Friday, September 2, 2011

Month 1 with a deaf dog

Completed reading all the literature I can find on living with a deaf dog,hit the local library to check out books, researched online and pulled all the information I could find! Downloaded books onto my kindle and decided that should begin blogging about my deaf dog from the start.

It has taken Capone more than a month to bond with my 10 year old rat terrier. While my deaf dog Capone has stretched my patience, I find that I have connected to him in deeper ways than expected and we are learning what each other's limitations are. Read the Cesar Milan books and have used Cesar's principles to help with his crazy rush of unsettling energy. He and I seem to be able to communicate in different ways, he watches me, learns from our hearing dog, has changed himself to fit in with my life, he communicates with me in ways I never imagined.

He is very nosy, inquisive and barks when he wants my attention which is often, even though he cannot hear me speak to him he looks as if he does hear me. He continues to make strange sounds, but they too are becoming more familiar. I still talk to him, remind myself and my husband that Capone cannot hear us speak to him. It has been trying for my husband, but he has grown accustomed to the dog's differences now and works to communicate with him and give him the life of a regular dog. The life of a dog who is member of a pack, who gets exercised, fed and who is member of our family or pack and who is loved.

My husband and I think our little girl Boston Terrier we had many years ago was deaf or partially deaf as she did many of the same things that this completely deaf dog does. She did not wake up when we did, she slept unless we woke her up by accident. Deaf dogs cannot hear you come in when you are out of the home or apartment. They cannot hear you when you leave the rooms - you must let them when you are leaving the room.

My dog has gone to doggie daycare, stayed overnight at dog boarding facilities. I have even taken my new deaf dog on a 23 hour drive to our home in New Mexico. The dog travels well, but will let you know when they have had enough and need to just get out by barking. Suggest stopping for your dogs every 2 hours. Remember to take water, food, bowls, snacks and of course toys as well as doggie cleanup bags and baby wipes to clean up messes. Be sure to have a security strap to buckle your dog up as they cannot hear you speak to them and you can't always sign to them. I suggest a crate which you can put them into as they can move freely in it if you are not comfortable with then in a restraining belt buckle strap. I have found a great website which offers great buys on dog toys and also has travel items for your dog, I invite you to look at them - their prices are wonderful.

Go to http://www.DogSupplies.com because they have the lowest prices for dog stuff. They are also really good guys to work with!

Now, I am in New Mexico I have begun to take the dogs for walks. They will need a couple of days to acclimate to the high mountains. Capone is learning how to live in a house now, has had only two accidents in the house, but seems to understand that he must go outside when he needs to do his business. He knows to stay with me when we go outside as there are wild animals about (bear, cougars, fox, coyotes, and so forth). He has gotten away from me acouple of times, daring me to chase him, but I find that if I chase him he is faster than I and he runs so fast I cannot catch him. So I use reverse psychology, I let him see me chase him, stop then turn around and he always come running after me. At that point I just motion to him to follow me, and he always does come with me and we go back into the house.

Dogs I think, know that when they are treated well, given structure, love and good home they do not want to blow it by running away.