver. He doesn't know he can't hear anymore than we don't realize all the sounds the dogs hear that we don't.

 

Good luck,

 

Nancy & Gus

 

We have two dogs - have been thinking for a while about adding a 3rd (through rescue) Have noticed that there are deaf dogs on rescue sites that seem to be posted for quite a while . I have worked a little with a deaf dog at the shelter I volunteer at - I understand that they are trained by signing. We are very active - the dogs go for a lot of hikes - usually off leash.

(1) How hard is it to get a deaf dog to bond with you.

(2) Can a deaf dog ever be allowed off leash? Does their nose bring them back to you ( our dogs are whistle trained).

(3) Does a deaf dog fit in okay with two other dogs or should they be placed as an individual dog?

They seem so in need of a home...... I was just wondering. Thanks

[Jo&Tex]

My deaf dog is an absolute joy. In our lives, the deafness is a not an issue. He is very velcro and a wiggly snuggle bug. I live on a working farm, so he stays tied on days when the farmer is chopping corn or haying, but that basic rule applies to all my dogs. Loki watches me constantly, always paying attention to where I am and looking for a sign from me. Pm me for some basic signs. Loki is delighted when people "speak" to him. Once a deaf dog understands how to communicate, I think they bond even tighter with their people because we interact so much more by using our body languages.

 

Loki has about 12 signs now, but I have an advantage since I use sign language at work everyday and it is easily transferred to dogs. They are simple hands signs, using either a closed fist or an open hand.

 

I've never believed for a minute that dogs understand that other dogs have handicaps. Nobody helps each other out, but they do develop their own unique style of play. Like any mesh of dogs, it will take a while for them to figure each other out. For example, Loki used to dangle things in front of Blind Tex to get him to play tug. That didnt work very well, so Loki learned to bash Tex over the head with a toy and then Tex would chase him.

 

I live on 400 acres so Loki has freedom to run. Most days, he has a great recall - he looks at me, I make a fist sign and hit myself on the breastbone - but Loki has the seizure disorder that Patty mentioned. On his bad days, he is a fly snapping mess and I cant break thru to him. I pay attention and there are days where I know he will be triggered so I dont let him loose. Rainy days are the worse...the sensation of being wet throws him for a complete loop. The seizure disorder is the challenge with Loki. The deafness is a little pleasant quirk that makes him so lovable.

 

My other dogs are fully blind and blind in one eye (with anxiety issues). I dont know what normal is anymore but I wouldnt hestitate to adopt another deafie. They are a joy.

[Tommy Coyote]

I take care of a stone deaf boxer (white). He is just like any other dog. His owner has taught him hand signals but she doesn't use them very often. Cody just takes his cues from the other hearing boxer. And he is very aware of vibrations and smells - he uses all his other senses. And he barks and whines and makes all the noises regular dogs make. He is a really nice dog. (I have heard that some deaf dogs bark a lot).

 

His owner lets him out off leash sometimes but I never do. If he gets to playing he can get pretty far afield before he remembers to look back.

 

I wouldn't have any problem taking a deaf dog.