# Rapidly going deaf



## angelaw (Dec 14, 2001)

Duchess is a little over 12 years old now with spondylosis. She's trained with verbal commands. Anyone with tried and true ways of using signals? I know while she's still able to hear (within a few feet like 3!!) but I don't want to do normal sit, since she has back problems. Just every day commands. 

My biggest problem is when I let her outside to do her business. She wanders into the side yard, etc (No I don't stay out there, sometimes she just likes to go and lay down for 20 min). So obviously I'm out there yelling for her, no response. I need something to get her attention to let her know I'm looking for her. I thought of using the e collar vibrate feature, but I'd have to get a 4th collar since 3 are already in use normally.

Last night I thought I lost her. Calling for her in the house, look in my room, looked in the other bedrooms, garage, outside nothing. Son gets ready to grab a flash light, I go back into my bedroom. Now mind you, there is about 5 feet to the right side of my bed, 10 to the left side. Calling her from the door (5ft to bed now) no response. I start toward the left side, then she hears me a few feet away. 

So I obviously need to figure something out.


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## WiscTiger (Sep 25, 2002)

Angela, a couple of things come to mind.

Start using Hand Signals with your verbals now.

Also I know there are ecollars out there with a paging feature, like a vibation no shock or a sound page. Most old dogs don't go totally deaf, so the sound on a collar might work.

Val


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## marylou (Apr 21, 2006)

Too bad they don't make a tiny cell phone you could attach to her collar - you could call it and then find the "ring" or if she could hear it ring, teach her to come when it rang.

When my Heidi went deaf, we had to do the "search" for her, also.







If she was outside in the yard at night, she learned that if we flipped on and off the outside light to come in.


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

Make your own vibrating collar:

http://www.deafdogs.org/resources/vibracollar.php


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

Find your missing keys (or dog):

http://www.keyringer.com/


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

They also make blinking lights you can attach to their collars (I had one for Neke).

I'll see if I can Google those.


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

Here you go:

http://www.jazzylites.com/Product_Details.asp?ProductID=85


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## Mandalay (Apr 21, 2008)

Maybe it might be better to just tether her when she is out after dark. I would hate to see another animal get into your yard and surprise her and hurt her in some way.


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## GSD10 (May 20, 2007)

My Mas starting going deaf last year. I use the basic hand signals with him, like someone said, do the hand signals with your girl so she makes the association now. 

At night I flick a light for Mas to come inside if he is not watching me at the door. He learned that trick fairly quickly. 

How about putting a small bell on her so you know where she is next time you can't locate her? 

Clapping also works well since they feel the vibrations. 

Good luck, it is really not as bad as I had anticipated


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## debbiebrown (Apr 13, 2002)

toby is also starting to loose his hearing at almost 13 years. i have always used hand signals with my commands, and glad i did. thankfully i have two other dogs here, and they all go out to do their business together in the mornings and last thing at night. i do stand in the door and watch them. they all come back quite quickly because they know they will get a treat. this is something i always did. so, deaf or not, thats one sure way to get him and all of them back inside in a hurry so they do dilly dally. 

debbie


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## angelaw (Dec 14, 2001)

Tether at night might not be a bad idea, but during the day I normally wouldn't. 

Going to have to take a look at those links. I already have an email into dogtra.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

Have you tried clapping or stomping on the floor? Chama is VERY deaf but can still hear those things. Luckily she is never far enough away to get lost though. Plus Rafi will help find her if I can't.


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## angelaw (Dec 14, 2001)

We have tile floors on 1/2 our house and the other 1/2 is laminate. If I'm on the laminate you might get the vibration, but tile? doubt it. It's all on a concrete slab for the foundation. Clapping doesn't work. She can't hear my voice and doesn't hear the clapping. We started working on a hand signal for come so if she's in the field she should be able to make out what it is providing her sight holds up!


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

Angela,

Can she go out with another dog? If so you could probably teach that other dog to be her ears.


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## angelaw (Dec 14, 2001)

She used to go with Vishnu. Unfortunately she and Oxana don't get along, and the others are younger and annoy her, lol.


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## angelaw (Dec 14, 2001)

> Originally Posted By: Lauri & The GangFind your missing keys (or dog):
> 
> http://www.keyringer.com/


wonder if this would scare the crap out of her until she goes completely deaf?


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## angelaw (Dec 14, 2001)

Think I'll try the flasher for her collar and building the remote pager thing above. 

I thought about the light thing, but I have motion lights around the house, and my 3 garage lights stay on from dusk to dawn so I don't think that part will work for me. 

Keep the ideas coming!


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## debbiebrown (Apr 13, 2002)

how about a hearing aid? don't they have them for dogs?


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

Oooh - just had a thought. You could get two-way radios and attach one to her collar. That way you could "talk" to her no matter how far away she gets.


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## angelaw (Dec 14, 2001)

That is a really great idea!!!


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## WiscTiger (Sep 25, 2002)

A long time ago I purchased two Motorola Talkabout Radio's on Ebay. 

They have a Vibrating page feature.
http://cgi.ebay.com/MOTOROLA-T-8550R-T85...A1%7C240%3A1318


Val


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## Ilovealldogs (Nov 17, 2006)

Don't feel bad. I have the same problem with my oldest senior. She is deaf and it took me a while to stop calling her to come in- lol. Luckily, she is now in the habit of watching the door to see if that human appears behind the magic door of a warm house! Sometimes she'll be gazing at the other door and I am waving like a mad woman to get her to come in the correct door. Geez, I guess it would be a whole lot easier if I just walked out to get her!


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## Jacqui (Feb 5, 2001)

> Originally Posted By: Angela_WThink I'll try the flasher for her collar and...


I have a little flasher on Luca's collar for night time, also (well she is all black lol)...but as well as hand signals used during daylight, I find that as deaf as she is to your voice, she can still hear a bog standard dog whistle at night...just another thought


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## 3K9Mom (Jun 12, 2006)

I never trained Zamboni with hand signals when she was young, but she responded to them really well as a senior as she was losing her hearing. It seemed that she was as anxious to be able to communicate with me as much as I was with her. Now, she watches us for signs, and if our back are turned, she walks in front of us so that she doesn't miss anything. 

Camper, who already knew "Find it" (from our Find it games) was easily trained to Find Zamboni. Even if Duchess doesn't particularly like the younger ones, whichever ones you train to find her will be YOUR scout, not hers, since you're following the dog to Duchess.

And as Boni lost her ability to hear, she accepted Camper (who was an "overeager" pup -- to say the least) more and more. It wasn't too hard for me to train him to go from Find Zamboni to Get Zamboni. He'd just herd her back to me. After a few times of him herding her back to me (and LOTS of high value snacks for both of them), now, they both come running when I call either "Get Zamboni" or even simply "Come." It's not that she can hear us; but rather she watches him and goes running; or, if she doesn't see him, he runs over and gets her attention first. 

I've been in the back yard when Dh has called them into the house. It's pretty sweet to watch, especially since, as I said, she didn't really have much use for that rambuctious puppy for a long time. 

He knows that his job is to bring his 'sister' in whenever he comes. If you have a motivated herder in your group and Duchess is motivated (food, attention, toys), you can almost certainly train a team.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

> Originally Posted By: 3K9MomI never trained Zamboni with hand signals when she was young, but she responded to them really well as a senior as she was losing her hearing. It seemed that she was as anxious to be able to communicate with me as much as I was with her. Now, she watches us for signs, and if our back are turned, she walks in front of us so that she doesn't miss anything.


That's exactly the way it was with Sneaker. If I wanted to get her attention I'd go to her, and tap her gently and when she turned and looked at me, I could gesture, and she seemed to instinctively understand what I was trying to convey. We thought it was amazing at the time







since we hadn't taught her hand signals, but since dogs are so much better at reading body language than understanding spoken language it makes sense they'd pick up hand signals easily.


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