| ur dog gets older it is possible he may develop | | | | dog whilst he is awake making sure he is facing away |
| blindness or deafness. You may not be immediately | | | | from you. Stay a fair distance away from him |
| aware of this and can confuse the dog’s lack | | | | because he may be aware of the movement of air |
| of response to your commands with bad behavior. | | | | or sense a vibration. You can then do any or all of |
| Loss of sight or hearing will make an older dog | | | | the following; call the dog’s name, yell the |
| anxious because it will affect his routine. His anxiety | | | | dog’s name, jangle some keys, clap your |
| will increase when you leave him alone in the house | | | | hands, ring a bell or get someone to ring your |
| because, just like humans, loss of our senses is | | | | doorbell. If your dog doesn’t hear any of |
| frightening. If you notice that your dog is not | | | | these things, move a little closer to the dog and try |
| responsive, don’t chastise him; look for the | | | | again, but not so close that he can rely on his other |
| cause. | | | | senses to detect your movement. If your pet dog |
| It isn’t difficult to test an older dog’s | | | | does respond at a certain pitch, try lowering the |
| ability to hear and there are some easy ways to | | | | pitch and calling again. That will help you pinpoint how |
| identify the problem. Monitor your dog’s | | | | much it can hear but you need to give the pet some |
| behavior in his natural environment. If he is not | | | | time in between to settle down while trying the |
| responsive to sounds that he normally would be such | | | | different pitch levels. |
| as birds, vehicles passing by, children playing, other | | | | If you suspect that your dog is deaf the certain way |
| animal noises or he is sleeping through excessive | | | | to establish this is for your vet to perform a BAER |
| noise, there is a reasonable possibility that he is losing | | | | test but his lack of response to the above sounds is |
| his hearing. If he does not bark when a stranger | | | | a clear indication of deafness. |
| comes up the drive or in situations when he usually | | | | It is not the end of the world if your dog is deaf. |
| would, this is another sign that points to hearing loss. | | | | You just have to modify his normal routine. The dog |
| If an older dog is becoming deaf he will utilize his | | | | should kept on a leash when outside because he |
| other senses to get by such as his sense of smell, | | | | won’t be able to hear anything that might |
| sight and vibration. This might make it more difficult | | | | cause him danger, particularly traffic noise. However, |
| for you to establish whether or not he has a problem | | | | apart from some obvious safety measures there is |
| with his hearing. | | | | no reason why you deaf dog cannot continue to lead |
| Try to find an opportunity to creep up behind your | | | | a normal and healthy life. |