Getting Started

Safety comes first!

The most important thing with a blind and deaf dog is their safety! That is the most important thing! You should always have a safe place to put them whether it's a safe room in your house, a crate or secure fencing. This is incase of an emergency or you have to leave the dog home alone.

If this dog gets lost, he or she will not make it on their own! These dogs cannot hear cars, predators and they cannot see cars or predators. They will not make it! So, YOU are completely responsible for their safety! If a dog that can see and hear gets lost, he or she has a much better chance of finding their way back home. So, please remember safety comes first!

You cannot let this dog run free in a park for a couple of reasons. These dogs cannot be left alone with other dogs unless you are absolutely sureeverything will be okay, because blind and deaf dogs cannot hear or see the signals the other dog is giving them. The other reason is this dog could run off if it is there is no fencing. Since you can't call your dog back AND the dog won't be able to see where you are, you cannot let this dog ever off the leash unless heor she is in your house or in a fenced area. If you cannotcall the dog back since he or she cannot hear you, the dog will run into a street unknowingly and possibly get hit by a car. So,YOU MUST keep this dog safe and always on a leash. His or hers life is in your hands. This is so important to understand! If you cannot keep this dog safe then he or she is better off at a shelter where it will be safe or another home. Please think about this before you think of having a special needs dog. It is a lot of work, so if you want an off leash dog or a park dog, adopting a dog without special needs would be best for your family. Now as this picture shows, crates do wonders! It will keep yours dog safe and confortable if you can't be there. So I would suggest you get your new dog adjusted to crates. Maybe you are wondering why there are shoes in front of the crate? Well, it made Youwho feel a little bit better and confortable when he smelled my scent.

Secondly, before you get to training, spend time with your new blind and deaf dog and form a bond. You should always have a bond with your dog, but is espeically important with blind and deaf dogs as you are what keeps them safe! For Youwho, it took awhile for him to trust me and know that I am there for him. He pretty much has to rely on me to not get hurt. I am his eyes and ears, so I must make sure he is safe and he knows that too. So, forming a bond is very important to make this dog happy and safe. Like I said earlier, it took awhile for Youwho to trust me and settle down. So, please have patience! You need to give lots and lots of praise and treats to form this bond. Also, since blind and deaf dogs rely mainly on touch, be sure to pet your dog all over from their ears to their paws. This way they are very use to touch and at ease with it.