Dogs And Hearing Loss: How To Tell If Your Dog Is Deaf
Quick Answer
One of the first warning signs your dog may have a hearing problem, is deaf, or is gradually losing her hearing (often seen in older dogs) is a change in her behavior.
This may include any of the following:
Ignoring you
You may find your dog becomes unresponsive to your calls and starts ignoring familiar verbal cues.
Head tilt
She may tilt her head when you’re speaking to her, almost as if she’s trying to hear you better.
Limited ear movement
Given that dogs use their ears to orient toward sounds, you may also observe a lack of ear movement.
Confused or anxious
Your pup may also appear confused, or become anxious or hyperactive (Strain, 2022).
Non-reactive to common sounds
Other signs of deafness can include your dog no longer reacting to high-pitched sounds, or other common sounds (e.g. the doorbell, the vacuum cleaner, or when you’re getting her dinner ready).
Even loud noises such as thunder or fireworks may go unnoticed.
Startles easily
Deaf dogs may also startle more easily, as they can’t hear approaching footsteps or other sounds.
Barking more
And not realizing how loud she is being, a deaf dog may bark more.
Deep sleeper
She may also be less active in general, sleep more deeply, for longer, and be difficult to wake up.
How can I test if my dog is deaf?
To test your dog’s hearing, check to see if she reacts to an assortment of noises, like clapping, knocking on the door, whistling, or calling her name while she’s not looking at you.
If she doesn’t react or respond in any way to these sound cues, it may be a sign she’s starting to lose her hearing (FirstVet, 2022).
What should I do if I think my dog is deaf?
The best thing to do is to start by talking to your veterinarian.
The Kennel Club explains: “After examining your dog’s ear canal for any abnormalities, including wax or debris, infection, inflammation, and injury, your veterinarian may perform a simple hearing test.”
If the deafness is found to be temporary, they will of course make sure your pup gets the appropriate treatment.
They may also elect to go a step further and conduct a Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response test (BAER).
Considered to be the most reliable method for determining deafness, the BAER test records the electrical activity of the brain in response to sound stimulation (The Kennel Club, 2017).
If your dog’s deafness does turn out to be permanent, try not to worry. There are still plenty of ways to provide a happy and enriching life for your furry friend.
Can my deaf dog live a good life?
A study comparing the behavior of hearing or vision impaired (HVI) dogs and normal hearing and vision (NHV) dogs found that HVI dogs are “as trainable as normal hearing and vision (NHV) dogs, can make excellent pets, and show behavior that is well within the parameters of NHV dog behavior.” (Farmer-Dougan et al., 2014).
The researchers do advise that, due to their “sensory limitations,” HVI dogs may need certain “specialized training methods and adaptations” and require pet parents who are “motivated, understand the sensory deficits, and are willing to engage in the modified training.” (Farmer-Dougan et al., 2014).
In other words, yes your deaf dog absolutely can have a wonderful life, but you may have to make a bit of extra effort and be prepared to adapt to her needs.
Luckily, there are plenty of excellent resources to help you do this (see Deaf Dog Resources at the end of this post).
To get started, here’s a great little video from Battersea Dogs and Cats providing some general pointers on caring for a deaf dog:
What are the causes of hearing loss?
Deafness refers either to a complete inability to hear or partial hearing loss. It can be temporary or permanent and affect one ear or both ears.
Causes of deafness include a build-up of wax or debris in the ear canal, which can cause temporary deafness.
Permanent deafness has many potential origins. For example, untreated chronic ear infections, injury, tumors, exposure to toxins (including medication), and old age. And some dogs are born deaf (Central Texas Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Hospital, 2022).
Which dog breeds are at higher risk for deafness?
Dr. George Strain of the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine lists the following breeds of dogs as commonly affected: Dalmatians, bull terriers, Australian cattle dogs, Ccatahoulas, English cocker spaniels, Parson Russell terriers, and Boston terriers.
According to Strain, there are currently about 100 dog breeds on the list, but this may change due to breed popularity and selective breeding.
Congenital deafness can affect dogs of any breed, for a variety of reasons although, according to Strain, “breeds with white pigmentation are most affected.”
READ NEXT
Resources
- 7 Myths About Deaf Dogs – Dr. Morag Heirs
- A Game You Can Play With Your Deaf Dog [Video] – Terrie Hayward
- Advice On Caring For a Deaf Dog | The Battersea Way [Video] – Battersea Dogs and Cats Home
- BAER testing – The Kennel Club
- Behavior of hearing or vision impaired and normal hearing and vision dogs (Canis lupis familiaris): Not the same, but not that different – Valeri Farmer-Dougan, Amanda Quick Kelsey Harper, Kirsten Schmidt, and Daniel Campbell
- Coffee With The Critters™ – Living with a deaf dog [Video] – Animal Behavior Center
- Creating Languages – Dr. Morag Heirs
- Deaf Dogs: Living with Hearing Loss – Central Texas Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Hospital
- Deaf Dog ASL Signs – Some Like It Home Grown
- Deaf Dogs Barking: What to do? – Terrie Hayward
- Deafness in Dogs – George M. Strain
- Dog Breeds With Reported Congenital Deafness – George M. Strain
- Gadgets and Gizmos – Dr. Morag Heirs
- How can I test my dog’s hearing? – FirstVet
- How to communicate with a deaf dog? [Video] – Terrie Hayward
- Recall: Teaching Your Deaf Dog to Come to You! [Video] – Terrie Hayward
- Training a DEAF DOG- Training Tip Tuesday [Video] – Atta Pup!
- Training a deaf dog? Try sign language – Sara Jackson
- Why do they bark? – Dr. Morag Heirs
Deaf Dog Resources
- Deaf Dog Education Action Fund
- Deaf Dogs Rock
- The Deaf Dog Network – Facebook
- The Deaf Dog Network – YouTube
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