Bringing deaf puppy home

544ap22 · 12-12-2012, 03:20 PM

Hi!
I am about to bring this puppy home.. She is about 5 months old. She this beautiful pit, white with black spots and blue eyes. She is however completely deaf.
I have another 7 year old female pit at home and a 3 year old Yorkie that belongs to my sister. My female is usually good with puppies but Im a bit conserned if this puppy and her will get along when adults.
Do you guys have any advice on how to care for a deaf dog? and how to introduce her to my home? I've been reading a lot online but would also like to hear any opinions here in the forum.
Can she be a threat to the Yorkie?
I am not sure if I will keep her, I want to foster her right now asap cuz she is currently in a Vet and absolutely no one wants her. She is great but no one wants a deaf dog.
Any advice would be helpful.
Thanks!

EckoMac · 12-12-2012, 04:25 PM

There will always be the possibility of DA with any bulldog breed, mixed or pure.
Start learning hand signals and start teaching as soon as you get the pup. You will have a better chance of finding the pup a home if she knows basic comands. Def dogs are a little more difficult because you can't catch their attention from afar. You'll have to touch her to get her to look at you and then give her the command. It's possible to do, I've seen many def dogs with hand signal commands. Patience is key.
Also, you are lucky to have some form of people pleasing breed in there. Last dog I saw learning commands for the def was a cocker, and boy was she dumb and slow. LOL!

Saint Francis · 12-12-2012, 05:04 PM

Ecko is spot on. I know someone raising a deaf "pit bull", for lack of better words, and is doing well with signals and such. Patience, patience, patience is a must with a pup that has a disability. Good thing is that it can be done, as was stated above. Just have to be aware of the limitations involved and put yourself in the pup's place....it is a different world without sound!!! Good luck, and she is a beautiful pup

**performanceknls** · 12-12-2012, 06:31 PM

I work with a lot of rescues and have worked with many deaf dogs and generally they do well with training. They are really in tune with hand signals HOWEVER If they are pits and deaf we put them down. We have seen too many have deaf pits getting to trouble because they could not hear their owners. It was dog fights really, there was no control since the dog couldn't hear and after so many problems the rescued stopped trying to adopt them out. Just something to think about it.

Any pit is dangerous to other dogs it's part of the breed and a deaf needs even more care. Please read this site about the true nature of the breed. It will be educational for you.

Chloesmygirl · 12-13-2012, 04:37 AM

There is a facebook page called "Deaf Dogs Rock" and you can ask questions and what not. I've seen several postings with pit bull types on there that are deaf.

It's pretty amazing how smart these dogs are. We have a deaf one and we didn't even know she was deaf when we got her! Its funny too because I remember looking at dogs at the shelter and every once in awhile I would see a "deaf" one and I would think "no way I could deal with that." Now I deal with it and she is a great dog!!!! Sometimes people think they will be more likely to bite because they are easy to startle, this has not been the case for us AT ALL. She is not aggressive in the least and loves everybody that comes to the house, very friendly.

The upside is that they don't get scared on the 4th of July and you can shoot a firearm with them standing by your side and it won't bother them in the least!

At least you know up front that she is deaf and she is young, so you can give her a good training foundation. Thanks for giving her a chance!

MamaTank · 12-13-2012, 05:10 AM

Just make sure when you train her to pick a signal for the command and stick with it! My girl is deaf in one ear and is so-so in the other. I noticed she would get very confused/upset when my husband would try to give her commands, because his were slightly different than mine lol. We fixed that problem and now everything is fine

**redog** · 12-13-2012, 11:06 PM

Work on the dog focusing on YOU! Focus is the key word here. In a frenzy you will not be a factor in the situation at all... Site has the dogs attention. Redirected biting is common when suddenly the handler steps in to stop a fight. Deaf dogs tend to trigger faster at the slightest gesture from another dog, so only under a watchful eye should they interact.
The dog can't hear you so in my experience a good e collar with a vibrate can be used to remind the dog to "LOOK" at you when you need him too......and a strong ZAP to correct bad behavior. If you really want the truth, deaf pitbull types in a rescue situation are losers. Most are not adoptable and many fail in a multi dog home. Normally defects are dealt with at birth but most are irresponsibly pushed off on someone else to deal with. If you step up for this dog then you must take responsibility to make the right choice if the time comes. I know many deaf rescues that came out successfully so I'm not going to tell you you can't handle it. I've tried and failed some of the dogs I've had here by not thinking with my head, but with my heart........

Chloesmygirl · 12-21-2012, 03:36 PM

Thought this was cute.