Hearing ear dog Training

M

mariefoxmare

New Member
Joined
Apr 28, 2011
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
I didn't Know where I should post this.
I'm deaf and wish to train my own hearing ear dog. the place i was to train my dog with is diffircult for me to get to,

Does anyone have any recommendation for books or videos?
 
Do you already have a dog? If so, what obedience or other training have you done with it? How experienced are you in dog training generally, with previous pets or your current one?
 
Beach girl said:
Do you already have a dog? If so, what obedience or other training have you done with it? How experienced are you in dog training generally, with previous pets or your current one?
Click to expand...

I do have a dog, he's gone through two obedience training classes and we did go to hearing ear dog training class, unfortunly I am not able to contintue it.
I believe i'm experienced enough, i learn easily from a book or videos. I have some of the basics for training the dog but was hoping to find some books or videos about it.
 
I too would like to learn this for down the road. We do not have a dog yet and are planning on getting a German Shepherd puppy after our home is built. I learn better from videos and not as well from books. (comprehension issues) Also, would a German Shepherd be good for a hearing dog? If not, we might get 2 dogs, but we will still have our 2 cats.
 
:wave:mariefoxmare - somewhere there is a thread more on this, I'll try and look for it -

<below in friendship>
Kristina, from my perspective, breed does not matter so much as temperament and personality. Hearing dogs DO have to be very confident, very outgoing and able to deal with a very wide variety of experiences outside the home, in public, around major distractions such as children dropping food in a restaurant, kids running and screaming down a hallway, other <non-working> dogs with their people who may not be under control and or who may not like strange dogs, etc.
My experience with GSD's in this country today is getting a very sound dog is challenging. It would be very significant to get one from a very reputable breeder <for example> who has documented proof of continual lines of confident, physically sound GSD's that can perform well in the working venues and/or have a temperament suited for the above. GSD's for service work are generally in agencies with breeding programs so the staff can really control genetics and environment to get the kind of dog one needs to perform the very high level abilities required of a service animal.
If you're looking for GSD in general, research VERY thoroughly, go see them working and in shows, at people's homes, take one for a walk, get your hands on the dog. Learn as much possible about what they were bred for, what their faults are, what it's like to live with one.
A reputable contact person - breeder, shelter worker, rescue person - will interview more or less as if you were adopting a child, and expect to know why you want a dog, why you want a GSD, and why you should have <if a breeder> one of their dogs.
:)
 
dogmom

Thank you,
Anything is welcomed.

been searching for information online but doesn't seem to be any help.
 
KristinaB said:
I too would like to learn this for down the road. We do not have a dog yet and are planning on getting a German Shepherd puppy after our home is built. I learn better from videos and not as well from books. (comprehension issues) Also, would a German Shepherd be good for a hearing dog? If not, we might get 2 dogs, but we will still have our 2 cats.
Click to expand...

A German Shepherd would made a great hearing dog, but if you want to take it out with you some people may give you hard time as there are people who are afraid of German Shepherd and they might complain about your dog being in a store or restaurant. I love German Shepherds and was thinking of getting
a German Shepherd mix, but my homeowner insurance would had gone up!
there a book called ' Lend Me an Ear' by Martha Hoffman , I was told this is a real good book to use to teach a dog to be a 'hearing' dog.
 
yes, this is true in regard to public perception/breed bias - especially if you don't get a dog from an actual agency but train yourself or use a lone, local experienced trainer to teach you. The Shepherd, Pit or Bull"types", Rottie, Dobe, and Akita in particular are often targets of bias. Rotts and Pits have an especially bad time of it. A behavior thought cute, benign, or not noticed in a smaller dog or a dog considered "less significant" regardless of size, will often be seen very differently when done by any of the breeds or types listed above. Some homeowner's policies, cities/towns, hotels, etc. <hotel being important when discussing service animals> will NOT insure/do business with you if you have one of the dogs in the above list.
 
dogmom said:
yes, this is true in regard to public perception/breed bias - especially if you don't get a dog from an actual agency but train yourself or use a lone, local experienced trainer to teach you. The Shepherd, Pit or Bull"types", Rottie, Dobe, and Akita in particular are often targets of bias. Rotts and Pits have an especially bad time of it. A behavior thought cute, benign, or not noticed in a smaller dog or a dog considered "less significant" regardless of size, will often be seen very differently when done by any of the breeds or types listed above. Some homeowner's policies, cities/towns, hotels, etc. <hotel being important when discussing service animals> will NOT insure/do business with you if you have one of the dogs in the above list.
Click to expand...

Husky or wolf-dogs as some people call them are also my insurance list as high risk dog! Some people where afraid of my black Standard Poodle , people have a fear of black dogs too, more black dogs are killed in shelters than other dogs.
It called the black dog syndrome, I was trying to find another black dog but I found Marty instead and people really like him because he small and cute.
 
yes, you are very right - black dog syndrome is a problem in shelters and rescues - here's a site to check to see what one group is trying to do about that: What We Do

folks have thought that my Black Lab was a Rottie and been afraid of him, like you with your Poodle, whatdidyousay!

and also yup, wolf-dog hybrids are also on that list but I think less and less people have them as the issues with them <through no fault of the hybrid> are more discussed; also they can be difficult to find, may not "present" well to a potential adopter and for the same cost you can get find more actual dogs available.
 
Well - I figured if I trained it myself, then I would not be able to use it as a hearing dog in public, so I was just thinking of at home. My mother suggested either a beagle or a schnauzer.
 
KristinaB said:
Well - I figured if I trained it myself, then I would not be able to use it as a hearing dog in public, so I was just thinking of at home. My mother suggested either a beagle or a schnauzer.
Click to expand...

Get the schnauzer as your son has asthma. THey are hypo allergenic.
 
Poodle. Poodle, poodle, poodle.

Yes, I am biased. ;-)

More seriously, here is a list of dogs considered hypo-allergenic.

List of Hypoallergenic Dogs

If you are serious about training your dog to be a hearing assistance dog, it might be worth it to pay a professional to help you evaluate a dog's or puppy's temperament and suitability for that before you buy it. Not every dog, regardless of breed, has the characteristics that you would want.

For instance, schnauzers can be incredibly yappy. Many of them will just bark bark bark at everything they see. That doesn't help you if want hearing assistance, because you want them to bark once or twice and then shut up! And come get you, obviously.

You want a dog who will bond very well with its owner; who responds to training; who likes to be praised; and, obviously, who can hear very well itself.

In poodles, a high retrieving drive is highly correlated with trainability. A dog who retrieves easily and naturally, who brings the toy back to you after it's thrown, is a dog who likes praise more than it likes playing with the toy itself.

For my two, as a comparison, Casey is a natural retriever, and will nearly always bring back to me anything that I throw. He is the larger of my two.

Pippin, sweet little Pippin with the face of an angel, will grab the toy, run off and shake it so he can "kill" it. He is not at all interested in bringing anything back to me, unless I have on hand a very high-value treat. He will do ANYTHING for bit of chicken or cheese.

Guess who does better in his obedience classes - it's Casey, by a long shot.

Both are miniature poodles, Casey from a good breeder (who has bred lots of champions), and Pippin from a rescue.

Both of them have passed their "Good Canine Citizen" test (from the AKC) and have the certificates to prove it. I would recommend that any pet owner at least train their dog to that level; the requirements are very, very basic, and any pet should be able to do them (sit, stay, down, come, accept touch from a friendly stranger, be left with a friendly stranger without panic or upset, see strange things like an umbrella opening, a cane, a wheelchair, without reacting in fright).

Have fun and take the time to evaluate and pick out the right dog for you. If you do it right, you will reap the rewards for years to come.
 
Has anyone got a hearing cat? I am not a dog person, they are ok but a cat I could live with.
 
My cats are just too opinionated to try and train, however, TinkerBell does let me know when someone pulls into the driveway, knocks on the door or rings the doorbell. She will slink down to her belly, flatten her ears, and then run to my lap. After knowing I am aware, she will run under the bed and let me take care of it.
 
KristinaB said:
My cats are just too opinionated to try and train, however, TinkerBell does let me know when someone pulls into the driveway, knocks on the door or rings the doorbell. She will slink down to her belly, flatten her ears, and then run to my lap. After knowing I am aware, she will run under the bed and let me take care of it.
Click to expand...

I'd need something like that as well as the fire alarm. I will have to look into it. Sounds like you have a good cat there. :)
 
whatdidyousay! said:
A German Shepherd would made a great hearing dog, but if you want to take it out with you some people may give you hard time as there are people who are afraid of German Shepherd and they might complain about your dog being in a store or restaurant. I love German Shepherds and was thinking of getting
a German Shepherd mix, but my homeowner insurance would had gone up!
there a book called ' Lend Me an Ear' by Martha Hoffman , I was told this is a real good book to use to teach a dog to be a 'hearing' dog.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the recommendation, I'll get the book as soon as i can

thanks
 
I bought my lab as a pup 4 years ago to train myself as a service dog. She turned out to be a very hyper dog and I wasn't sure if she make it as a service dog. She has her moments still but darn! Her hyperness has been a boon to me. She notices EVERY little sound or movement around us. And she just about never sleeps while riding in the car but is alert to everything and to where we go..lol. Training a dog yourself is not easy. You have to keep at it ALL the time. Three weeks of 'lazy' and....
All in all you must remember that in doing it yourself you also have a 'pet' and you will be lax about some things but if you can be sure to teach the basics so you can take your dog in public then you can keep working on the other stuff.
 
starcosmo said:
I bought my lab as a pup 4 years ago to train myself as a service dog. She turned out to be a very hyper dog and I wasn't sure if she make it as a service dog. She has her moments still but darn! Her hyperness has been a boon to me. She notices EVERY little sound or movement around us. And she just about never sleeps while riding in the car but is alert to everything and to where we go..lol. Training a dog yourself is not easy. You have to keep at it ALL the time. Three weeks of 'lazy' and....
All in all you must remember that in doing it yourself you also have a 'pet' and you will be lax about some things but if you can be sure to teach the basics so you can take your dog in public then you can keep working on the other stuff.
Click to expand...

Thank you for your advice, I too am finding out that i have to remind me not to be so lax about things. Did you use a book or movie to help train your dog?
 
Back
Top