Blind, Deaf and Wicked Smart

All about the animals that are in our lives that are NOT horses
Kelo
Herd Member
Posts: 388
Joined: Mon Oct 12, 2015 5:42 pm
Location: Texas

Blind, Deaf and Wicked Smart

Postby Kelo » Wed Oct 14, 2015 2:19 am

Meet my new project. This is Gunner. He is appx 1, is 100% dead and about 80% blind.

He came from the Cocker Spaniel rescue I work with. A good samaritan saved him from being killed by his breeder and turned him in. He is a homozygous merle, which causes his coat and eye color, and congenital defects. My heart dog, Domino, was also a homozygous merle (sans major defects), so this was a heart descision.

So here we are. He is a BOLD soul, no fear. And super smart (well. For a cocker :lol:). I read everything I could and have been wallowing through training, but it is so hard! And hard to ask for advice, too.

We have started heel, sit, down, stay and come. I use a pen light as a clicker and a vibration collar for "come". It is a struggle to juggle a hyper puppy, pen light, treats and collar remote while also getting the timing. Ay yi yi :shock: We are making some progress, though.

I am hoping Gunner can step into Domino's shoes as a therapy dog. If I can get him broke, I think he could be almost as good as Dom was.

PS, do you have any idea how loud a deaf dog barks? :shock: He doesn't bark for guarding like other dogs, only when he is mad or frustrated (I think that is interesting), but he barks at absolute top volume because, of course, he can't hear to regulate it. Ouch! :evil: On the other hand, thunderstorms and vacuums? Nooooo problemo! :lol:
Attachments
image.jpg
image.jpg (90.04 KiB) Viewed 11846 times
image.jpg
image.jpg (83.15 KiB) Viewed 11846 times

User avatar
Sunshine2Me
Herd Member
Posts: 483
Joined: Mon Oct 12, 2015 3:59 am
Location: Central Illinois

Re: Blind, Deaf and Wicked Smart

Postby Sunshine2Me » Wed Oct 14, 2015 4:07 am

He's definitely a cutey, and I think you and he are a perfect pair. I hope he knows how lucky is to have found his way into your home!

kande50
Bringing Life to the DDBB
Posts: 1781
Joined: Sun Oct 11, 2015 7:28 pm
Location: Williamstown, MA

Re: Blind, Deaf and Wicked Smart

Postby kande50 » Wed Oct 14, 2015 10:31 am

Kelo wrote:
We have started heel, sit, down, stay and come. I use a pen light as a clicker and a vibration collar for "come". It is a struggle to juggle a hyper puppy, pen light, treats and collar remote while also getting the timing. Ay yi yi :shock: We are making some progress, though.


Now there's a training challenge. Could you use a long whip to touch him at different places on his body for cues? Someone I know used a fishing pole instead of a whip for a target, because it was lighter and longer. Course a visual target wouldn't work on a blind dog, but touches might. You might be able to get creative with odors, too? Another clicker trainer I know used vanilla on the checkers pieces to teach her dog to play checkers.

Kelo
Herd Member
Posts: 388
Joined: Mon Oct 12, 2015 5:42 pm
Location: Texas

Re: Blind, Deaf and Wicked Smart

Postby Kelo » Wed Oct 14, 2015 1:14 pm

I just can't add anything more in my hands. I have too many things to juggle as it is. The penlight (clicker) can be difficult to use, if he's looking away or we are in a bright room, it doesn't work well. I used a long-handled spoon with squeeze cheese as a target to help with "heel" and that worked very well. The vibration collar remote is a pain, but I don't know how else to teach him 'come'. I'm just winging it and hoping Gunner can figure it out!

I have been trying to use touch cues because I'm afraid he will eventually go 100% blind. But the visual cues work better right now (he CAN see to some degree for about 3-5 feet around him), maybe because it's easier for me to use the same cues I taught my other dogs with?

I want him to get broke enough to be a civilized dog out in public. The ultimate goal would be that he could pass his CGC and therapy tests, and be able to visit places. When we did our first obedience class, he just climbed right up into strangers' laps to cuddle, so he's a people dog.

Several people have mentioned scent training. I do think that is something that will be important, but I just don't know how to apply it. I don't know a thing about it!

kande50
Bringing Life to the DDBB
Posts: 1781
Joined: Sun Oct 11, 2015 7:28 pm
Location: Williamstown, MA

Re: Blind, Deaf and Wicked Smart

Postby kande50 » Wed Oct 14, 2015 2:53 pm

Kelo wrote:I just can't add anything more in my hands. I have too many things to juggle as it is. The penlight (clicker) can be difficult to use, if he's looking away or we are in a bright room, it doesn't work well.


You might be able skip the penlight/marker and just work close enough to him so that you could mark the behavior by handing him the treats at first. After that maybe touch as the marker, because you could use anything to touch him (reach out with your hand or a whip or throw something)?

The vibrating collar is a great idea and would make a good marker, but then you'd have to come up with something else for the cue for come. How about other vibrators on a harness, as he'll likely be able to learn to distinguish between them and that would give you multiple inputs? After all, with little sight and no hearing, all that's left is touch, taste and smell. I think their noses are incredibly good at detecting different scents, but you'd probably have to experiment with vials of scents that you could cap in between cues?

Niki
Greenie
Posts: 47
Joined: Sun Oct 11, 2015 12:43 pm

Re: Blind, Deaf and Wicked Smart

Postby Niki » Thu Oct 15, 2015 12:49 am

how does the vibration collar work?? Never heard of one. You press the button and it vibrates i get but does it have different patterns etc or is it used as "negative" reinforcement or as a cue?

Kelo
Herd Member
Posts: 388
Joined: Mon Oct 12, 2015 5:42 pm
Location: Texas

Re: Blind, Deaf and Wicked Smart

Postby Kelo » Thu Oct 15, 2015 1:37 am

Niki wrote:how does the vibration collar work?? Never heard of one. You press the button and it vibrates i get but does it have different patterns etc or is it used as "negative" reinforcement or as a cue?


Looks and functions exactly like a shock collar, except the only thing it does is vibrate.It has a choice of three buttons that vibrate it once, twice, or three times in quick succession.

I am using it as a cue, in place of being able to say "come" from a distance. Because he can't see me from more than about 5 foot. So it is only a cue -- not to be used punitively in any way. They mention it as an option in deaf dog training, and I thought it would be helpful. So far I actually have gotten him to down-stay-come from about 20 ft distance at home. He stays and when I vibrate, he comes to me for treats.

I actually don't like this collar, but can't find a better one that is vibration only. I refuse to buy a combo shock-vibrate, which is what most are, because I don't want to fumble and God forbid accidentally shock him. The collar needs to be a happy cue. But he is soooo sensitive to vibration, wish I had an intensity option as well as a number of vibrates option. If I could find a collar like that, with an easy-to-handle remote, I wonder if I could use it to give more cues?

Niki
Greenie
Posts: 47
Joined: Sun Oct 11, 2015 12:43 pm

Re: Blind, Deaf and Wicked Smart

Postby Niki » Thu Oct 15, 2015 7:32 am

Thanks - that's really interesting. I've never had to deal with a deaf dog let alone a deaf and partly blind one. I think its fantastic you're taking Gunner on :)

User avatar
Chisamba
Bringing Life to the DDBB
Posts: 4452
Joined: Sun Oct 11, 2015 10:33 pm
Location: New Jersey

Re: Blind, Deaf and Wicked Smart

Postby Chisamba » Thu Oct 15, 2015 12:11 pm

Can you put a vibrate on collar and vibrate on harness. Collar means left, harness means right.

Two quick mean down......

Or whatever sequence you can, so that if he cannot see you, you can still help him .

Some way to create a language for him . not sure if any of those thoughts have already been considered, tried, rejectedetc.

He is very cute, and I hope you thrive together.

demi
Bringing Life to the DDBB
Posts: 2218
Joined: Sun Oct 11, 2015 7:02 pm
Location: Texas

Re: Blind, Deaf and Wicked Smart

Postby demi » Thu Oct 15, 2015 1:31 pm

Just want to say thanks Kelo, for helping this cocker boy out!

User avatar
gee
Greenie
Posts: 34
Joined: Wed Oct 14, 2015 12:51 am
Location: Oregon

Re: Blind, Deaf and Wicked Smart

Postby gee » Sat Oct 17, 2015 2:51 am

This is a good book, a lot of good tips, also has a chapter on blind and deaf dogs.
http://www.petcarebooks.com/books/living_blind.htm]

Kelo
Herd Member
Posts: 388
Joined: Mon Oct 12, 2015 5:42 pm
Location: Texas

Re: Blind, Deaf and Wicked Smart

Postby Kelo » Sun Oct 18, 2015 2:32 pm

Thanks, gee. Will have to see if I can borrow or find it a little more economically priced. I have a book called Through a Dark Silence all about training blind/deaf dogs which is pretty useful, but I need all the help I can get!

Gunner is a sweet soul. Sleeping in my lap as I type. I look forward to our adventure.


Return to “The Menagerie”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 7 guests