Can Personal Dog Be Trained as Hearing Dog?
Friday December 19, 2008
An About.com visitor had a question about training personal dogs so that they can serve as hearing dogs:
My mom is deaf and has always had a dog with her to help her with letting her know the doorbell is ringing, and so on. Now we want to get her dog certified and registered to go into public places, etc. so Beloved Pet (her dog) can provide even more assistance and Mom won't have to rely one of us kids to let her know if someone is talking to her, etc.I wasn't sure of the answer, but referred her to the article on Hearing Dogs knowing that hearing dog organizations would best be able to assist. I have heard of people training their own dogs without certification, but professional certification is another matter. It is my understanding that hearing dog organizations do not train just any dog.
Comments
You do not need professional certification in order to get your personal dog recognized as a service dog, according to ADA.
Although one doesn’t need a certification papers to have a dog be a service dog under the ADA Amendment Act. One must make sure the animal in question has the right temperment and compatability. No health issues either. As well as been Individually trained to perform Tasks that will Benefit the person with a disability. (ie alerting to doorbell, etc.) Which in this particular case this dog is already doing some task for the hard of hearing individual.
However training ones own service dog is not for everybody due to the fact one has to not be biase when it comes to their animals. You have to know when it’s just not going to be the right match for safety reasons for both. As not every dog could handle such stress therefore shouldn’t be a service animal.
I have used my dog as a hearing dog when I drove down to Florida from Ohio last winter.Noone is allowed to question one about this. We can train our own dogs. My dog alerts me to cars coming down the street in back of me when I take walks, etc. I take her in the malls with me also. I bought her a vest that and got a little cloth patch to sew on at the same place that states she is a hearing dog. She was allowed to stay in motels, etc.with me with no charge, also. There is a paper you can print from a website that states you can train your own dog and noone is to question you about bringing the dog places with you. I forget the website now, but I’m sure you can find it by looking online at different sites. I carry this in my purse just in case someone does ask.
In 1996-97, my person dog was trained by Lions Hearing Dogs here in Columbus, Ohio. It cost me nothing but time. He is trained to let me know when the doorbell rings or someone comes to the door (or even on the porch), the smoke alarm to take me to the door by nudging me and following him and the alarm clock. Those were the 3 things I needed then. His dog tag never expires in our County and he has a tag identifying him as a Hearing Dog. More recently I have never been questioned but 10 years ago the concept was new.
You can actually get a tag with your dogs photo and identifying your dog as a hearing dog. You can check the website out ; www.servicedogtags.com. Jakes badge has his name on it and indicates in big red letters that he is a hearing dog and it has the ADA data on the back just incase any business wants to question it. This was the best thing I could have done. One goes on his collar and the other I carry in my wallet.
I am working with a local organization here in Indianapolis who is helping with continuing Jakes training. He is certified because I say he is certified; he is my right hand and anyone ever questions me, I do not hesitate to tell them. He helps me from when someone calls my name to when an emergency vehicle is approaching while driving. I hope this is helpful!
Jackie and Jake
I am currently training my chihuahua-dachshund to be my hearing dog. We have been attending classes through Happy Tails Dog Service Training in Phoenix. It is not easy and there are ups and downs! One thing I have noticed is the closer bond between me and Teal’c. We still have one test to take for full certification from Happy Tails. This will occur after 3 hearing tasks can be met 99% of the time!
anyplace near Houston, Tx I can take my doggie for testing - she’s had no “formal” training, but she is SUCH a help to me….don’t know what I would do without her for doorbell, parking lot crossings, smoke alarm, wake up alarm, etc.
both of my great danes have gotten some training in hearing ear work. there are some organizations out there that you can get your dog certified in. HOWEVER, there is no national organization that governs this. being a membership of these organizations do help give you support and make sure your dog is certified if you wish to stay in hotels etc or as a therapy dog. its totally up to you how far you take that training to. i believe that training your own personal dog strengthens the bond between the dog and me. once i got my dog trained to the phone then everything else was a piece of cake since she realizes ( as all of my smart pets have been) that they need to listen out for me. like the other posts say there are organizations where you can get vets, patches, cards etc. to show that your dog is a working dog. just remember when training or taking the dog into public places make sure that your dog will be welcome. i know i can take both of my dogs into lowes and no one gives me trouble. but i use the hearing ear work mainly in the house (alarm, smoke alarm, door). there are also organizations that can help you train your own dog. in my mind its not only cheaper to train your own dog but like i said earlier it strengthens the bond with you and the dog when you train the dog yourself. and thats not to say what a sense of accomplishment it is to do the training yourself. naturally, you need a sense of humor and willing to admit that YOU are not perfect. but that you can and will overcome the hurdles
.. best of luck!
I used to have a Mixed Yorkie (well, I guess he was mix because he is not toy size like most of them) named Gummy which was wonderful! We got it since he was a puppy. I don’t know if it was because the only hearing person at home was my dad, but I always had the feeling that Gummy knew we are hard of hearing. When someone came to the door, the phone rang, the alarm went off, etc. he always went to alert someone. When I left the keys inside I would tell him very excitedly “go, get mom, go, run, get mom” and he went running like crazy to get my mom to open the door. Sadly, he passed away three years ago. For the last two years I have had a shelter dog who was already an adult. I have been trying to train her for assistance, but she seems to have a development disability or is just not interested. I don’t think she has noticed that I don’t hear. I sure miss my old dog. With this, I just want to say that not every dog is able to understand the needs of a person, meaning that not any dog can be trained for assistance. Of course, I don’t know if I send my actual dog to a professional trainer maybe she will be more helpful.
My heart hurt when I read your posting Niq. I lost my dog Chief last March, and I still miss him very much. I am about to get a puppy so I can train it to my needs. My youngest son just turned 17 and between school, sports and his job, he’s not home as much to help let me know when someone’s at the door or the phone rings. I’ve been doing a lot of reading and learned that when you adopt an adult dog it takes longer to train them (puppies are like small children, their minds are like sponges and they learn very quickly). I recommend you find a local trainer that wouldn’t mind coming in to your home to find out what your dog responds to for training motivation (i.e. a toy, treats, praise) and can teach you how to teach the dog a few things you would like her to do. Then you can work on these things for a few minutes each day. I bet, with repetition, she will learn some things you want her to do. Once she sees how excited you are that she learned something, it may motivate her to do more and learn faster. Just remember, she will never replace Gummy. But hopefully, when you spend some extra time with her and you both share in her accomplishments when she learns new things, you will both notice a closer bond. And…as I tell my son…don’t forget your keys