Old Dog Almost Deaf

[RileysLegacy]

Jabari (IG) is turning 13 next week, and he seems to be almost completely deaf at this point. If I drop something or clap very loudly he can hear it, but when I call his name I don't think he can. Especially when he is asleep, it is really hard to wake him w/o startling him. He jumps like 3 feet in the air when I try to wake him at night for last potty. I have been trying to remember not to pick him up from behind b/c that scares him now too Any tips to make life easier for him now? Thanks in advance

[JohnF]

Assuming that the sense of smell is still intact, see if you can make more use of that. You could try jangling keys as a last potty sign or if you think the low frequency is there still consider a duck squawker.

[GeorgeofNE]

Stomp your feet to alert him to your approach. He will feel the vibrations through the floor.

 

Deaf dogs can do just fine; we had one that was deaf as a post when I was a child. He lived to be 15, and being deaf didn't seem to bother him a bit!

Edited May 29, 2012 by GeorgeofNE

[Guest FastDogsOwnMe]

They make collars that vibrate with a remote control... and don't hurt the dog at all. Some also have a "shock" option which you could just obviously never ever use. Perhaps you could give many treats and get him used to the buzz/vibration and eventually he'd jump up and and associate it with food and petting or whatever he likes. It could also be good for calling him back inside or other situations, too! I am thinking of training my super oldie with one. He's no where near deaf yet, but in situations like the dog park, he doesn't always catch my voice in a crowd anymore.

[Guest FreddyGirl]

Tommy is deaf, almost 13. He does not jump though when I touch him to waken him. I clap loudly to get his attention 99.9% of the time. Or, I sometimes can jiggle the bed he is on, might not work for your pup.

 

I think one signal for your dog so he knows what to expect is best. since he already responds to clapping, why not use that?

 

Also, develop a hand signal to get him to come to you for whatever reason.

[RileysLegacy]

Thanks guys. One thing I neglected to mention that is important is that for some reason loud clapping/slapping noises have always scared Jabari. It has lessened a bit over the years, but when I first adopted him if I killed a bug or something he would run away and hide So I try not to do the loud clapping too much. Stomping the ground is a good suggestion, it's just a fine line between alerting him and scaring him, which I will have to experiment with. He's a super sensitive little guy. I really appreciate all your posts and suggestions!

[krissn333]

What about some bells? Like the sleigh bells with the lower tone to them...?

[KF_in_Georgia]

See if a clicker tone is something he can hear. It's a sharp noise and might work. That gives you an option when you're away from home or on a floor that just doesn't bounce (my condo is on a concrete slab--the floor downstairs doesn't vibrate). To wake him from a sound sleep, you might use a mild scent sprayed onto a tissue and dropped near his nose. That's something else that will work in vibrations don't.

Edited May 30, 2012 by KF_in_Georgia

[cleptogrey]

willie lost his hearing when he was nearly 13. don't bother screaming unless you want to feel like garrett morris on SNL back in the 80s. stop your feet, hit the floor, if your dog is not reactive you can nudge the bed. on top of being deaf he then developed cataracts. but that never stopped the old guy from playing soccer! outside he had better vision and managed to still go after the ball to the very end. (dimentia is what got him in the end- being deaf, semi-blind and mentally confused it was difficult)

 

13 is not that old for an IG, they seem to last forever....

Edited May 31, 2012 by cleptogrey