Veterinarians have identified somewhere around 85 breeds of dogs that are most commonly affected by deafness. Not coincidentally, many of the same breeds are also affected by blindness at birth. It is, of course, a genetic thing. The first tip that a dog might be deaf or blind or both (aka, deaf-blind) is that of having an all white or pelted, ticked, mottled, merle, harlequin, etc. haircoat.
Breeders who do what they do – breed dogs – because they love the breed, know the genetics that produce these outcomes. If they don’t know the technical language of genetics, they definitely know which dogs to put together as a breeding pair and which dogs to never ever breed.
Every now and then though, even the most careful selection of breeding dogs can produce a deaf puppy. Genetics is a roll of the dice. What breeders do with their born deaf puppies will be a topic for another blog post.
The list below represents the breeds and mixes thereof of the deaf dogs I’ve trained:
Akita
Australian Cattle Dog
American Staffordshire Terrier
Australian Shepherd
Bichon Frisee
Border Collie
Boston Terrier
Boxer
Catahoula Leopard Dog
Standard Collie
Dalmation
English Cocker Spaniel
French Bulldog
German Shepherd
Great Dane
Great Pyrenees
Jack Russell Terrier
Scottish Terrier
Shetland Sheepdog
West Highland Terrier
White Shepherd
And several mixed breed dogs!
Do you need help with training your deaf dog? Or addressing behavior issues? Fearfulness, separation issues, resource guarding, reactivity, aggression? No matter the issue, I can help you.
I offer in-home private lessons throughout the Greater Boston Area and Eastern Massachusetts. As with my other dog training and behavior consulting services, many people travel from Rhode Island, Connecticut, Western Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine to see me on Sundays in Brookline. In 2017, I even had a client who was visiting from Colorado bring her deaf-blind dog to work with me!
Don’t live anywhere near Boston or New England? I offer remote consultations and training to folks around the globe. I have a growing video library starring Hawk, The Deaf Dog! to support you.
Just have questions? I have answers! Visit me at Train Your Deaf Dog on Facebook and join my Living With and Training Deaf Dogs on Facebook Group.
Cheers!
Vera E. Wilkinson
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