Service dogs for CI users and deaf people

J

Jules

New Member
Joined
Dec 16, 2009
Messages
86
Reaction score
0
Hi everyone! :wave:

I'm curious about service hearing dogs and the amazing labor they do... Any of you has a service hearing dog? how changed your life? But also I want to know what happens when a deaf person (who has a hearing dog) decides to have a CI?

Last week, I wrote an email to a service dog organization asking this:

1. What happens when after you provide an assistance dog for a deaf person that person decides to have a Cochlear implant? Do you take away the assistance dog from that person?

2. Is a unilateral CI user a candidate for an assistance dog?

And they answered: If a hearing dog recipient got a cochlear implant we would not take away their hearing dog. A CI may be switched off at times (e.g. when swimming or showering or sometimes at night to save batteries) rendering the recipient completed deaf. Also, it must be remembered that a CI is not a cure for deafness - a CI may be only moderately effective to a deaf person and so a hearing dog may still be very helpful in alerting and locating certain sounds to a CI user. However, if someone coped very well with a CI, Hearing Dogs and/or the recipient may decide that it would be unnecessary for the CI user to have a successor dog once the first one retires or passes away.

Current CI users may also apply for a hearing dog. Each case would be assessed on an individual basis. It should also be noted that a CI user must let the Hearing Dog work by alerting them to sounds, even if the CI user can hear those sounds (e.g. doorbell) most or some of the time.

FYI: I'm not looking to have an assistance dog I already have a natural-born hearing dog and he's my support in this world full of sounds.

I'm doing a research about this topic to post an article on my blog.

cochlearimplantexperience.blogspot.com
 
Last edited:
My dog isn't deaf but I teach him signs and he understands. I would imagine a deaf dog would be similar?
 
Could I please bring attention to the topic of this thread. "Service dogs for CI users and deaf people" CI users are deaf people just an fyi. Also, to rebecca and baseball, the dogs are hearing, they are companions to Deaf people.
 
bbaseballboy123 said:
reminds me, i wanna get a deaf dog... :)
Click to expand...

This remind of when I was thinking getting a 'hearing' cat instead of a 'hearing'
dog. We have week long festival in my city and a cat shelter had table set up to raise money. There where 2 women running the table and I asking them if they heard of 'hearing' cats and one lady said " all our cats are hearing!" The other lady LOL as she knew what I meant.
 
oh i know the OP was talking about hearing dogs.

just saying, i would love to have a deaf dog simply cause im deaf too.
 
Um Why get a hearing dog? Not to threadshit, but I mean I've never really understood the point of a hearing assistance dog. It alerts you to sounds and stuff but so do hearing aids/CIs and just using your vision.
 
I have met a deaf person who has a Cochlear Implant and uses a Hearing Dog. This was 4 years ago-Sunnybrook/Toronto. Originally when I met her- I assumed she was Blind. She wasn't. Seems they are the only people that I have have seen using she is not Blind.-dogs. Still uses the dog as of a couple of years ago. ( Recent patients meeting there)

Thinking about whether I should consider a hearing dog decided not very useful to ME.

Yeah I go swimming almost every day-would a dog be of much value-I don't think so.

Implanted Sunnybrook/Toronto Advanced Bionics-Harmony activated Aug/07
 
deafdyke said:
Um Why get a hearing dog? Not to threadshit, but I mean I've never really understood the point of a hearing assistance dog. It alerts you to sounds and stuff but so do hearing aids/CIs and just using your vision.
Click to expand...

There are countless reasons to get a hearing dog.

If your eyes are closed you can't rely on your vision for clues.
 
My dogs are not officially trained hearing dogs, but they alert me when someone comes to the door, for instance. I'm trying to train Casey (being the smarter of the two) to alert me when the oven timer beeps, but so far, not too succesful with this.

I feel more secure, generally, having a dog around, but that's just because I like dogs.
 
Beach girl said:
My dogs are not officially trained hearing dogs, but they alert me when someone comes to the door, for instance. I'm trying to train Casey (being the smarter of the two) to alert me when the oven timer beeps, but so far, not too succesful with this.

I feel more secure, generally, having a dog around, but that's just because I like dogs.
Click to expand...

Where do you learn training technique? I will eventually want my puppy trained as Service Dog but through research I think I will have him sent to Service Dog school.
 
rebeccalj said:
Where do you learn training technique? I will eventually want my puppy trained as Service Dog but through research I think I will have him sent to Service Dog school.
Click to expand...

Lots and lots of dog training books, plus obedience and agility classes. I (and dogmom, for that matter) use positive reinforcement only for shaping the behavior I want.

I haven't been as consistent as I need to be to get him trained as a service dog, but we have worked on a few of the skills. He is excellent at obedience and adores running agility, so he definitely is very trainable.

It's the trainer who needs the most discipline here. :lol:
 
Beach girl said:
Lots and lots of dog training books, plus obedience and agility classes. I (and dogmom, for that matter) use positive reinforcement only for shaping the behavior I want.

I haven't been as consistent as I need to be to get him trained as a service dog, but we have worked on a few of the skills. He is excellent at obedience and adores running agility, so he definitely is very trainable.

It's the trainer who needs the most discipline here. :lol:
Click to expand...

Give him a reward of food from the oven if he alerts you to the timer. I have great alerts for food being cooked. :P

For the washer or dryer, it could just sit there all day. Dogs have very little interest in clean clothes!
 
Beach girl said:
Lots and lots of dog training books, plus obedience and agility classes. I (and dogmom, for that matter) use positive reinforcement only for shaping the behavior I want.

I haven't been as consistent as I need to be to get him trained as a service dog, but we have worked on a few of the skills. He is excellent at obedience and adores running agility, so he definitely is very trainable.

It's the trainer who needs the most discipline here. :lol:
Click to expand...

So true!

Thank you.
 
Never had a "hearing" dog but Ihave had dogs as pets. Their jobs are just to eat, sleep, play, pee, and poop. That's all.
 
Back
Top