Today I’m focusing on the miracle Hearing Dogs for the Deaf  which many folks have heard of, but aren’t too sure what they actually do.

Seventeen years ago it was my goal to train hearing dogs for the deaf, but I was unable to source any information on how dogs were taught this phenomena. It was before personal computers, the internet and Google, and although I snail mailed begging overseas establishments for help, my requests were all ignored.
Even more determined, with only my dog training background, I set out to achieve my ambition with only a  magazine  article which showed the skills of these amazing hearing dogs.

Obtaining some dogs to train

So off I went to the  local SPCA where I received permission to select a handful of strays from death row for my   programme.  The manager, Colin, was most supportive and so I chose and named, Abby, Alfie,  Ashley and Annie, the first dogs in South Africa to be trained as ears  for the  deaf.

How would the hearing dogs be trained?

The dogs would learn to alert hearing impaired persons to everyday sounds which we take for granted, like a baby crying, the telephone ringing, the door bell, the kettle boiling or an alarm. Tasks taught to the hearing dogs would have to suit the  reciprocates’ individual needs.

But in order for the dog to succeed, it would first be required to get the deaf person’s attention, then lead him to the source of the sound and finally indicate the actual stimulus.

A whistle and some sausages

Not only was it the era before email but also before clicker training! Undaunted, I  used a whistle and many Vienna sausages to get my motley crew to touch me with their paws, which was the breakthrough.

From the whistle, it was an natural transition to the chosen sounds such as door bells, telephones and a baby crying for which I used a doll. Now when the little dogs heard the sounds to which they had been conditioned, they’d come racing to find me, tap my leg with their paws and lead me to the primary stimuli which they’d nudge with their noses.

What happened to the training programme?

And it wasn’t long before Abby and Ashley  were performing like true professionals. However,  the rest of the gang didn’t quite make the grade, but they found wonderful, loving homes from  the publicity surrounding the project.
It took three weeks to train the little hearing dogs after which they were fully functional and ready to be placed in deaf homes.

But sadly, it was not meant to be. Money and time ran dry and the two little stars, both sporting stunning new coiffeurs were  returned to the SPCA where they too found wonderful homes.

But the story doesn’t end there. Several  years  later I received a call from Colin telling me about a woman who had phoned him for help, as she was very worried about her dog. She said that every time her baby cried or the telephone or door bell rang, her little back and white Maltese Poodle, which had walked in from the street one day, went frantic and tried to drag her along to the noise… yes, it was  Abby still being the little star she truly was!