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Is Your Dog Loosing His Hearing? 4 Ways You Can Keep Your Dog Safe

There are a variety of reasons why there are many dogs losing their hearing. When dogs get to their latter years they can lose sharpness in their senses. A dog's genetics can also be a big role in whether or not your dog will lose their hearing. A major yet common reason dogs lose their hearing is because of disease.

You'll be happy to know even if your dog is losing their hearing they can still live full lives and function as if they still had their hearing intact. However, if you want your dog living without harming themselves because of their lack of hearing you will need to follow the advice of the below precautions:

1. Dogs that lose their hearing may become a little defensive and even more so if they are startled. When going towards your dog you must make sure they are aware of it. Do not go towards them if they have their head turned away from you. That will startle him and he may snap or bite. So be certain that your dog knows you are coming in his direction and do not go to pet him if you don't think he is aware of your presence.

2. Never allow your deaf dog to run freely outside. This may sound like common sense but you would be surprised as to how many injuries and deaths occur each year due to dog owners letting their pets run free outside while knowing that they had limited hearing ability, or even no hearing ability at all. When a deaf dog is running on the sidewalk and into the streets he does not hear oncoming traffic, which can result in a fatal injury.

3. If you want to continue training your dog and are used to using a clicker, learn how to work with a flashlight instead. It may take some practice and even some training classes on your part, but there is an efficient way to use a flashlight to train your dog in obedience.  The signals that you can give off by clicking the flashlight on and off can replace the noise that a clicker makes.

4. Although your dog may have lost his hearing, there are many cases where these animals can actually pick up on high frequency noises. For example, an item that creates a high-pitched noise that may work to get your deaf dog's attention, such as a dog whistle.