Service Dogs

Oh, you were SO right to dump those trainers! Choke collars, much less choke collars with spikes, should be banned entirely. They are AWFUL!! Anyone who uses them is a piss-poor trainer.

So what are you doing now for training? Is there any class that's useful to you?

Back to service dogs: for me personally, I feel more secure at home knowing that my dogs will bark at the door. That is really all I need.

Someone with a more severe hearing impairment might find a dog very helpful when out and about for things like LoveBlue mentioned. For those interested, here is a brief description of what hearing assistance dogs might be able to do. You'll notice that most of the behaviors mentioned are useful at home: hearing a baby cry, a buzzer go off (like for the microwave or stove), a fire alarm, etc.

About Hearing Dogs - Assistance Dogs International

On that same site is an explanation of the standards a dog must meet, in terms of obeying obedience commands promptly and correctly, and identifying and responding to a given sound within 15 seconds, for example.
 
I think we are going to try and train one for ourselves for at home. I know it would not be "certified" and be able to be used in public, but at least we can try for home use. Found out that my mother is beginning to lose her hearing, but it's age related and her poor health. My son's is getting worse, but slowly.
 
You can get a home-trained dog certified. If you read that site I posted, it explains the standards. If you're a good trainer, no reason you can't get to that level.

It's painstaking and time-consuming to train a dog well, but if you have the time and interest, and perhaps some assistance from a good trainer once in a while, you should be able to do it.

Helps to have a smart dog, too, one that will naturally alert to sounds and naturally wants to please you. F'r example - poodles!!

I will admit there might possibly be one or two other breeds worth considering.:lol:
 
:wave:Kristina, good luck with your service dog task!

Remember, the biggest thing with training in general is: consistency. All household members need to use the same cues in the same way. Any variability in cues or reinforcement <what the dog either likes or dislikes> makes getting the kind of reliable behaviors needed for service work - more challenging.

Many times the type/temperament of dog ending up at a shelter also makes a great service dog - this is where many if not most of signal alert programs get their dogs from. The high-energy, extremely curious, intense, spontaneous and confident behavior needed in a working dog is often what makes that same dog "too much" for a "pet" <average> family.
 
LoveBlue said:
You don't NEED a service dog, but I've heard they can "help".

Some examples I've heard of for using a service dog:

They can alert you if you drop something (like your keys). Hearing people might hear an item drop.

They can alert you if someone is calling your name.

And of course, alerting if someone is at the door, if the smoke alarm goes off, etc.
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Thank you for this post, you beat me to the punch. The "etc." goes on-and-on because there are lots of benefits of having a service dog and these dogs have been real life savers to.
For Beach Girl.....in the Texas organization a choke collar is strictly prohibited.
Also self-train and/or home-train dogs are not certified by us
No deaf is allow to pick out the dog that person wants, it is done by special behavior evaluation.
The size and breed is dependant on the individual deaf's personality and ability.
 
rolling7 said:
Thank you for this post, you beat me to the punch. The "etc." goes on-and-on because there are lots of benefits of having a service dog and these dogs have been real life savers to.
For Beach Girl.....in the Texas organization a choke collar is strictly prohibited.Also self-train and/or home-train dogs are not certified by us
No deaf is allow to pick out the dog that person wants, it is done by special behavior evaluation.
The size and breed is dependant on the individual deaf's personality and ability.
Click to expand...

Yay, Texas! But is that true only for the training organization, or for the whole state as an animal abuse issue? I've never heard of a state outlawing the awful things entirely. Wish they would!
 
Just our service dog organization..........but like you, I do wish it was outlawed everywhere.
 
whatdidyousay! said:
Finlay taught himself how to catch a ball with his front paws!! I wish I had photo of him doing this!! He decides using his mouth was too boring to catch a ball so Finlay worked on trying to use his front paws and when he finally caught
the ball his whole face lite up! He was so pleased with himself!! He had a great life until he got sick.
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I am so sorry about your dog. I think that Finlay appreciated that you let him to enjoy before he passed away. I think of my dog when I visit at a pond where she was buried on a small hill. I hope that she is angel on my side there. Perhaps, you could think of a place that it reminds of your dog.
 
LoveBlue said:
You don't NEED a service dog, but I've heard they can "help".

Some examples I've heard of for using a service dog:

They can alert you if you drop something (like your keys). Hearing people might hear an item drop.

They can alert you if someone is calling your name.

And of course, alerting if someone is at the door, if the smoke alarm goes off, etc.
Click to expand...
Even hearing people don't always hear themselves drop their keys. It's just a matter of being alert of your surroundings.

If someone wants your attention, they can simply tap you on your shoulder. :)

Plus, if someone called your name... it's great that the dog can get your attention for that... but what about when you and that person communicate? If it was a hearing person, the only benefit the dog can do for you is to let you know the other person called your name... but it won't be able to sign for you or anything and you won't be able to communicate with that person. However, if it was someone who knew signs (even a hearing person)... then they wouldn't be calling your name. They would tap your shoulder and sign to you to sign. In that case, no need for a dog. :)
 
VamPyroX said:
If someone wants your attention, they can simply tap you on your shoulder. :)
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1) Hearing people don't "think" about that fact that the person they're calling is deaf and don't "think" that they should tap the person on the shoulder...especially if they're not close by.

2) Do you think the receptionist at a busy doctor's office is going to want to get up, exit her area and walk into the waiting room to get my attention if I happen to be engrossed in a magazine? BTW, I do try to sit where I can see the receptionist area so that I can catch a visual that they're trying to get my attention. I also try to keep "the door" in sight so when the nurse comes out to get me I will see her/him. The nurses don't always know what the patients look like, so how would they know to come up to me and tap me on the shoulder. A dog would save time for everyone.

3) The same could be said for other places where employees call out customer's/patient's names.


I'm not saying we NEED a dog, just pointing out how a dog can HELP.
 
Beach girl said:
You can get a home-trained dog certified. If you read that site I posted, it explains the standards. If you're a good trainer, no reason you can't get to that level.

It's painstaking and time-consuming to train a dog well, but if you have the time and interest, and perhaps some assistance from a good trainer once in a while, you should be able to do it.

Helps to have a smart dog, too, one that will naturally alert to sounds and naturally wants to please you. F'r example - poodles!!

I will admit there might possibly be one or two other breeds worth considering.:lol:
Click to expand...

I am currently training my third Hearing Service Dog! My first two were labs, but my new puppy is a beagle. Of course there is no breed limit, and you should have a dog to fit your lifestyle as well.
 
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