Who hasn’t heard of seeing eye dogs? Pretty much everyone. But perhaps you haven’t heard of a hearing dog yet. However, within the last decade, a new type of service dog is emerging and that is the hearing dog. They are capable of providing help within the hearing-impaired community. Labradors and Golden Retrievers are the most popular type of breed that are perfect for this task. They’re trained rigorously to assist individuals who suffer from hearing loss on a daily basis. We will explore in this article the training involved and what to do to obtain a hearing dog.
What’s the Training Regimen?
Trained to alert his owner with hearing loss, the hearing dog undergoes a period of training over four to six months. During this time, the dog is taught the correct temperament necessary to provide assistance. As a result, they can respond to several different sounds, from fire alarms to a door knocking. When paired up with partners, the dogs can get additional training with even more sounds that are specific to the requirements of their owners.
Obtaining a Dog: What are the Requirements?
There are several prerequisites to obtaining a hearing dog. You’ll have to fill out an application and be able to prove you’re 18 years old or older. Having a friend or family member in mind who can provide assistance with in-home training of the dog is imperative. It will be determined through the application if your living space can accommodate a hearing dog. Finally, you need to agree to annual canine training and follow-up to ensure everything is going as planned. In the end, you’ll be partners with a hearing dog that does all it can to make your daily life easier with a hearing impairment.
Benefits of Hearing Dogs
A few weeks of personalized care is required once the dog is placed with their partner. This is so it can be verified that the two are a solid match. Once all the training is finished, hearing dogs are able to assist their deaf or hearing impaired owners with many helpful services. One way they can do this is to alert their owner when different sounds occur throughout the house; in addition, these dogs communicate in different ways according to the situation.
When walking through town and a police car goes by sirens blaring, for example, your dog is not specifically trained to notify you of that sound, but will use their body language to alert you to the situation. After awhile, your dog will alert you to additional sounds and situations, and you’ll be able to more easily perceive them based on your dog’s reactions. The bottom line? Your hearing dog will be able to detect anything you require an alert for. As a result, you’ll enjoy a long, friendly life with your hearing dog who can provide friendship and companionship for many years to come.