How to Care for a Dog with Hearing Loss - Canine Campus Dog Daycare & Boarding

The last full week of September is National Deaf Dog Awareness Week; this year the dates fall between September 20 – 26, 2020. National Deaf Dog Awareness Week is a time set aside to raise awareness about the need for homes for adoptable, deaf dogs. Deaf dogs, like other special needs pets, make wonderful furry family members. Their hearing impairment in no way reduces their potential to bring joy to your life and become a loving companion for your family.

How Many Dogs Suffer Hearing Loss?

It’s estimated that about 5 to 10 percent of dogs in the U.S. suffer from hearing loss, but most dogs cope well and are trainable. Deafness can be either hereditary or from external causes. Many senior dogs develop hearing impairment; hearing challenges typically start with mid-level to high-level tones and eventually lead to total deafness.

Hearing Loss in Certain Breeds

Interestingly, some breeds of dogs have a deafness rate of 30 percent or more. The most common cause of deafness is genetics. Dogs with white or merle coats have a higher risk of being born with congenital deafness. Breeds with high rates of deafness include:

Dalmations – 30% of dalmations are born deaf in one or both ears
English Setters – 10% of English Setters are born unilaterally or bilaterally deaf
Australian Shepherds – “lethal white” or double merle Australians Shepherds can be deaf, blind or both
Jack Russell Terriers – 10% of Jack Russell Terriers are born deaf in both ears
Catahoula Leopard Dog – 38.8% totally deaf
Cocker Spaniels – 5.5% totally deaf
Dogo Argentino – 26.5% totally deaf
White Norwegian Dunker Hounds – 75% deafness

Deafness in affected breeds appears to be the same in both males and females.

Signs of Canine Hearing Loss

Here are the signs of canine deafness or another ear condition to watch for in your dog:

Lack of attentiveness
Change in obedience (your dog might not hear your command)
Inability to follow vocal commands
Dog seems to be confused a lot of the time
Prolonged barking
Difficulty waking up
Repetitive head shaking or tilting toward side of affected ear
Painful ears
Smelly discharge from ear
Change in personality
Obvious distress at being left alone

Causes of Canine Hearing Loss

The biological mechanism for hearing in dogs is essentially the same as humans, and they experience hearing loss for many of the same reasons.

Congenital deafness (from birth)
Dirt, wax, ear mites or other foreign bodies in the ear
Infection or inflammation of the ear canal
Head trauma
Noise trauma
Exposures to antibodies or drugs
Aging

Unless it is a birth defect, hearing loss is usually gradual. But it may seem like it comes on all of a sudden because it isn’t noticed until the symptoms become more obvious.

Diagnosis of Canine Hearing Loss

It can be hard to identify deafness in dogs because they are good at adapting and compensating for their hearing loss. Veterinarians use brainstem auditory evoked response (BAER) testing to assess dogs for hearing loss.

Often, a puppy diagnosed with deafness will be euthanized or end up in a shelter. This is because they are thought to be difficult to train. Deaf dogs often get hit by cars and can be snappy when they are startled.

However, deaf dogs tend to be marvelously adaptable and inventive. They are good at using their other senses and don’t experience self-pity; they are ready to get on with life and be happy!

Training a Deaf Dog

It is important to develop other ways of communicating with your dog besides using your voice if he or she is deaf. You can use a combination of body language, hand signals and auditory cues. While it can take a lot of patience to practice other modes of communication with your dog, if you work on it while they are still able to hear it will be easier as they age.

Be sure to teach your dog the “watch” or “look” command while they are young and can still hear you. Hold a treat near your nose and insist your dog maintain eye contact with you on command. Work with them on maintaining eye contact for increasingly longer periods of time to receive the treat. This training technique, among many others, is taught in the Canine Campus Dog Training Program. Keep working on this command until you can just point at your nose to get your dog’s full attention.

Many people teach their dog American Sign Language (ASL) or devise another system for communicating with their dog using hand signals. Want ideas for teaching your dog hand signals? Click here for our Dog Deafness Pinterest Board.

Tips for Living with a Deaf Dog

The best thing you can do for a deaf dog is to take a matter-of-fact approach. If you feel sorry for them and treat them with pity, they may either shut down or act out because they think they did something wrong to make you feel bad. If you act like their disability isn’t a big deal, it won’t be a big deal.

If you haven’t already, enroll your dog in training classes and continue to practice the commands and hand signals every day so when the day comes your dog’s hearing becomes challenging he or she will still have a way to communicate with you.

Here are some tips to keep in mind for living with a deaf dog:

Keep your dog on a leash or in a fenced yard. Deaf dogs can’t hear cars or other hazards.
Learn to communicate with hand signals. Essential signals are sit, stay, come, down, good, no and watch.
Use a flashlight to signal to your dog you want his or her attention.
Buy a tag for your dog’s collar that indicates he or she is deaf.
Add a bell to your dog’s collar so you can find him or her.
Consider a dog harness with reflective tape in case your dog gets out.
Be consistent in your communication.
Let your dog know when you are leaving the house. Consider bringing him or her to daycare so she’s not frantic while you’re gone.
Put food under your dog’s nose to wake him or her. Teach children especially how to wake your dog. Some dogs will bite when startled.