Watson is going on twelve years old, he isn’t responding to us calling his name anymore, unless we really raise our voices, and that’s rather sad, because he then thinks we are mad. So, he hangs his little black and white face looking dejected instead of coming to us even to be petted.
I’ve looked on the web to find out how to give him care specifically designed for dogs that are going deaf, and have been unsuccessful so far. He acts perfectly normal in all other respects, if he catches sight of us, without us calling him, then he gives us his ‘happy face,’ tongue lolling out sideways and bounds up to us. He’s still eating fine, though he has gained weight since getting neutered last year after having severe prostate trouble, and was put on antibiotics for almost a year to get over the infection that set in.
Is there anyone else who has an older dog that is experiencing these same kinds of problems?? How did you deal with it? Watson is a male, English Springer Spaniel, we’ve owned him since he was two and a half. I don’t want to yell to get his attention since he gets upset when I do, how did you manage that?? A bell?? We still have a female who is a year older than Watson, and besides getting up and down carefully, she is as mean as ever, would a bell, or any instrument to get HIS attention hurt Molly?? HELP!!!
Nipper is 14.he too is hard of hearing. He isn’t the only old dog we have had so his deafness doesn’t disturb us much. If he is inside we stamp our foot.He feels the vibrations.
We haven’t come up with any remidies for outside but maybe one of those laser lights would get his attention.
Unfortunately nipper is getting steadily worse. He can’t see well anymore and sleeps most of the time.Although he seems lively when he is awake he just isn’t the same ol dog.
My son,nipper is his dog ,is going away to college this fall and I doubt nipper will be around to greet him when he comes home christmas time.Sort of sad but he has had a pretty good life.I doubt that any of his litter mates are still around.He was a pound puppy.
Foot stomping is usually the way to go. That’s how we did it when my dog got old. It was so habitual that we continued it with the new dog. My brother thought it was interesting that we stomped our feet to call the dog.
We’ve always used gestures as well as voice command when training as we used to puppy walk guide dogs for blind people & they had standard hand gestures when training.
I did a quick browse from some of my dog links & found this site & a few others:
Thanks for the links, ** fierra, ** some I’ve already visited, but I didn’t see the deafdogs.org or superdogs.comdeaf. I’ll try there after replying here.
What I most appreciate is the personal stories of how others have dealt with this, an older dog going deaf rather than having BEEN deaf all along, so thanks to ** handy, justwannano and Surgo **
Last night, Watson kept whining and crying in the basement and I went to see what the matter was. Molly just looked at him bored and wanting to go to sleep. I let him out of their little area, he went tearing around the basement/garage looking for who knows what. I was just bewildered, had he been dreaming? He finally stopped after looking under the cars, hung his head and came walking up to me slowly, I petted him, but you should have seen the way he acted, like he had failed at something important. He slunk back to his bed and laid down. I felt horrible. Now, I’m never sure, is this senile type behavior (Molly is two years older, and is just slow with gray hair all over her used to be black and white face) How to handle it??
I gave him some water, and he did drink it, but those huge sad brown eyes, made me want to cry. I felt as though I ought to know how to handle something for him, that I just DIDN’T know. It’s breaking my heart.
I don’t know if dogs suffer from tinnitus or not, but it sounds like (sorry…bad pun) maybe Watson is hearing something that isn’t there. Or maybe it is there and we just can’t hear it.
You might try getting his attention by a sound that’s a little more percussive - stomping a foot is good, but maybe also snapping your fingers. That’s a short, high-pitched, sharp sound that he might hear unless he’s completely deaf; and, maybe if tinnitus is the problem, it can cut through the haze and get his attention.
Is Watson an indoor dog? Or is he outside roaming free part of the time?
My best bud growing up was a cocker spaniel named Rebel. He was a treasure but became more and more deaf as he got older. We lived out in the country, and he had the freedom of roaming the neighborhood. One day when he was making is rounds, he was hit by a car. He never heard it. I hope Watson is contained most of the time.
Deaf animals are common. They handle that sort of thing a lot better than we do. They adjust just fine. If you are worried that your dog seems befuddled as well as deaf, check out canine cognitive dysfunction. Consult your vet.
Thanks, ** tbea925, ** and no, Wattie’s kept contained in a fenced in backyard. I did cut his hair today, he’s got really long, matted hair on his ears, looking like dreadlocks, he resembles Bob Marley. I’m hoping that will help some, though I doubt it.
