Christine Hibbard, CTC, CPDT
In the past two months, I’ve received calls and or emails from two different shelters asking me for advice on training a dog who is both blind and deaf. There are terrific web sites for training blind dogs and for training deaf dogs, but I’m not aware of a web site 
devoted to training a dog who is both. I thought that publishing some ideas here (ideas I have gathered from many other sources) would not only help other rescue workers, but I’m hoping that it will generate a dialog on how to best train these dogs who not only have the misfortune to find themselves deaf and blind, but homeless as well. Let me be clear, I’m not stating a position on whether these dogs should take up precious rescue resources when plenty of “able bodied” dogs are euthanized every year. That’s a debate for another time. The reality is that some rescues will take these dogs, do their best, and try to place them (or not). So, how do we train these dogs?
Work to Eat: It can be incredibly difficult to exercise a dog who is both deaf and blind so environmental enrichment is absolutely necessary to lower anxiety and tire out the dog’s brain. Don’t feed any food out of a bowl and make sure all the dog’s calories come out of toys or by hand in training. There are an amazing array of work to eat puzzles on the market now.
Stay on a Mat: An excellent way to position (and keep track of) a blind/deaf dog is with a mat. You can reinforce him every time the dog finds the mat. You can make it easier for the dog by scenting these surfaces. According to many people, lavender is the “relaxation” scent. Make sure you dilute the scents with water and spray them on the surfaces. If you can smell it, it’s probably way too strong for the dog. Finding the mat and staying there is the first thing I teach these dogs. Safety first! Giving a dog frozen stuffed Kongs on the mat will help build the dog’s duration on the mat. If the dog rolls the Kong off the mat, lure the dog back to the mat with the Kong (hopefully he doesn’t guard Kongs).
Follow the Carpet: Make paths out of carpet runners or other substrate material and teach the dog to walk on the path. Following the path keeps the dog safe and out of trouble (hopefully). Again, you can scent these paths to help the dog along.
Condition a Marker: You’ve got to come up with a touch somewhere on the dog’s body to let him know he’s getting it right and that’s why he’s getting the food. Decide on a body part (I like the neck for this). Touch the dog in exactly the same way and in the same place each time (decide if you want to use a tap, short touch, long touch, or stroke). Condition this marker just like you would if you were charging a clicker. Touch/food, touch/food as randomly as possible (try not to fall into a pattern). I’ve used vibration collars with deaf dogs to get their attention so I can give them the “thumbs up” but they can be pricey and frankly, any piece of equipment has the potential to be lost or broken. I’ve had trouble convincing owners that they want to have that big remote handy at all times. If you do use a vibration collar (I would use it to train the dog to find his mat), make sure to introduce it to
the dog carefully. You want the “page” to predict a treat, not startle the dog into a panic.
Target Train: Teach the dog to touch a target with his nose. Scent the target so that he can find it. I like using something sturdy like a wooden spoon because you can tap it on the floor and the dog should pick up on the vibration. This is an excellent way to lead a dog around so you don’t have to be hauling him around by his collar all the time.
Training Behaviors: With a dog who is both deaf and blind, I think that lure/reward training is the way to go since shaping can be next to impossible if your “clicker” is a touch to the dog’s body:
- Lure the dog into a sit.
- When his butt hits the floor, touch him in his “clicker spot” to let him know he got it right.
- Give him the treat.
Once he’s offering sits voluntarily, you can add the cue. I like a tap on the butt for this, it seems a natural to me. You insert any cue whether it’s verbal, a hand signal, or a touch in the same way:
- Tap him on the butt.
- Wait a few seconds (at first he won’t know what it means), then lure him into the sit.
- Touch him on his “clicker spot” to let him know he got it right.
- Give him a treat.
Over time, he’ll figure out that the tap on his butt means “if I sit, I’ll get a treat”. You can repeat this with any behavior you want him to learn as long as the behavior can be lured.
Anyone out there with “special needs” dogs? Are there dog trainers reading this with experience training dogs who are both blind and deaf? I’d love to hear all the creative ideas out there!
Good Morning, I just stopped in to visit your site and thought I’d say thank you.
Nice post
I have recently as in today recent acquired a blind and deaf Doberman Puppy. I plan on trying these routines on him to help in his training. Thank You!
This is wonderfully helpful. Thanks so much for helping those of us with deaf/blind dogs who may be having trouble finding resources…this article gave me better tips than I have found anywhere else. My rescued 2 yr old Shepherd was disabled in a botched euthanisia attempt. He still has three bullets as souvenirs and is now deaf/blind and with a bum leg, to boot. I’ve only had him for three days and his courage and stamina is astounding. He spent 11 days in the desert, alone and horribly injured and managed to survive–please know that this post is going to help me make his life as comfortable as I possibly can…thank you!
K.
I have been starting to use some of these techniques for my blind puppy(they have been working good). I have heard of scenting different obstacles such as the stairs, doorways, and toys so the pup can learn to identify each one and help guide them. What type of ‘scents’ are safe for dogs & ones that dogs seem more attracted to?
Hi Pamela, I think you can use any scent as long as the dog doesn’t find it unpleasant. Whatever scent you use, use it sparingly. Water the scent down and just re-scent as needed.
I’m fostering a deaf and blind Aussie and if anyone has some tips on how to help with her being left, while I’m at work, she barks frantically. I’ve tried teats, kongs, bones, fermone collar, rescue remedy. I want her to be as adoptable as possible but this anxiety she has with being left is very stressful for her and me. I would like to find a solution as apposed to medications as vets have suggested. Thanks
Hi SHellie, unfortunately, you’ve tried most of what we recommend as “quick fixes” for separation anxiety. I would explore medication with a veterinarian. There is absolutely nothing wrong with using medication if it improves the dog’s quality of life. If you haven’t done so already, you should check out Patricia McConnell’s booklet “I’ll Be Home Soon” and Nicole Wilde’s book “Don’t Leave Me”. As a volunteer with Aussie Rescue, I wish you good luck and thank you for all you do for the dogs.
Thank you for the helpful information given here! My dog is newly blind from cataracts/diabetes and also is near deaf from ear medication toxicity- both happening almost overnight it seems. Talk about adjustment issues! Finding info on blind and deaf together has yielded very little with the exception of your site here. I am beyond appreciative!
One thing I found helpful was using a different textured mat or small rug in the entrance to certain rooms or areas my dog uses so she can recognize where she is as she did not take to the scent thing easily…I may have used too strong scents though. We also have a very large cemented patio area and walkway and I place textured, no-slip strips in the path from the door to her potty spot so she can easily find her way. I think there maybe some cognitive issues as she is 14 and once in a while gets lost and panics so these help her find her path again especially after hosing off the patio.
Hi Vicki! Thank you for posting about your experience with your dog. She’s lucky to have such a caring owner to help her through her golden years.
i have rescued and fostered for a short while 7 lethal white aussie puppies in the last 8 months. this was all new to me and i have fallen in love with these special need babies. 3 were deaf and the other 4 are deaf and vision impaired. one could see pretty good out of one eye. i thought the others were blind. found out the they could see shadows in certain lighting up close. the one i have now is that way and i have found he responds to a flash light. i am using a flash light for clicker training, getting his attention and getting him to come to me. i also use a light in the room. i flash it off and on 2 times and a pause then do it again until he comes to the flashing light . the flash light is a strong light and when i take him outside at night he will follow the light. i have gotten a key chain flashlight and i am starting to use it as a clicker for sit, down, roll over etc. he is my first one i have had long enough to train more. the others i rescued went to other aussie rescues with in a month or so and were little puppies.
check and see if your blind dog can see a light.
Hi Becky, how lucky for these rescue puppies that they have such a caring and knowledgeable person caring for them and training them. Thank you for all you do for the dogs! I’ve used flash lights for deaf dogs with great success as well. I’ve also used “pager” or “vibration” collars successfully. Thanks for reading Behind the Behavior and keep the great ideas coming!
can you tell me about the pager?
I’d be happy to talk about the pager collars. These are e-collars that do NOT shock, they vibrate. You introduce the collar to the dog slowly so they don’t startle and become afraid. The “page” gets the dog’s attention so that you can then give a hand signal (in the case of a deaf dog) or whatever other cue you’ve conditioned. It’s a wonderful tool for managing compromised dogs at a distance. Here’s a list provided by deafdogs.org but I think it’s out of date: https://www.deafdogs.org/resources/vibramakers.php. I recommend that owners/trainers/rescuers look for collars that ONLY vibrate.
Thank you,
I think you overlooked another group of people who can use this resource: owners of dogs who are blind and deaf! I have a friend who has been searching high and low for information and the more information and help available, the more chances there are that some of these dogs will never find themselves in a rescue situation.
Not all owners give up the minute something goes wrong.
Thank you for sharing this information. I have recently aquired a pointer mix who is deaf and has cataracts in both eyes. She is 9 months old and we have only had her about 5 weeks. Luckily, we have 2 Aussies that share her home and the pup has learned to follow the other around. I have a trainer coming out on Sunday to evaluate her for vibration collar training. She can see some so i want to get as much traning in as possible incase she does lose her vision completly. WIll be happy to update you on how training goes! Thanks again for the info on your site!
Oh, do keep us posted on how things go with your girl. What you learn during your journey with your dog will help all of us learn more. Thank you so much for adopting your pointer mix girl!!
I have worked with and been owned by deaf/blind dogs since 2006
Please have a look at my websites
Lethal Whiles UK – https://lethalwhitesuk.webs.com/
House of Misfits – https://houseofmisfits.weebly.com/
Thank you for sharing your resources Lee!
great info.
i occurred to me that instead of a vibrating collar, you could use your electric toothbrush handle, or any other “thing” (ahem) that produces a vibrating sensation.
use that on the dog’s reinforcement area , as mentioned above.
The difference, though is that the vibration “collar” is controlled remotely. If you are going to touch the dog, you wouldn’t need a remote vibration collar. If you wanted to have a “special” reinforcement marker you delivered next to the animal as you suggest, you should save that for something more important (high value reinforcer). Thanks for reading Behind the Behavior!
I just adopted an 8 year old blind lab from a shelter. He’s wonderful, however he has no obediance training at all. Unfortunately, he is food aggressive, so rewarding with treats is impossible at this time. Any suggestions?
Thanks you for sharing your ideas on working with blind and deaf dogs. I’m going out to a client house tomorrow and your information will be helpful. I particularly like the idea about using a carpet runner to help the dog find his way around. He is recently blind and has poor hearing and his owner is willing to do whatever is needed to help him readjust to his new situation.
I’m so glad that you found my article useful Diane. I hope you’ll write back about your experience working with this dog. Facing different dogs with different issues, often we get creative. I know you’ll come up with ideas we can all learn from.
Hey Heather, sorry I’ve fallen behind on responding to blog comments. When you say your blind dog is food aggressive, can you tell me what that looks like? Does she growl when people or other animals go near her food bowl? Even dogs that guard food do not engage in the behavior when taking treats from a person’s hand. Feel free to post back with additional details.
I will be fostering a blind/deaf Springer who has been rescued. I’ve fostered dogs with medical problems and issues before but not a 7 yr old confirmed completely deaf and blind. I have another Springer who is reactive at times to a toy poodle I have who is now blind (17 yr old). I’m concerned about this blind one unknowingly invading my 4 yr old Springer’s “space” and something ensuing. I also have young grandchildren who are wonderful with all animals, but other than not startling the new dog, any other advice? I’m a little nervous about all this. Thanks
Hi..
We have a 7-8 yr old Shtizu (we rescued back in June 2011 &she is going blind & deaf..;~/ She has since we got her a bit aggressive but nothing we couldn’t deal with….
At first we thought it was because she had bad teeth & was in pain & scared.. We had her rotten teeth pulled and she became better…then with in the last month she has gotten worse. I am sure it is because she is scared…we love her and want to take care of her but do not want her to hurt anyone in our family…
Can you please give us some helpful ideas…
Thank you!
Thank you for this site. We took in a blind senior who turned out to be deaf, too. A Cocker-Maltese female. There are also some geriatric issues. Having been with us 3 months now we have found all the above on our own. Tulip does eat and drink from a pair of like, heavy, earthenware bowls. She recognizes their shape and feel, knows where they are..and empties them on her own. She prefers to be outdoors…and I do turn her out into the small, fenced back yard – very flat and safe – with her other family, a Maltese, a Maltipoo and a Coonhound…also 2 cats who look after her. She has a 12 x 12 section of a screened in porch as her own…and she much prefers that to being in the house where she follows walls, checks extents of rooms, and roams, roams, roams. She does not have a good reverse gear and presses forward. She will yarp yarp yarp if she gets stuck..She knows I will come to help. We have an extra large wire crate inside where she can sleep and be safe if we need to make sure she stays confined…or inside due to weather. Thanks for the site and letting me know I am not alone in this challenge. Blessings to all.
You’re a wonderful and caring owner Carol. Most people consider a special needs dog to be a burden but you know how much love these fur kids have to give. Thank you for leaving a comment to tell us about you and Tulip!
Hi, I have an 11month old Lethal white aussie who bark Constantly! Do you have any tips on how to get him to stop barking? He barks and paces. I have tried natural anti anxiety and calming remedies but they only help a short while. Any and all advice appreciated!
Have you tried providing work to eat, chewing and training outlets? I also recommend that you speak to your veterinarian to see if he/she thinks a short course of psychotherapeutic medication might be helpful in your dog’s case.
Hello everyone,
We’ve had a few shocks today and now have a 10 wk old puppy who is blind.
Heres what happened, on 1st May 2012 my dog had 12 pups, over the first 6 days six died,3 of these at birth.We spent a small fortune on vet fee’s on the 3 who died later during the first week.
The pregnancy was not planned by the way, we thought the male too young and certainly didn’t think he’d be able to jump over a high puppy gate.! ha! famous last words!
Anyway we took good care with the other 6 and they were all fat,healthy and big & strong!
We refused some owners as being unsuitable and found really good owners who have all had rottweillers in the past.Job done we thought.Just for the record we sold them for half their worth,we didn’t want to make money just recupe our costs,which we did.Or so we thought we went to pay in money to the bank today to pay the vets fee’s only to find our that £400′ in tenty pound notes were fakes! Very good ones but fake all the same! Confiscated by the bank!
Then home no more than 10 mins,reeling from the shock,and we get a call to say one of the puppys is blind.They took it today to get its first jab,that was done then the vet checked it out only to say it was blind and said it should be put to sleep.Thank goodness they were more worried about the money.They phoned for their money back and said if not it’d be put to sleep!
So we of course paid them,what more could we do?…
So now I need your help very badly.
I’ve had him here half hour now, and its pandemonium.
Are there any people in the UK who adopt such dogs?..
Please know were not uncaring, but were in a small 1 bed flat with 2 cats and 2 very large dogs,Rottwiellers Xena & Charlie. I really,really hope that there are.
But for now, please what do I do?.
He is running into things,units,walls,dorrs and stuff.
I WILL NOT HAVE HIM PUT TO SLEEP!
Thank you so much for your website.
You’re all angels!!
Luv an hugs,
Jeanie. xx
Oh Jeanie, what a trying time you’ve gone through. I’m not familiar with how adoptions work in the UK since we’re in the US. Have you contacted rescue groups or shelters about your options? The suggestions I give in my article should help and there are web sites to help you with the training. https://www.blinddogs.net/blind_dog_tips.html is a good site and I’m sure there are others.
You are going to have to put in serious training time with this pup but as long as his startle response stays low and you train him to carpet runs, scents, scented targets, etc., the chaos should go down. You just have to be more diligent in training this little guy, especially around your older dogs. This blind puppy cannot read warning cues from the older dogs so make sure that he has an enriched management area so that he doesn’t annoy the older dogs into delivering a correction. If you send email to info@companionanimalsolutions.com, we can send you enrichment ideas to keep this young one out of trouble.
Thank you so much for your information. I was fostering (and have now decided to keep) a Pomeranian who was abandoned at my friend’s Vet Clinic. They were going to put her down but my friend asked if I would foster her while she treated her — she had been TERRIBLY abused. We’re doing good getting weight on her and she’s smiling again and will be ready for 3 surgeries soon. One foot is missing all but one toe that were crushed & “fell off” & that needs to be pinned and her other back leg at some point had her hip dislocated and it fused back in a random spot on the pelvis that has to be sawed off, shaped & put back into the hip socket. Her left eye globe has burst and with my treatment over the past few weeks is healing up nicely a might not have to be removed, but most likely will. Her other eye has a detached cornea, so she is completely blind. She has, what I call “directional hearing” where she can hear but she has NO CLUE where the sound is coming from. I can click, snap, call, whistle, stomp, tap, jump, vibrate, clap — EVERYTHING and she spins in circles trying to find me. She’s come to think the wooden entertainment center is the front door & when I come home she stands at it smiling & wagging her tail. It’s also where she pees when I’m gone because at some point she was house-trained. This dog was not born blind, hearing impaired & disabled — it was all from abuse. I try not to think what kind of head trauma it would take to make a dog blind AND hearing impaired, I’m just trying to figure out how to make her life easier and in turn, my time with her easier as well.
I have a 5.5 year old Pomeranian that I THOUGHT would take on a “nurturing” role with her, but she’s jealous & mean to her — a whole other issue I didn’t think I’d have to deal with! I was hoping my Pom would help lead the disabled one, but she ignores her, runs past her knocking her over and snaps at her when she comes near — and she has NEVER acted like that EVER. She growled at me the other day for the first time in the 5.5 years I’ve had her!!! I have her trained very well and I’ve trained other dogs for friends because they see how well-behaved and well-trained she is; this new pup is just so beyond what I know how to do! She’s pretty much mastered going up the stairs from outside but can’t go down them without falling…but the stairs inside for them to get up on the couch she can go down. She comes up to them but doesn’t realize they’re for the couch but knows when she’s up on the couch where they are and how to get down them. So far, some AMAZING people have donated & helped me raise money for her surgeries but her hearing is not on the list and there’s no way ANY surgery could even give her shadows or light/dark back into her life — something i’ve been praying for and would make her life a bit easier. And her hearing can’t be improved either. We tried walking on a leash for the first time yesterday and didn’t even make it to the corner. She is comfortable in the front yard walking around and i’ve been putting the harness & leash on her occasionally just around the house to get her used to it but NO WAY! I walked her right up against my other pup, tried her against my leg so she’d feel “safer’ but nothing. I have to keep trying because they won’t do her leg surgeries until she builds more muscle mass & also I’ll need to have her trained on a leash for after the surgeries so she can build the muscles back up again.
She’s beautiful, so much fun and I adore her and I just want to make sure she has the happiest, most comfortable life she can have — and I’d love to keep a *relatively* clean carpet as well!! LOL
Thank you so much and I hope that someone can lead me to some advice or a trainer in the New Orleans, Louisiana, USA area! You can follow her progress on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pradapuppy
I have a pug who has been deaf for 2 years and now is going blind. Is there a book I can purchase that would help with this situation? It seems there are only books on blind or deaf dogs but not deaf and blind.
I’m not aware that there are any books available. That is one of main reasons I wrote this blog article. Hm, maybe I should write a book? If you have questions, I can do remote phone consultations for $50 per hour. Just fill out the form here: https://www.companionanimalsolutions.com/contact-us. Good luck and let us know how your training is going.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PROMPT RESPONSE. WE FEEL LUCY IS BECOMING VERY DEPRESSED. ALL SHE DOES IS SLEEP ALL DAY. SHE USED TO GET VERY EXCITED WHEN ANYONE WOULD COME INTO THE HOUSE. WHAT CAN WE DO TO KEEP HER FROM BEING DEPRESSED.
We already had a deaf dachshund that was born deaf and had great success in training him when an opprotunity came to adopt a companion female dachshund for him came along a few months ago, she was also deaf. Just found out this week that she is now totally blind as well.
when we first adopted her she had partial vision in one eye so we were using the hand signals with touch, while she was still able to see something she was learning ahead of time what those were going to mean. We knew she was going to loose her vision just didn’t know when.
thank you for all that you have written here! when trying to figure out ways to train her, brainstorming everything you said was what we had in mind. we can’t have rugs in the house (all floors) cause a different dog (GSD) eats rugs but we have used sandpaper tape as traction for the GSD which now is a perfect option for our deaf/blind dachshund.
We are making before and after vidoes of all of our female dachshunds training hoping that someday others can benefit by watching vidoes of training. If there are any currently available we would also to love to know that as well, so we can learn in this process.
mitravinda@hotmail.com
thanks,
Lani Mitra Singh
Thank you SO much for sharing your training experiences with your dogs. When you have videos ready, we’d be happy to post them on Behind the Behavior. Great work with your dogs!
Great site, but basic training is not an issue for me. I have an 18 yo mini dachshund that has lost hearing and sight gradually over the years. Currently she has some hearing and some (very little) site. She is still really active on good weather days. She gets around well and enjoys herself inside and out. Our issue is that anything bumping or flashing at her face causes a panic reaction. Flashing sun in her face coming from between deck rails as she walks by puts her into a complete panic where she totally stops, quivers,grinds her teeth. It is a total panic response. This reaction happens when one of my cats jumps over her to pass her or my other dog bumps her. This same reaction happens when it snows or rains. Anything coming at her face puts her into a panic. My question is how can I help her deal with rain hitting her face? currently I carry her out and use an umbrella, but she is really independent and does not like me to hover over her while she does her business.
Hi just wanted to share this video of me begginig to train my 3 month old deaf english bull terier puppy uchi.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cd7BkLUS0Kk
Hi, I just had an idea that may seem kind of odd but an relatively inexpensive (compared to a real vibrating dog collar) alternative would be a remote control vibrator, of the Adam and Eve type, you can even get them on amazon. You’d just need to affix it to a nylon or cloth dog collar. No one but you would know where the parts came from and it would be much easier than the article about taking apart a radio operated car.
Another plus is that the remotes are much smaller.
I offer my training advice free to rescue dog owners. I keep a leash and treats in my car so I can catch strays that are willing to be coaxed away from the heat and predators that will kill them if they stay on the streets very long here in Tucson AZ. I am glad I will have more ideas to share to make sure that the dogs stay in their forever homes.
Hi, I have a seventeen year old poodle. We have overcome some physical issues but this one is big. I knew she was blind in one eye and partially blind in the other, I put it down to poor hygiene practice on her first owner. The owner was an elderly woman that couldn’t bring herself around to cleaning her eyes because she thought it was gross BUT I really pushed it when ever she would visit us. It was so bad you could almost smell her before you saw her. Her eyes were caked with gunk that I had to remove by hand and I stressed to her owner this is unexceptable. Her former owner has passed away and gave me the job to take care of her, which I gladly excepted. One year ago she had an accident which I didn’t see but she lost all use of her back legs so I to her to the vet which the x-ray showed she had broken her back and the break was easy to see at the same time her bad eye began to cause her some discomfort so I took her to the vet for this as well, to cut along story short the vet had to stich her third eyelid over her eye for four week to hopefully self heal. I asked the vet is there any hope and the vet said yes but it wasn’t going to be easy. So at the cost of not spending much time with my cockatoo and my other female poodle plus my chickens and of coarse my wife I endued cold nights and sleeping on the couch head to head with her. I put pads under her because she was un able to control her bladder so I had to pick her up and lay her on her side so she could do poo’s and wee’s. she had to strain but she finally did a poo after five days. this went on for two months but it was worth it. She regained strength in her legs. I massaged her legs and stood her up everyday till she could stand on her own BUT now her other good eye has finally let her down but I don’t want to let her down either. We just got new carpet and I think she’s not finding her way around easy because all of her old smells are gone. I growled her for peeing on our new carpet the day we got it but looking back I think she was marking her spots in order to find her way around when she became fully blind, I’m not sure whether I’m right or wrong but I feel real bad now. It would be nice to hear from anyone who could offer me any advice on how to care for her. I believe she is worth it. She was faithful to her first owner which was my mother-in-law and she has been very faithful to me as well. she follows me around everywhere and I mean everywhere. If I walk around the table she to walked around the table and when I mow my laws she follows me there to and when I get on my ride on mower I take her for rides. I hope to hear from you thanks.
Hi there
I have a 16 year old dog who I have been very lucky/hhonored to have since he was a pup
Winston is a Bijon Frise and he is the love of my life
He is deaf and blind (only recently) and seems to find it hard to adjust to his new way if life
I have read lots if articles from using essential. Oils (which I’m still investigating which are The best for him) to other suggestions about ‘re keeping his home/area uncluttered and teaching him different commands/requests by touching different parts of the body.
If anyone can help me with any of these. Ideas ir any thing else with Winnie and I eould be very grateful
Hello!
I’m in talks to adopt puppies/young dogs, one of whom is blind and deaf and the other who has kind of bonded as her guide dog. The guide hasn’t been officially trained to do this. She simply started doing it one day by guiding her inside. I would like to try and train her to do this further, such as herding her where to go, navigating street corners (i.e. stop before intersections). Any tips or suggestions on how to do this?
my dog , a 7 year old silky terrier had turned blined due to eye cancer . he is very well trained before as he could go to the news paper or his area to pee or poop . but after he became blind recently , he tend to be popping all around the places or peeing anywhere .. so i’ve been cleaning and cleaning and felt helpless .. so i need help .. can you please kindly teach me what to do .. i don’t want to put him to sleep or anything that he will leave me .. please help me
This site is very helpful. My 13.5 Eng Springer Spaniel is in the final stages of PRA. She also is almost completely deaf. It’s a struggle because she is a well trained field dog. Most of her days were spent running for a ball (for hours!). She is in fantastic shape. I am going to try some of your suggestions because she desperately wants to play ball but knows it’s not the same game anymore. I have been rolling instead of throwing. Has been successful about 70% of the time. I roll short distances at first, then extend the length over time.
We have just moved house and we have a deaf and blind Westie who is now 15. She is a happy little thing wagging her tail and eating her chicken. The property is rather large and for ease I lift her to take her out for a wee and leave her in the hope she will find her way back inside. Her brother who is 7 years goes out with her and of course races back inside when he has finished. I go back after she has had time outside and pick her up to bring her back inside. She has found her way out this morning, but couldn’t find her way back. I feel I am not helping by picking her up, but she could be outside for quite some time. Am not quite sure what to do to help her. Any ideas?