I wrote previously about my experience adopting my dog Alan, a 2-year-old deaf flat-coated retriever mix who'd spent the past year in rescue. Here's an update, in honor of Deaf Dog Awareness Week.Alan has been part of the family for about six weeks now and we're settling into a nice routine. He has calmed down significantly and clearly is starting to feel at home. Recently he has begun barking when strangers pull into the driveway, which I think is a sure sign he now views this home as his territory.
His housetraining has come along well -- as long as I'm vigilant about keeping a schedule and listening to him when he asks to go out. Unfortunately, 5 a.m. seems to be a potty time no matter when we go to bed. On the positive side, I've been enjoying the early autumnal sunrises.
His deafness does present some interesting challenges for training. The biggest obstacle, I find, is the inability to firmly establish an ongoing "No" and "Good" dialog. With previous dogs I've relied heavily on this, but with Alan it's difficult.
Continue reading Living with a deaf dog: An update on Alan.
