No advice, but we used to have a dog as he got older he lost his hearing, we had a younger dog when they were outside and we'd call them in the young one would grab his collar so he would know.
Our vet has a blind kitten who gets around the animal hospital just fine. Great that your daughter has given that dog a good home, flarabel.
Give yourself and the dog time. Hand signals and body language will be even more important in communicating with this dog. Just as with a deaf human you may have to get used to being in his line of sight to communicate with him. Ask your daughter for advice. i don't know much about the other part of him, but ever G. Dane i've known was very smart and well-behaved as long as the owner took the time to train it.
i've known deaf cats, and a St Bernard mix dog that lost both sight and partial hearing as she aged. Funny thing was that dog, Babe, who belonged to an Aunty of mine, always knew when i was coming to babysit my young cousins. She would be waiting just inside the door for me. i missed the dogs i'd spent the early part of my life with...and Babe was a sweety. My Aunt, a devout Catholic, was amazed and a little freaked out by how Babe knew when i was coming up the hill.
The saddest sensory loss i know of was a bloodhound who's sense of smell was impaired with age...all he could track was skunk. (Big deal, most humans can smell that).
posted by feywon
about 1 year ago
We had a dog that was deaf for the last 5 years of her life. In the house we would stomp on the floor to get her attention. That worked better than touching which would startle her. She learned hand signals and to keep her eye on us when we would go for a walk. At first we would run after her when she would go the wrong way but 'we' learned to make her watch us instead of the other way around. I used to tell people that she could read lips. She picked up the hand signals quickly so it's not true about teaching old dogs new tricks.
That was fantastic of your daughter to do. Have her teach you some commands so you can work with the dog as well.
Yes, I have a deaf dog. She had not been deaf all her life, but got that way with age. She came with my wife when we got married and the dog was deaf by then. I use small touches and makes sure I get in her line of sight. Even though she is old (14 years) she is making good strides in learning hand signals from me.
Thanks for all the advice,everybody. Fleetwood, my daughter's new pet, has been deaf since birth and is very observant. His other senses are very sharp. After having him for two days, we have found communicating with him very easy. I am the one who has to learn more sign language.
Then we have to get the three cats that we already had not to be afraid of such a big dog. He loves cats. They just don't know that.
People with good hearts always seem to manage to take good care of the animals with limitations. Way to go, all of you.
