Senior Dog Comfort & Care

Because dogs communicate primarily through body language, hearing loss doesn’t have to affect their training as much as you may expect. Dogs are masters at reading our body language.

Focus on using clear and consistent hand signals. Pay attention to what your body and hands are doing when you ask your dog to do something. Do you point? Do you bend? Does your hand make a fist, or is it flat? Be mindful and stay consistent so it’s easier for your dog to understand.

A helpful skill to teach a hearing-impaired dog is the auto check-in. This means they are frequently and reliably checking in with you without being asked. Any time your dog turns to look at you or comes without being called, give them a thumbs up (a deaf dog’s marker word) and lots of rewards!

Think of creative ways to communicate with your dog through other senses. This could be flickering the porch light off and on (visual) when it’s time for them to come inside or tapping your foot three times on the floor (vibration) to call them over.