Anyone deal with a deaf OES?
He's a young boy who is deaf. They said he does great off leash, always wants to know where his people are. The only thing is he may bark when left outside alone or in his crate. I am wondering do anyone of you have experience dealing with a deaf OES? What was it like? What are the disadvantages? Thanks! |
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| Is it McDuff?
I personally wouldn't trust a deaf dog off-leash except in a secure area. I have no first hand experience but most rescues require fenced yards for deaf dogs because you have absolutely no recall if they get focused on something else. Is your yard fenced? Ask too about his startle reflex to see how he responds to being awakened. Especially since you have children. Visit this site for more info- http://deafdogs.org See if your local library has this book- "Living With A Deaf Dog" by Susan Cope-Becker |
| The little fella you see in my picture is a deaf puppy.
He is wonderful!!! Although it is true they always seem to be very focused on their people I would NEVER let him off lead (as Jaci said) It is really not hard to teach hand signals for that same reason that they are always watching you. It can keep you very busy....for instance I was trying to take a nap earlier and Finn kept climbing on the coffee table. So, I had to keep getting up and signing him to get down. 
Puppies in general are alot of work! I love my deaf dog! (he is not my first one) Please feel free to ask any questions that you have. |
| Umm... Kathy!
That's Lulu
She's a beauty too  |
oops 
Wasn't thinking of that comment when I switched my avatar! Ok...here is the deaf boy! 
Always a mess from Quin chewing on him! |
| My advise go get him.... My Dolly was deaf, they speak with their eyes, trust me they look into the very depth of your eyes, the bond we had was irreplacable. She was off lead from 10 weeks of age, she did have two sheps to follow but she never let me out of her sight, her hand recall was second to none.
I miss her dreadfully, she would bark to get my attention,they are so special, you really wont regret it. Good luck and keep us posted. Debsx |
| How old are the children that he would be living with?? |
The big boy you see in my avatar, Oscar, is completely deaf. We brought him home when he was 10 weeks old, and he's now 4. Boy, time flies! 
I have written extensively on this forum about owning a deaf pup, so please feel free to browse. Oscar is NEVER off leash outside of a completely fenced area. The number one killer of deaf dogs is the automobile. It's just too risky. Oscar is also trained not to exit a vehicle or a door in the house without a sign telling him that it is okay to do so. Hopefully someday we will be able to eradicate deafness in the breed. (Okay, maybe I'm a tad optimistic.....  ) If not, like Donner's Mom, we will always share our house with deaf sheepies. We are hooked!
Laurie and Oscar |
| I had the great pleasure of fostering a five month old deaf female puppy for NEOESR last spring. She was a doll. I just put her in my four dog pack, and she followed them around. When they went out, so did she, when I called them in, she went right along with the rest of them.
She was adopted by a wonderful family in a multi-dog home, and she is doing beautifully. I agree with everybody else, though, I would never let any deaf dog off leash in an unfenced area. When you lose a deaf dog, they are really lost. |
| We absolutely won't place a deaf dog in a home without a conventionally-fenced yard (no electronic fencing). Outside of the yard the dog must be on a leash at all times.
Children are sometimes fine with deaf dogs although one was surrendered to our rescue because he startled easily and the parents feared the child would be harmed. My friends with deaf dogs are crazy about them and are willing to devote the necessary time in training them to be "just another one of the pack". There are many experienced people here on the forum and I'm sure you'll get great advice regarding your decision. Nita Midwest OES Rescue |
| Hi, thanks for the input. I contacted the foster home, but they said he needs a home with atleast one other dog, to go outside with. They said he will follow another dog around everywhere and needs one to feel at ease. Makes lots of sense. We don't have any dogs, so he won't work out for us. |
| I am sorry that this didn't work out for you. I know that the rescue is trying to place the dog in the best possible situation, and a multiple dog household is probably ideal.
However, Oscar is our only dog, and has been alone with us since he was 10 weeks old. We were told that deaf dogs need a "pack" too, and we tried to get Oscar's littermate when we took him home, but the breeder wasn't willing to give that pup up. We were mostly worried about separation anxiety, and Oscar needing a hearing dog to model after. Turns out our fears were ungrounded. Oscar settled in immediately. We taught him sign language the same way we trained our first hearing sheepie verbally, with repetition and positive reinforcement. Oscar has no issues with separation anxiety. Quite frankly, he's happier being the only dog in our household, as we discovered when we dogsat for a month for a friend's pup.  (Oscar is a little spoiled.  )
I just wanted to let folks know that it is possible to have a deaf pup as an only dog. It has worked out very well for us. Laurie and Oscar, one spoiled puppy |
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