[mom to many]

Welcome to the board! My AB, Rocket, is mostly deaf. At first we thought he was completely deaf, but as time has gone on, we have determined he can hear VERY loud noises when there's no other background noise. Training him has actually gone a lot better than I expected. After he settled into our house and got used to his surroundings, he started watching me VERY closely so he knew what was going on. Obedience training has gone very well...ALL dogs do well with hand signals, not just deaf ones. The biggest issue I have encountered with having a deaf dog is being able to call him when he is out of my sight. In the house, I stomp on the floor and he knows to come look for me...we taught that as a fun game...his natural curiosity would make him want to know where the thumping/vibration was coming from and when he found me, he got a treat. After a few times, he caught on :wink:. I NEVER take him ANYWHERE off-leash...NEVER. It's a good idea to always keep them under your control at all times and not just because he's deaf. One thing a trainer recommended to me is a collar made for deaf dogs that has a 'remote control' and when you need the dogs attention, you push a button and it makes the collar vibrate...this is NOT to be confused with a shock collar...it is NOT a shock collar...it's just a training tool to help the dog know when to come or to look at you.

I was VERY apprehensive when I started realizing Rocket was deaf. I have 4 kids, run a home daycare and I go to school at night. I thought I wouldn't have the time it would require to train him. Things have gone remarkably well and I have to say that it may even be alittle easier to do obedeince training (which every dog needs) with Rocket because he is ALWAYS focused on me. There have been times when things were frustrating, but I believe that's a situation you'll encounter in training ANY dog.

Good luck and let me know if you have anymore questions!