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Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Hints for Working With Deaf and Stubborn Dogs

I wanted to pass along what I think is worthwhile incorporating into any training with deaf dogs, in particular, and another idea for getting your stubborn dog's attention (the hot dog idea).

I've been talking with a trainer recently, especially about deaf dogs because we have a 7 month old that just came in. He recommends putting a beeper that vibrates (this was what we used before cel phones, remember?) on the inside of a harness touching the fur. You send a signal, it vibrates and you immediately treat the dog. Over time, whenever there's a vibration he knows he's getting a treat and has to do something to earn it. It's also good if they ever escape because the beeper works over a great distance. An alternate to that is an e-collar on very low vibrate. Works the same way, but I'm not sure it has the distance a beeper has.

Another trainer - to have a dog always looking at your face for a direction - teach them to catch a treat (like hot dog, or something they love) expelled from your mouth. Pretty soon they will always be looking at you for that treat and you can give a signal to direct them to what you want.

I thought these to be great ideas.

-- Sheryl Trent

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