This is Mack. He's an Australian shepherd- beagle mix and deaf as a doorknob. This page is devoted to all the challenged creatures out there, animal and human.

I've always enjoyed training my dogs, but I had no idea of the challenge that lay ahead of me the day I first saw my new Pound puppy, Mack. The tiny white fuzzball seemed more like a hyped-out Guinea Pig than he did a dog. He even sounded like one. He never stopped chewing and biting and seemed unresponsive and wild. He hated to be petted or held. Slowly, I came to realize that he responded to me only if he was facing my direction. If he was headed away, forget it. He had no fear of the vaccuum cleaner- no response of any kind, something I'd never seen before. Finally, one night as he lay sleeping, I clapped my hands loudly overhead: no response. I finally understood. My little monster puppy was deaf!

I later learned that 90% of Australian shepherds which are born mostly white are deaf! They usually are killed immediately. I couldn't dream of doing that and set about to learn how to train a deaf dog. I found very little on the subject. However, I found somethings helpful, including the dog trainer we hired for a while (though he hadn't trained a deaf dog before either).

Today, with a lot of patient training behind us, Mack is a sweet, gentle puff of a dog. (Yes, to my suprise, he really grew up to be a dog, not a Guinea Pig!) We had heard that deaf dogs do not make good pets, but we found that with love and a lot of patience, at least some of them can be! I think it has a lot to do with how dedicated the owner is to training and dealing with their dog and how much time and patience they have to give. The dog is willing to learn, it just takes more time and effort to reach the creature.

First of all, I'd like to point out that I an NOT a professional dog trainer. I speak only from my experience with Mack.

Perhaps unwittingly, we did the right thing from the very start with our new puppy. We provided him with a sanctuary- a basket tilted on its side that covered him around all sides but one. This was placed in a quiet corner of the kitchen. He slept on his blanket in the basket until he was too big to fit anymore. Here he felt safe while he slept- no one could startle him awake accidentily.

Housebreaking him was difficult, but being part Aussie, Mack was smart and eventually got it. One thing that helped was a string of bells that we hung next to the back door. We would nudge his nose on the bells, show him our pleasure by clapping our hands (the signal for "good boy"), then let him out. Every time he indicated that he wanted out, we would go through the process. Soon, we'd hear the ringing of bells, rush over and reward him immediately by letting him outside. The pup soon figured it out! Even if he couldn't hear the bells, he knew we would respond for some strange reason. We've found this setup works well for training all our dogs. Even the cat has used them on occassion!

Since voice commands wouldn't work, we used hand signals. Make sure that everyone in your family uses exactly the same signal for a command or you'll wind up with one very confused dog. It doesn't matter what you use, be it dog training signals or even human sign language- just be consistant!

To get Mack's attention, I was forced to use food treats- it was the only thing that worked. He especially liked little torn pieces of hot dog. Have the treat ready so you can reward the dog the instant they do something right.

I also had to use the choke collar. I didn't want to, but once again, it was the only way to get Mack's attention. The word Choke collar gives the wrong impression. Use it for quick jerks and then let go- DON'T EVER try to choke the dog! Always give the dog a way out, a way to please you. When used right, a choke collar helps you get the dog's attention, without building resentment. I know I used the collar correctly because if I take it out, Mack jumps for joy because- Oh Goody!- it's training (and treat and attention) time again!

I've read some good articles on training deaf dogs. (I'll include their titles once I can find them again.) In them, you'll find suggestions such as stomping on the floor near the dog to get its attention- they can feel the vibration. You can flash your porch light on and off to tell the pooch when it's time to come inside. Most advise to never let your deaf dog run loose. They'll never hear that car coming.

One possible problem someone mentioned to us is the fact that a deaf dog can become a FEAR BITER when suddenly woken up. I set to work early to ensure this wouldn't happen. About once a day I would begin petting him softly while he slept and hold a treat in front of his nose. He startled awake at first, but soon learned to expect the treat. Nowadays, if I wake him and have no treat in hand, he seems more disappointed than anything else!

Speaking of his incessant biting and mouthing as a puppy, the end of the teething period did bring some peace. Of course, as everyone should do, we had supplied him with a constant amount of chewies and still do. ALL PUPPIES have to have chewies for their painful, growing teeth. If they are chewing something you don't want them to, say "no" firmly (but without anger) and then immediately show them what they CAN chew instead. Then say "Good dog"! This seems painfully elementary to me but I am amazed at how many people don't grasp this basic element of puppyhood. If you can't tolerate and train a puppy during it's natural chewing period then DON'T get a puppy!!!

Mack is still "mouthy". This isn't too unexpected because, for one thing, he's part Aussie and it's in his genes to nip at the heels of livestock. (Including us until we taught him not to!) For another thing, I think that because he has no sense of hearing, his other senses are heightened, including his sense of touch (via his mouth). Still, we never allowed him to chew on us (which took a heck of a lot of effort over many months) and we didn't encourage "mouthy" games like tug-of-war (though now that he is grown I sometimes play that).

Another important thing that I did was to take Mack out and introduce him to the world once he had all his immunization shots. (You should do this with any puppy.) I walked him and showed him people, dogs in yards, horses, rocks, swings, even goats. I acted happy, like isn't this fun? He thought so! Consequently, nothing new scares him.

With all that we did, Mack was becoming a nice dog. However, we still had a major problem- he was our little shadow. He wouldn't stay outside long enough to pee if we weren't there with him. He was afraid to be alone. He seemed to sense that he was vulnerable. At the time, we had another dog, one who didn't want anything to do with the young whippersnapper! Yet we read that what a deaf dog needs is a "hearing ear dog"- a companion. We had no more room! But that's what we ended up doing anyway. Enter: Spenser!

Spenser was another Pound puppy. He was a little younger than Mack, and the silliest looking dog I've ever seen. Picture a basset hound body and legs with the features and color of a springer spaniel or a border collie. Add a long, flowing tail and short silly ears. Mix in a small brain and a big heart.

At first Mack was a bit much for Spenser and we had to watch the two. Mack would get too rough and couldn't hear Spenser yelp. We gave Spenser a refuge (or tried to) that only he and not Mack could fit into. Eventually, though, they became great friends. Now, Spenser is a little bit bigger than Mack and capable of withstanding him if he gets too rough. The two are like brothers. Spenser seems to understand, or is at least totally used to, Mack's unresponsiveness in some areas. He does seem to watch out for Mack. Spenser is the kind of dog everyone gets along with, very gentle and mellow. Because of Spenser, Mack is aware of things he wasn't before. He even barks an out-of-tune bark when Spenser is alerting to something. Mack is now fearless, confident, and adventuresome. Spenser is more goofy, easy-going, and sensitive. These two special mutts are a wonderful pair.

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