No challenge is too tough when it comes to our beloved furry friends. Flashing a flashlight or flickering room lights will let your dog know that they have done something good! This can include responding to a hand signal, making eye contact, or performing some other desired behavior.įollow the tips above to make communicating with your deaf companion more effective and efficient. Because dogs are so good at reading body language, training can actually be easier this way, says author Sara Jackson. The most important thing is to use positive reinforcement to reward desired behaviors. So, flashlight training works based on the same principles. Deaf dogs can be trained using hand signals and visual cues, in the same way that many dog owners teach their hearing dogs. You can also choose your own hand signals. You would train a dog that is losing their hearing the same way you would train a puppy that was born without their hearing. For example, you can use hand signals, body language, and facial expressions to communicate with your dog. Some deaf dog owners use American Sign Language or simplified versions of the signs for commands such as sit, stay, and come. You will need to use visual cues with your deaf dog. But, clicker training doesn’t work well for deaf dogs. Once your dog learns to pay attention to you, you can teach them basic commands using visual signals.
Although extra training aids and hand signals may be. Traditionally, clicker training makes a positive association between sound and reward to reinforce desired behavior. Y ou may think that deaf dog training is way harder than training a hearing dog, but in reality, they are more similar than you thought. FlashlightĪ flashlight is a great alternative to clicker training. It won’t take long for your companion to learn the connection between eye contact and rewards. You can achieve this by rewarding eye contact and giving positive feedback. So, this should be the first focus of training. Teaching your four-legged friend to make frequent eye contact will help them look for hand signals. Additionally, if your furry friend is developing gradual hearing loss, you can use visual and verbal cues to help your companion make the connection before they go completely deaf. So, your dog is completely capable of learning these visual cues! Just stay consistent to help your pal understand what you want them to do. Dogs with hearing loss of been known to learn around 20 hand signals. So, read below to learn how to communicate with your deaf dog! Hand SignalsĪssigning hand signals to commands such as sit, stay, come, no, and stop. Then slowly flick your wrist 90 degrees in a downward action to indicate towards the floor. If you want to settle your dog by getting them to lie down, hold your finger in front of your chest at a horizontal angle. However, it is not impossible! Your deaf companion can understand you, even if it is through untraditional methods. Hold your palm open in front of your chest and move you hand in an upwards motion. Communicating with and training your deaf dog can be challenging.