Deaf Dogs

Deaf dogs get along better than most might think. Why? Dogs view the world very differently than humans. A human communicates in this order...

1. Hearing

2. Seeing

3. Smelling

Where a dog communicates in this order...

1. Smelling

2. Seeing

3. Hearing

Depending on the breed, a dogs sense of smell is 1,000 to 10,000 times more sensitive than a humans. A human has 5 million scent glands, as compared to a dog who has 125 million to 300 million. When a dogs smells something, they can tell a lot about it. It's almost like reading a book. Where the object has been, what it has eaten, what it has touched, etc.

Deaf dogs rely on their nose and eyes, and those senses become even more sensitive. It is important when grooming a deaf dog not to cut off their whiskers, as dogs use them to sense the distance of things around them.

A dog who is born deaf does not know he is deaf, or rather, he does not know everyone else can hear. To him, the world is what it is. A human who is disabled in some way, in most cases is very aware of it. Humans have a tenancy to dwell on their disability. Dogs do not dwell about what they do not have because they do not think about it that way. They do not sit back and reminisce about the past, or about the future. For a dog, it's all about the now and what they are doing at that very moment.

Besides the three senses, hearing, seeing and smelling, dogs possess yet another sense we humans lack. A dog can read energy. If a person is nervous, they know it; if a person is scared, they know it; if a person is feeing sorry, they know it. While they can read these emotions, they read them differently than a human. To a dog nervous, scared, pity, etc., is read as weak. Yes, if you feel pity for a dog they read it as a weakness in the human.

A dog is an animal who instinctively lives in packs. Within the pack is a hierarchy. The definition of a hierarchy is, "system of persons or things ranked one above another." When a dog lives with humans, the humans become his pack.

Even a family of humans have a hierarchy, in the sense that, the parents are above the children, making the rules and dishing out the punishments when they are not obeyed. For a human it's culture.

For a dog, it's a primal, animal instinct, which tells them there MUST BE an order.

Since a dog reads emotions such as pity, sadness, nervousness, fear, passiveness, etc... as weak, when these emotions are picked up on, Instinct tells him he must take over and be a leader, for the packs survival. Without a really clear order, dogs are not happy and more often than not, try and "save their pack" by becoming the strong leader their pack is lacking.

The ideal way to communicate with ANY dog is body language and energy. Less words, more hand signals along with a confident handler who can send calm yet firm vibes to the dog. A dog will feel this confidence in you and will respond.

In the vast majority of cases, where a deaf dog has behavioral problems, it is due to the lack of leadership on the humans part and or the emotions being directed at the dog himself, coming from the human. A human may be able to hide their true feelings from another human, but we humans can never hide our emotions from a dog.

Never feel sorry for a deaf dog, because they do not feel sorry for themselves. Deaf or not deaf, be your dogs strong, confident, firm pack leader. Provide plenty of daily exercise, lots of consistent boundaries and discipline. Teach the dog to heel on a lead and to enter and exit all door and gateways after the humans. After you have provided those things for your dog, give him love and you will have a well balanced dog, deaf or not. Read more about A Dog's Senses.

Written by Sharon Maguire © Dog Breed Info Center® All Rights Reserved

We strongly suggest Cesar Millan DVD's and or Cesar Millan Books to every dog owner, from Chihuahua to Pit Bull. An excellent guide to communicating with, understanding, and controlling your dog.

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