Author archive: Terrie Hayward

House training is one of the first priorities for your new deaf puppy. Investing the time now and being patient and consistent will enable your pup to understand where to do her business reliably for years to come.

The first step is that your puppy should be in one of  3 spots at all times:

1. tethered (with leash) to you
2. crated (if you have taught her to voluntarily go inside of the crate and she’s relaxed/calm there
3. with 2 eyes on her training or playing (she has 100% of your attention)

Photo credit: Jaedy Paige Smith

You want to take her out: when she gets up, every 20 minutes or so (set an alarm on your phone), after she eats or drinks (a more than a few sips), after playing or exercise. In other words, you want to take her out many times per day. This gives her the opportunity to be successful.

When you go outside (with her on leash), stop in one spot. Be boring and don’t interact with her. If she does not go after a few minutes bring her back and and try again in another 10 minutes. If she does go have a praise party—lots of smiling and fun. Now would be the time to take a walk or play with her outside. 

When you are with her inside if you notice her sniffing or circling or pausing (as if she might squat) just rush her outside asap. Then, remember to praise heavily if she goes.

If you miss the signs and she has an accident, just clean it up with a specialized enzyme cleaner (removes odor better than bleach or other cleaning options) and take note for next time.

Once she’d got the hang of it, expand the amount of unsupervised time in very tiny increments—again to set her up to succeed.

Photo credit: Scarlett Samuel

If you are very consistent with the above protocol it will be intense, but the amount of time (a few weeks) should be relatively short and then you won’t need to worry about house training for the rest of her life!

For additional training help with your deaf puppy or dog this book can help you get started: A Deaf Dog Joins the Family.

The question of whether or not you need a vibration collar for your deaf dog is a hot topic which has garnered a lot of extensive discussion recently. First I’d like to distinguish between a shock collar vs a vibration collar.

Shock collars have settings which allow people to remotely deliver a shock. Sometimes this is called by other euphemisms including “stim,” “tingle,” “stimulation,” and “tickle.” The way that they work is by delivering a shock with the intent that the dog will stop or change his behavior in order to avoid this feedback.

The learner, in this case your deaf dog, is the only one who gets to determine whether or not something is aversive. This means that you have no way to tell ahead of time if this will be something deeply problematic. Too, anytime that you intend to stop or decrease behavior by adding something to the equation, you may run the risk of dangerous consequences, including apathy, aggression, escape/avoidance, and generalized fear. I recommend that you avoid ever using a shock collar as there are alternatives which do not have the potential for harmful fallout.

Vibration collars which do not have the shock feature provide a vibration sensation to the dog’s neck. You want to keep in mind that the neck is a very delicate part of the dog’s body. Additionally, remember that it is your individual dog  who decides whether or not something is scary, painful or anxiety provoking. With this in mind, I suggest holding off on a vibration collar until you have: A. developed a strong relationship with your dog over time and B. until you have learned about counter conditioning and desensitization as they pertain to introducing something new and possibly aversive.

To break down the A and B points above a bit more, I recommend the following. First, work on establishing a marker system so that you can communicate effectively with your deaf dog. Practice your timing and clarity with regard to communication skills. Conditioning a visual (or even tactile or physical) marker allows you to let your dog know when you like his behavior. It also let’s him recognize that repeating the behavior is a worthwhile thing to do.

Next, I suggest that you teach your deaf dog that orienting towards you is highly reinforcing. In other words, make it worth his while to look back at you. To begin, teach him to focus on you.  At the same time  reinforce any voluntary glances your way. Start by teaching your deaf dog to orient to you at regular intervals by marking and reinforcing this response. Then, over time you can build up this “check in” to a fluent and reliable behavior. When your deaf dog is looking back to you frequently and your “check in” is well ingrained you now have the opportunity to add cues and learn new behaviors together.

When your deaf dog understands the system of marking and reinforcing, the check in behavior is well established, and you have several cues under stimulus control you could then consider adding a device such as a vibration collar to the repertoire of choices you might use to enhance your communication. You would introduce a vibration collar slowly and at a pace that your dog is comfortable and use it as an alternative to “call” your dog. However, once more, this is an option to be considered once the basics are well underway and you and your deaf dog have a positive, clear communication system and relationship in place!

Blanca eagerly peers over this food puzzle: green interactive feeder

Does your dog still eat out of a bowl? Then this post is for you!

Using a food puzzle for your pup’s meals provides both mental stimulatio! Think: fun ways to alleviate boredom while working your dog’s brain in a healthy manner. And, food puzzles provide information for your dog about their environment: consider this-more intel about thier surroundings helps dogs to feel more secure and confident!

Food puzzles for your dog: snuffle mat, Kong Gyro, Kong Wobbler, Tricky Treat ball, slow feeder, etc.

There is even science behind all of this food puzzle fun. The concept is called, “contra freeloading.” This means that animals will work for food even though identical food can easily be obtained from a nearby dish. This is because dogs (and other animals) are hard-wired to hunt, scavange, and seek out opportunities for food. That is to say that this food puzzle process is more reinforcing than just accessing the food without effort.

Take a look at some food puzzle options in this video–Your dog will thank you for these challenging meal time choices. Food Puzzles for your dog are the way to a happier, healthier meal-time option!