My Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Alfie, began losing his hearing around age two due to premature deafness, which is sadly common in the breed. His experience reinforces the importance of supporting responsible breeders who prioritise health and temperament by conducting thorough health screenings rather than focusing solely on appearance.
When I took Alfie for his hearing test, I was initially concerned he’d find it stressful—especially with electrodes placed on his head. However, he surprised me by sitting patiently on my lap throughout. The test revealed that Alfie was already profoundly deaf, unable to hear anything below 100 decibels. As his condition progressed, he eventually lost all hearing.
At first, I worried about how to adjust our life together: Could he still go off-lead? How would training adapt? At the time, we were deeply involved in trick training, heelwork to music, assistance dog training, and agility. The transition felt daunting, but with support from excellent instructors, I shifted all of Alfie’s verbal commands to visual cues. I also introduced a new marker to replace the ‘yes’ or clicker sound he was used to. Deaf dogs can do everything a hearing dog can! For dogs born deaf, this is a natural part of life. Alfie, however, had to adapt, which led to a heightened awareness of vibrations as he adjusted to his new world.
Training a deaf dog is much like training a hearing dog, with some slight adjustments. Here are my top tips for successful training:
1. Stay Consistent
Choose hand signals for each behaviour and practice them without your dog present to ensure consistency. Then, make sure everyone interacting with your dog knows the signals and their meanings.
2. Be Clear
Use a neutral body stance to help your dog focus on the specific hand signal. Stick to one-handed gestures for commands you’ll use while your dog is on a lead, and larger body movements for off-lead commands. This helps maintain clarity for your dog.
3. Decide on a Marker
A visual marker signals success to your dog. I use a thumbs-up, which I introduced just as you would a clicker. Pair the thumbs-up with a food reward, repeating this at least ten times so your dog associates the thumbs-up with a treat.
4. Keep Training Sessions Short
Limit training to 5-10 minutes, focusing on one behaviour at a time. Start with basics like “sit,” “down,” and recall. For example, I use my right arm held straight above my head, palm facing Alfie, to signal “sit,” and a straight-out arm with palm facing down, lowered to my side, for “down.” For recall, I spread both arms out to the sides, palms facing Alfie, and wave.
5. Proof Your New Cues
Practise your new cues in various settings: start indoors, then move to the garden, outside your house, and eventually to the park. Gradually introduce distractions like people, dogs, and distance. Just as with a hearing dog, only let your deaf dog off-lead once you’re confident with recall. Meanwhile, use a 5-10 metre-long line for safe, enriching walks.
6. Remember: Training Should Be Fun!
Both you and your dog should enjoy training. If you feel frustrated, take a break and reconsider how to simplify things. This might mean breaking down the behaviour into smaller steps, using higher-value treats, shortening the session, or finding a less distracting environment. Deaf dogs, like all dogs, look to our facial expressions and body language for cues, so keep talking to them! Alfie, for instance, learned to walk backwards on the verbal cue “back” just by reading my lips.
Here’s a little video of Alfie practising tidying his toys – a trick he mastered with visual cues and a lot of patience.
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