# Fostering a Blind Pup



## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

I need advice on fostering a blind dog.

There's a 6-month-ish GSD pup at the shelter where I volunteer who needs a foster desperately. He's heart-meltingly wonderful. He's scared to death there, and sweet as can be. He needs lots of confidence rebuilding, though. I've done that with other rescued dogs many times...but never with a blind dog.

My current foster was adopted today (YAY!!!).... so I'm thinking about going to get that little guy tomorrow. This would be a totally new experience for me. 

I'm _guessing _clicker would be better than other methods (I've used the treat-and-praise method with my own dogs, so I'll have to learn to use clicker for him. I'm open to learning something new.)

How do you teach them to use steps safely? (I've had one suggestion to staple down a strip of outdoor carpet on my back porch where the steps start so that there's a sensory indicator). 

Any other suggestions from folks with blind dogs? Warnings?


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## Scarlettsmom (Jul 12, 2011)

He's adorable!! I have no experience with blind dogs, but I am sure you will get plenty of assistance here. Please keep us posted.


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## RebelGSD (Mar 20, 2008)

There is a yahoo group called blinddogs and they are a wonderful resource.
Blind dogs are amazing and they adjust quickly. Initially you can put scent tracks on the stairs and pieces of furniture for orientation. Blind dogs learn the layout quickly. They also follow other dogs in the home, they serve as seeing eye for the blind dog.


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## RebelGSD (Mar 20, 2008)

He is a doll! Please keep us posted!


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## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

My sister's little rescue yorkie is approx 12 and blind. He gets along pretty well in general even with stairs, if he's unsure he goes cautiously and will sniff and paw at things to figure them out

We clap our hands to get his attention and he follows his nose for treats. As for training, we've done a little basic like sit and down using the treat to lure and gentle nudges if needed. 

As with all disabilities you need to compensate for danger. Watch other dogs and obstacles and be his eyes for him, he may latch onto another dog and follow them around as well. He may be slower to react to say you stepping back from the counter so just be aware if where he is as to not startle him

IMO I found it a lot harder dealing with a deaf dog rather then a blind for keeping out of trouble wise


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

I have a lot of experience with blind dogs...they can learn stairs, routines and furniture patterns in the house, but some blind ones aren't very cautious.
Is this one cautious or does he race about?

Some won't fight at all, passive as they know they are at a disadvantage. Most tend to be like this. But some will fight, and that's tough, because you never know what'll trigger it.

Be aware that blind dogs give of none of the signals and body language sighted dogs use; this can confuse other dogs.

Also, something to be aware of is when you walk through a room, and you're really used to dogs seeing you coming and moving out of the way, don't forget this one's blind and won't move in response to you coming by. 
I've forgotten that more than once and it may not be mentioned on the websites and newsgroups!

They say to use scents (as in herbal oils and what-not) but I've never done that because IMO our homes have enough variation in scents particular to each area of the house, and dogs will learn them anyway. 

PM me if you have specific questions


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

Thanks, all!

He's beyond cautious--he's very, very hesitant and fearful. He would not even step off a curb or over a threshold. In fact, he's shut-down. He lies in his kennel, facing the wall...all the time. 

When I wanted to get pictures and give him some outside-time, it took me nearly half an hour to coax him down the hall way with high-value treats, and when we had to exit through an area with lots of dogs and noise, he froze up. We sat with him there for a while to let him get used to the sounds and fed him treats, but he just kept trembling. Eventually had to carry him outside. He pooped in fear when he was picked up. 

He didn't perk up outside until another volunteer brought over an adult GSD, then this little guy got up and wanted to follow the sound of that other dog walking and started acting a little more normal and exploring. I think he must have been used to following another dog, wherever he came from. I think my nurturing little female will want to help him out.

He came in as a stray, picked up _dodging cars_. He hadn't been stray long. His weight and coat are good, so he came from a home. 

It's possible that he'll become less cautious and more rambunctious once he gets comfortable. His personality is currently being suppressed by the overwhelming fear of being in the shelter. Once we help him to let go of that and start feeling safe, and trusting us, we will have a chance to get to know who he is. It will take a while to get there.

The different body language and facial expression thing is interesting! He made a weird shape of his lip when the other dog came over to him, almost like a snarl, but it wasn't a snarl. I couldn't figure out why he was making that face. He must have just been concentrating on the scent of the other dog! It makes perfect sense that they never learn to imitate body language and facial expressions from other dogs. It just didn't occur what was going on with his weird expression with the other dog until you said that.

I have a lot to learn. Even giving him treats was different. He could smell it, but not judge how far away my open hand was. He was working to take it gently without getting my skin. It was easier for him when I set the treat on top of his own paw.

This is going to be an interesting learning experience for me.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

You'll see him walk, probably, with his paws extended out further than usual, that's how they feel for things they may bump into.

I think dogs like that, newly blind, have a worse time but they will acclimatize.
His other senses will pick up. 

Adele (means "noble and kind" in German) is deaf _and_ blind. 











Sassy, Pug baby who lost an eye when she was tossed, at just 1.5lb. in a dumpster.





Tiara went blind at 6-8mos. of age





And NEO. Omg. He had no built in safety - he would just go running which is why he is on a tie out for pottying. He ran down our property and fell in our pond! My husband was right there and fished him out. This dog was blind in both eyes and I thought we'd wind up having to keep him. So we asked the vet to enucleate both eyes (remove) so he could play more safely with our dogs, as his eye bugged out horribly and I was afraid they'd get popped out in play!





Here, he almost catches a chicken, based on sound/ears as he's got both eyes removed at that point.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

I don't have any useful information for you regarding a puppy, however I fostered an older poodle who was dumped after it went blind. I kept her till she past. She really did very well, figured things out on her own. I just had to take precautions with her, like not allowing her out to play with the younger dogs because she couldn't see them darting around. Place her water dish in the same place every time. Help her off/on my lap (not allow her to jump). Watch her close when ever someone had the foot rest to the Easy Boy extended. Just common sense things. She was already having potty issues so I had her out alot (or crated) to avoid house accidents.

The hardest thing for me to remember was not to step over her. Because of her age, she slept alot. If I were to walk towards her and step over her it would panic her. But that could have been due to her unknown past, or hearing loss due to age.


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## PatchonGSD (Jun 27, 2012)

Well, no words of advice here, but I know there are a lot of blind dogs that live happy, fulfilled lives. Not that it matters at this point I guess, but any idea of how he became blind?


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## LaneyB (Feb 5, 2012)

My dog is blind, and I taught him the word "step". Whenever we come to any stairs I say "step" and he knows there are stairs there. Or if I need him to step up on the scale at the vet.

I think having another dog around has really helped Kipper. He seems so much more confident now that we have Ruki. If this puppy went blind quickly it will take longer for him to adjust (according to the ophthamololgist kipper saw).

I will say that after having a blind dog I wouldn't hesitate to take on another one. Kipper at least has adjusted well and seems to have a good quality of life.


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## Jelpy (Nov 8, 2009)

Lycan is pretty much blind and it doesn't bother him in the least that I can tell, except for his innate ability to spread mayhem where ever he goes and that may not be related to his blindness at all, but simply due to his Lycan-ness. He is a big silly boof. 

Jelpy


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

I've got him now. Here's the weird thing: he's 55 pounds, small, and looks to me like a 6-7 month old GSD....but the shelter vet thinks he could be as old as _four years_ based on the tartar on his teeth. I'm baffled. He's so _little_.

What a night. First nights always suck with a new foster. Always. 

He's afraid of being in a crate and threw a tantrum in the crate. Wonderful, kind-hearted Mr. Magwart went and slept in front of the crate door for a while to calm him down. It worked for a while, then Mr. Magwart decided to bring him out and put him next to the bed, and they slept on the floor together. Mr. Magwart is now at work having had very little sleep. Mr. Magwart is falling_ hard_ for this guy....I can already tell. The fosters are usually more my thing than his, but this one is different.

The crate training is going to take some time with Casper, that's already clear. It's also essential. We left him in my large master bath for a little while so that we could eat...and then heard a shriek. He had somehow jumped over the 2-and-a-half foot side of my large garden tub and was sitting in the tub, stuck. He couldn't figure out how to get back out and was shrieking to summon help. He did that _three times _last night before I crated him. He's obsessed with going into that bath tub--then gets himself stuck. Silly boy.

So far, so good though. Within just a few hours, he already was picking up the notice-cues that we are using: "follow" (listen to me, follow my sound, on lead), "touch" (I'm going to touch you now), "carry" (I'm going to pick you up and lift you--e.g, into the car, out of the tub), "watch out" (you're about to bump into something) and "step." I _love _the training resources post at blinddogtraining.com, by the way --super, super helpful. Teaching him to go down steps is slow going, but we're getting there.

He's a very smart little guy. It was _fascinating _to watch the way he was mapping the yard and the house. 

He also really likes my little female, Fiona, who has tried to play with him gently. It was adorable watching his face move side to side trying to follow her when she was playing with him. She hasn't figured out that he can't see, but she knows instinctively to be very gentle.

A vet-opthamologist from the university's vet school is doing a "pro bono" exam of his eyes this afternoon to figure out what's causing the blindness. My guess is it was probably congenital, but who knows. 

More pictures:


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## PatchonGSD (Jun 27, 2012)

> I've got him now. Here's the weird thing: he's 55 pounds, small, and looks to me like a 6-7 month old GSD....*but the shelter vet thinks he could be as old as four years based on the tartar on his teeth.* I'm baffled. He's so little.


Based only on the tartar that Balen had when I got him, he would have been vetted at 3-4 years old, but he's only about a year. After I put Balen on a mostly raw diet that tartar cleared right up. Heres my post with pics.http://www.germanshepherds.com/foru...g-teeth-pics-idk-what-think-opinions-plz.html


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

It looks like he has cataracts, if that's the case, then yes, it'd be congenital rather than age-related. 
What people think are cataracts, in older dogs, is actually sclerosis, or the "old age eyes" dogs will get after 6ish years of age.


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## RebelGSD (Mar 20, 2008)

Congrats, he sounds special . I fostered two that were supposed to be blind when I got them from the shelter, but with treatment they recovered reasonable level of eyesight to get around without major difficulties.


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

He DOES sound like such a special guy! I hope you can get some definitive answers from the optomologist..

It's really hard to tell age from the pic, he looks in good shape, but maybe a mix? because of the size?? 

I haven't dealt with blind dogs, but I'm betting you will do just fine and it will be such a rewarding experience!


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

The opthamologist confirmed cataracts, but not congenital. He was born sighted, but he lost his sight in puppyhood. It's impossible to know whether it's reversible at this point (with $4,000 transplant surgery)--it depends what's going on in the eye behind the cataracts, which can't be seen without ultrasound. That will be a decision his adopter will have to make. He could likely live a good, happy life as a blind dog.

She confirmed he is probably 2-3 years old--and she thinks he's got some sort of dwarfism going on. Being a mostly GSD mix is _always_ possible with any rescue, but there's no other breed visible in him. However, there is something about the formation of his pasterns and skeleton that's not quite _right. _It's hard to describe. When you see him next to another dog, it's easier to see that he's just a little _off. _It doesn't seem that anything bothers him or gives him problems, though. He doesn't look like the usual GSD dwarfs (foxy faces and lots of bare spots). It's some other kind of mutation, and the loss of sight is probably related. He doesn't seem to have any other problems (other than a raging ear infection that's being treated...).

As mutations go, looking forever like an adorable puppy is an endearing one. This is as big as he'll ever get! He'll have that sweet baby face his whole life. :wub: He got a bad deal out of a BYB gene pool somewhere, but dang he's cute! And what a temperament -- he's as sweet and gentle as the day is long. 

Today he even played gently with Fiona, my little friendly female and wiggled happily on the grass. Considering that just a day ago he was so shut-down, terrified and unresponsive in the kennel at the shelter that they were considering euthanizing him...it's kind of amazing how fast he's come out of his shell. 

Fiona has been magical for him--he loves following her, lying next to her, smelling what she's smelling. She even steered him away from bumping into a wall with a quick, gentle side swipe tonight, turning him away from it. It came out of nowhere--she just did it on her own. She's also helping him with the stairs, running up and down along side him, kissing his face, and encouraging him to keep moving until he gets to the top. I'm positive he is learning more quickly because of her help. Sweet girl!


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

Thanks for fostering this guy--he sounds wonderful. 

I hope you will be able to place him with another dog since that seems to be making all of the difference for his comfort level. 

You'll have to post more pictures. I thought he looked like a mix. How much does he weigh? I had a foster once who was full grown and weighed 56 pounds. He looked like someone shrunk a gsd!


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

Just wanted to update....

This dog is _amazing. _He mapped our house in his head in a couple of days. Once we went through the work of teaching him to use the back stairs and dog door, he started moving around like he could see -- he hears my little one bark at a squirrel and will run from the house out the dog door, down the stairs to the back yard right to her. Yesterday, they were playing _chase_ with him running after her by sound (listening to her tags jingle on her collar).

His personality is wonderful. He has a chirpy, happy sound he sometimes makes when he wakes up in the morning, wagging his tail happily at the prospect of starting a new day. He has a mischievous streak a mile wide (he gets into _everything)_, but he's sweet and affectionate in all the right ways. He's curious, independent, and _normal -- _he's not a special needs dog. He's a dog who happens to use his other sense instead of his eyes.

The _best _part though is the way he plays. He wrestles with the little one. She bounces around him, and he tries to find her with his mouth. They roll around together like puppies. 

I even took him to our weekly off-leash socialization field. We used a large hiking "bear bell" so that he could always find us when he wandered and played, and it worked beautifully. He was delighted to meet every dog, sniff butts, greet people he met...he's remarkably sociable and assumes every person and dog is a new friend. He's far more confident and stable than so many of the sighted rescues I've fostered. They were filming a documentary about a legendary trainer who created the socialization field locally and recently passed away....and this little guy is going to be in the film. They got a lot of footage of him.

He's happy as a clam. Coming from a point that the shelter was actively considering euthanizing him because he was so depressed, scared and shut-down in his kennel, he's gone through a huge transformation in remarkably little time. This is a dog who pooped in fear at the shelter when someone picked him up to carry him outside when he was too scared to walk on a leash. It's hard to believe he's the same guy.

We've fallen in love. My little female adores him. Mr. Magwart has fallen hard for him too--he's gone from "two is the limit except for a foster" to "three would be fine because he's so easy, and we could still foster." Mr. Magwart has a special bond with this dog that he doesn't usually have with fosters. His heart-dog passed away earlier this year, and I think this blind dwarf is his next heart-dog--it just kind of happened by accident. Quite a switch from a stunning WGSL rescue...but life is funny that way.

So...we're foster-failing.


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## zyppi (Jun 2, 2006)

I've never had a blind dog, but a friend was talking about having one and how they trained him with treats to find his way around.

I guess it's important to remember that they really do "see" through their noses.

I know my guys will go look for a frisbee and never 'look,' but smell their way to it.

Good for you for taking this baby on.


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## Nigel (Jul 10, 2012)

Hahaha, as I read the thread, I wondered if you may end up failing. He sounds awesome!


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## Narny (Sep 8, 2010)

Magwart said:


> We've fallen in love. My little female adores him. Mr. Magwart has fallen hard for him too--he's gone from "two is the limit except for a foster" to "three would be fine because he's so easy, and we could still foster." Mr. Magwart has a special bond with this dog that he doesn't usually have with fosters. His heart-dog passed away earlier this year, and I think this blind dwarf is his next heart-dog--it just kind of happened by accident. Quite a switch from a stunning WGSL rescue...but life is funny that way.
> 
> So...we're foster-failing.


It was easy to read early on that this might be the case. I am happy that you all have found a new family member. Congrats.


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## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

Ah, this is a great story! He has sure acclimated superbly! Thank you so much for taking this guy in and no wonder you've fallen in love!

My oldest girl is almost completely blind now. I don't move furniture around and she knows the word "step" for the steps. She has six to get downstairs and outside. It's kind of endearing; I saw "step, Dolly" and she extends her paw and feels it out. My Shiba sometimes tries to help her out and although much smaller, she "pushes" her at times. The Shiba seems to understand but my other dog acts a little confused when Dolly is always bumping into him or literally walking right underneath and through him when he's standing. 

The other thing I am careful to do is make others aware not to do anything sudden. She is very sweet and loves to be petted, but it is best if the person says something to her first, rather than just touching her. She'll startle if they don't.

Looking forward to more pics and updates!


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

Aw, he sounds wonderful. :wub: I'm glad that you're foster failing because it means he's found a great home.

The one thing I would watch out for at the off-leash place is that other dogs don't mistake his blindness for disrespect. I have seen blind dogs accidentally walk into or over other dogs and the other dogs go after the blind dog. So please be extra careful in keeping an eye on him in dog-dog socialization situations.


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## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

BowWowMeow said:


> Aw, he sounds wonderful. :wub: I'm glad that you're foster failing because it means he's found a great home.
> 
> *The one thing I would watch out for at the off-leash place is that other dogs don't mistake his blindness for disrespect.* *I have seen blind dogs accidentally walk into or over other dogs and the other dogs go after the blind dog.* So please be extra careful in keeping an eye on him in dog-dog socialization situations.


Great point. This has been something I've had to deal with in my own home. My dog's blindness has progressed a lot. Bailey doesn't understand why she will now walk right into/under him because when Bailey was little, she still had a fair amount of sight. He's getting used to it now, but it does confuse other dogs and they surely misinterpret.


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## PatchonGSD (Jun 27, 2012)

Congrats on your new boy! Pictures please?


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## Midnight12 (Jan 6, 2012)

Aww this is such a heart warming story. I'm so happy for this dog. I used to take care of my freinds blind dog when ever she went out of town, she was a real sweetie too. You guys have big hearts.


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