Anyone have experience with Deaf APBTs

[Patch O' Pits]

I'm going toi be helping a family that adopted a deaf 4 month old APBT recently.

I've worked a little with a deaf greyhound before but would like to hear things that have worked for others.

This is what I did with the other dog

Worked on eye contact
hand signals
how to appraoch without startling her

We used very SMELLY treats

Also used stomping on the floor to gain attention when the dog was not lokking as the dog learned to respond to the vibrations

most of the time the dog was kept on a drag lead

[Hoyden]

Well - I have worked with deaf dalmations and my bosses obnoxious deaf and blind animated dust mop.

To get Gizmo's attention (the dust mop) I stamp on the floor. I also started using smelly things to guide him through the house.

Dangerous places like stairs need to be gated off. I literally soaked the wooden gate in bitter apple to keep him away. He now knows that anything that smells like that is off limits.

I put vanilla smelly plug ins into the outlets along the walls in the hallway, put pine in my office, strawberry in Liza's and Ocean near Janets. The kitchen and bathrooms were left scent free. (My office is in my Bosses house)


With the Dalmations - I discovered by accident that a tuning fork works great to get their attention with out startling them.

We would STOMP to get attention and use regular treats. Dogs have a good sense of smell so smelly treats weren't necessary.

To teach watch, I would stomp to get his attention, then go to my knees and swoop the treat under his nose and bring it up to my nose. Then gave him a treat with the other hand WITHOUT breaking eye contact.

We worked in pairs so that one person could give the hand signal and the other could position the dog. The signaler gave the treat.

We also had a vibrating collar - not shocking - vibrating - that had a remote, so you could get the dog's attention

[Miakoda]

My first foster, a true albine APBT/Boxer mix was also deaf. A dog I have now, Sukari, is 100% deaf. And she uses it to her advantage (the little hussie).


What specifically would you like to know? I'm willing to help any way I can! (I like the deaf ones )

[Patch O' Pits]

Dang I spoke too soon... the placement isn't working out because the pup is being aggressive with her DDB and she doesn't want to have to keep them sepeated so is working with the rescue to have her placed in a home with no other dogs.

I haven't even gotten to meet her yet, but did see picts. She is all white and adorable of course

Thanks for the info though I will pass it all aong to her and maybe things will change or I'll get to help in the new home.

[Purple]

I know things didn't work out, but a little trick we use at night when he is out is to flash the flood light off and on and he knows to come in!