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Jugsmalone
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12-07-2011, 11:49 AM

Dog going deaf

My staffie x is going deaf (11 yrs). I have to shout really loud to get his attention when he is out on walks. (he knows hand siginals) Evenutally he will have to be kept on his lead (his eye sight is not so good either), but in the meantime do any of you guys have any recommendations on equipmemt that will get his attention that he will be able to hear?

I have had a look at whistles but i am unsure which one to get that he would be able to hear?

Thanks in advance
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Malka
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12-07-2011, 01:16 PM
Originally Posted by Jugsmalone View Post
My staffie x is going deaf (11 yrs). I have to shout really loud to get his attention when he is out on walks. (he knows hand siginals) Evenutally he will have to be kept on his lead (his eye sight is not so good either), but in the meantime do any of you guys have any recommendations on equipmemt that will get his attention that he will be able to hear?

I have had a look at whistles but i am unsure which one to get that he would be able to hear?

Thanks in advance
A lot depends on which sound frequencies he has lost/is losing. I have lost all speech frequencies in my right ear [hence a hearing aid would not help] but retain a small amount of low frequency hearing. Luckily I have sufficient speech frequencies retained in my left ear for an aid to help me.

If your boy has retained high frequency hearing then a whistle might help. If it is low frequency then I am not sure whether a normal whistle would help or not. But then as dogs cannot have normal audiology tests it would be difficult to tell.

If it is general all-over frequency loss then I guess it is worth trying whistles, and hope someone more experienced in canine hearing loss comes along to give you proper advice.
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x-clo-x
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12-07-2011, 01:48 PM
you can get collars which send out a vibration when you press the button, which could be good if you want to let them offlead, as long as you get them used to the buzz and coming to you, so its the feel of the buzz rather than shouting the name.
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ClaireandDaisy
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12-07-2011, 02:01 PM
When my GSP went deaf (old age) I used his whistle for a while, but that went unheard in the end. I always use hand signals alongside voice commands so that was useful.
After a bit I used a line then I kept him onlead as he`d panic if he `lost` me. By then his eyes were very dim as well so he wasn`t really safe off lead.
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Jugsmalone
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12-07-2011, 02:27 PM
Originally Posted by ClaireandDaisy View Post
When my GSP went deaf (old age) I used his whistle for a while, but that went unheard in the end. I always use hand signals alongside voice commands so that was useful.
After a bit I used a line then I kept him onlead as he`d panic if he `lost` me. By then his eyes were very dim as well so he wasn`t really safe off lead.
Coleman (staffie) panics when he cant see me so i have to get closer to re-assure him and then he comes running when i give him the hand signal. like you I have always used hand signals with voice commands, which i have found is now helping with my deaf dog.
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Jugsmalone
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12-07-2011, 02:29 PM
Originally Posted by x-clo-x View Post
you can get collars which send out a vibration when you press the button, which could be good if you want to let them offlead, as long as you get them used to the buzz and coming to you, so its the feel of the buzz rather than shouting the name.
what a good idea. didnt realise you could get such equipment. i think i will give this a try. he's a quick learner Coleman, despite his age. i'm still teaching him new things now!

thanks for the suggestion.
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Jugsmalone
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12-07-2011, 02:32 PM
Originally Posted by x-clo-x View Post
you can get collars which send out a vibration when you press the button, which could be good if you want to let them offlead, as long as you get them used to the buzz and coming to you, so its the feel of the buzz rather than shouting the name.
What a good idea. Coleman is a quick learner, despite his age. i'm still teaching him new stuff now.

I think I will give this a go.

Thanks for the suggestion.
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smokeybear
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12-07-2011, 02:35 PM
Hand signals are great (as long as they are looking at you)

Vibrating collars are good, torches can be used at night (teach signals) and it might be a good idea to attach a bell to his collar when out, so that you can hear where he is.
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Jugsmalone
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12-07-2011, 03:10 PM
Originally Posted by smokeybear View Post
Hand signals are great (as long as they are looking at you)

Vibrating collars are good, torches can be used at night (teach signals) and it might be a good idea to attach a bell to his collar when out, so that you can hear where he is.
a bell would have come in handy last night when he went missing on the field. I was in a right panic, couldnt see him and he couldnt hear me calling him. there he was munching mcdonalds some idiot had dumped.

Thanks for the advice will be investing in a vibrating collar and bell oh and teaching him signals with the torch is a really good idea, didnt think of that one.
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