Training Your Deaf Dog With A Vibrating Collar

Just because your dog is deaf, it doesn't mean you can't teach him anything. There are methods to train deaf dogs to respond to your commands, so you don't have to lose hope and ignore your dog's training needs. One of the most popular methods of training deaf dogs to obey various commands is by using a vibrating collar. This collar is connected with a remote control device you can use to send signals to your dog. These signals are converted into vibrations, hence the dog can feel them. Such vibrations aren't too strong and they aren't harmful for the dog either. You can safely use the collar to get the attention of the dog.

One of the advantages of vibrating training collars is that they allow you to communicate with your deaf dog even when he's not looking at you. Methods that involve eye contact aren't always effective, as you don't have any tool to make your dog look at you when you need it. You have to use something physical but also harmless for the animal. Vibrations are safe if you use the collar according to the instructions. These collars are different than shock collars, so you don't need to worry you are going to scare or hurt your dog in any way.

If you use this method, you can teach your dog to do everything a normal dog can. Your dog is perfectly healthy except that he can't hear. There's no reason why he shouldn't understand just as much as a normal dog, provided that you find an alternative way of communication. If you use vibrations, this doesn't mean you don't have to touch your dog. Touching is also a good way of communicating your intentions. The only problem with the touch is that sometimes it is physically impossible, the dog being beyond your reach. That's what the collar is for. Use it wisely and your dog will be very receptive in learning new commands each time. You are welcome to use visual cues and markers during your training sessions and employ the vibrating collar only when you want your dog to look at those cues.

Apart from the remote control communication, the training method in itself is the same as for normal dogs. You need to give your dog clear commands that can't be mistaken for something else. You also need to always reward a successful execution with praise or a treat, so that the dog learns that was a good thing which should be done the same way again.

Training a deaf dog isn't the easiest thing to do, but with perseverance and commitment, you can succeed. It is possible that your dog doesn't agree with the vibrations, so you might need to be careful when you select the collar. There are many models available, the difference between them being the size, the active distance and the vibration strength. If you are lucky, your dog will accept this type of training and you are going to work very well together.