How to Teach Your Deaf Dog to Watch You
Deaf dogs “listen” with their eyes. If he’s not looking at you, then he can’t “hear” you when you sign to him. Here’s how to teach your deaf dog to watch you!
When communicating with a deaf dog, we need to flip two switches in our simple human brain.
First, we have to stop being lazy and relying on our voice. We need to remember that speaking is not enough because, well, he can’t hear us! Sure, talking to our deaf dog while we sign changes our facial expressions and alters our body language, both of which provide nuanced, supplemental information that our deaf dogs use to better understand what we are saying, but, generally speaking, dogs aren’t very good at reading lips.
Second, and perhaps more important, we have to remember that our deaf dogs can’t hear us if they can’t see us. As obvious as that sounds, I find that I frequently have to remind people to get their deaf dog’s visual attention before they begin signing. If you’re signing to the back of your dog’s head, he won’t know that it’s time for a walk or, better yet, a cookie. To make sure that he understands it’s time to head to the door or lick his lips in anticipation, we need to make sure he’s looking at us.
Why “Watch Me” Is The First Hand Sign Every Deaf Dog Should Know
There are lots of good ways to get your deaf dog’s attention. You can gently touch him if he’s looking the other way. You can wave your hand or arms if he’s across the room. Sometimes, I even flash the lights to get them to look my way.
There are also some very bad ways to get your deaf dog’s attention. Throwing things, squirting him with a spray bottle, smacking his butt, pinching him…these are sure fire ways to create a stressed out, fearful dog who is more likely to respond in negative ways to human touch and unexpected changes in his environment.
In my opinion, however, the very best way to get (and keep) your dog’s attention is to teach him a “Watch Me” sign. This basic deaf dog life skill is easy to teach and, once learned, encourages your dog to visually check in with you frequently. Soon, you will find your dog looking to you all the time for information about what adventure is up next!
How To Teach “Watch Me”
- Choose your sign. When we adopted Edison and started to implement our training plan, we followed the advice of Deaf Dogs Rock. As our sign for ”Watch Me”, we choose to draw our index finger up to our nose. You can use any sign you like, but this is a very simple and clear sign that encourages your deaf pup to follow your finger in the direction of your eyes.
- I like this sign for another reason. When drawing your finger up to your nose, you can easily hold a treat in the same hand, encouraging your dog to follow the treat. This is especially helpful when you first begin training.
- To get started, use the treat to get your dog’s attention. Choose a treat your dog really likes, one that will motivate him to work for it. Holding it in your signing hand, perhaps between your thumb and middle finger, let him see it or smell it. Once he is focused on the treat, draw your index finger up to your nose.
- As soon as your dog makes eye contact, give him the treat. You should also give him a thumbs up, flash of the palm or whatever other sign you use to mark the behavior you want. You should reward him as soon as possible to reinforce the behavior. Repeat this several times during each training session, and several short training sessions a day is best.
- If your dog stops following the treat, simply let him smell or see it to get his attention again and start over. It is crucial to reward him as soon as he looks at you so he can begin to associate the sign with the behavior.
- Once your dog understands what you are asking of him, you can slowly increase the amount of time between looking at you and rewarding him. This encourages him to actually watch you instead of just glancing at you. As your deaf dog masters this skill, you can hold the treat in your other hand or keep it in your pocket until he looks at you.
Once your dog learns to watch you, you can follow the “Watch Me” sign with some other command, such as “Come Here” or “Want a Cookie”? With patience and practice, your deaf dog will learn that “Watch Me’ means that some other information is coming. In time, he will begin to check in with you constantly, eager to hear what you have to say next!
Im curious, would some sort of device that emits a low frequency sound that causes vibrations be a good way to get the attention of a deaf dog? I was thinking about how you can feel bass when listening to music, something like that but toned down enough not to cause distress to your pup?
Hi,
That’s an interesting idea! I do know that some deaf dog pet parents use a vibration collar (not a static (shock) collar) for recall purposes, even in a small contained area like a house or apartment.
I use a vibra collar for my deaf girl for recalls!! Its been a lifesaver!!
The dog is beautiful!!! And thank you for sharing these tips. Although, I can hear, my mom still taught me alot of hand signals because deafness runs in the Maltese breed.
Great blog and very interesting. I know that if the pet cannot see you they cannot hear you. My sisters dog is an old senior who is losing his hearing. She always has to walk in front of him to get his attention. Your tips were very beneficial to someone who is just experiencing living and working with a deaf dog. Thank you for sharing!
Great article. Dogs sure do watch us when we have something they want to offer. The trick is to work with that.
I teach the watch me sign for focus purposes. I agree that it’s an excellent way to get deaf dogs to check in!
I have watched people in the park with their deaf dogs, it amazes me
This is important for all dogs! I remember one of the first things we learned in puppy class was to have our pup look at us, not the treat! Now she’s trained almost solely on hand signals.
That is a great sign for hearing dogs as well. Great post, Bernard.
Great post! I love learning about how you communicate with Edison. Communicating with cats is very different – it’s more about responding to their commands not the other way around. LOL
So many of your tips seem like they are perfect for every dog, and I think this one is no different! There are lots of times when I wish I could get one dog’s attention without attracting all the dogs or disturbing the people in my house. I
Great post! We’ve adopted a few seniors who are deaf (and somewhat blind) and we’ve always taught (actually, we didn’t have a clue but we put things together!) them to “look at me” by gently touching their hind leg. Then, with our hands close to their face, we’ve learned we had to teach them “come” “look at” and “sit” – with those three basics we were good and well on our way to a happy, beautiful and loving relationship! Your blog postings are always so inspiring and bring back so many loving memories of our sweet seniors. Thank you for sharing your knowledge on this very important topic!
You have an awesome blog for deaf dog owners. I hope this information helps them in training their dogs with positive reinforcement.
Love this article Bernard. The “watch me” training starts off just as you would for a hearing dog, I can appreciate that. I also love how you explain it in further detail for a deaf dog. I actually believe that pet parents should work on this even if they have a hearing dog. I am finding now that Mary is 13 and with another B-Day in July, she does not hear me as well. What if she gets to that point that she is unable to hear me. I believe it would be better to start now than wait until it’s difficult for her. What is your opinion on this?
Hi Suzanne, I’m a HUGE proponent of teaching hearing dogs some basic hands signs! If pet parents work a trainer earlier in their dog’s life, say puppyhood, the trainer often teaches a hand sign to go with the verbal cue. If pet parents would just maintain that, they will help their dog (and themselves) transition to being a senior dog when hearing isn’t so easy. And it’s never to too late to teach a few hand signs either!
Very interesting! Thanks for sharing
Great post! I totally agree with teaching them some hand signals. Pinned this, too!
This is such a good reminder about deaf dogs, cats, and people! Communication requires someone who is expressing something and someone who is receiving that message. If there is no one receiving the message, you are talking to yourself. I love the idea of using a treat in the same hand you use to sign your “watch me” gesture. That is a great way to to make sure your pet gets the idea that communication with you is a positive thing.
Getting your dog to check in by looking at you on a constant basis is always a challenge. Consistency and constantly reinforcing that behavior is the key. One of my dogs is great at constantly checking in but my Husky, not so much. I can see how getting that behavior ingrained is critical for a deaf dog. And what kind of jerk would hit or throw things at a deaf dog to get their attention?!? How awful.
Love & Biscuits,
Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them
Very interesting! This would be a great skill to use with every dog, even if they can hear.
Thanks for the tips. It’s so useful for me since I just take my Ginny home. I dont have any experience for caring those cutie. Thanks for sharing 🙂