Wait until the puppy falls asleep, and whistle or call his name. Start a few feet away from the puppy, moving in a step or two after each sound until you are making noises directly over the puppy. Puppies with normal hearing will stir or awaken in response to loud noises, but deaf puppies will sleep straight through the disturbance.
Move to another room and call the puppy loudly. A deaf puppy can read your body language and may come to you when you’re in the same room, but he will ignore you if you’re out of sight. Step back into the puppy’s line of sight and call him again; if the puppy moves only when he sees you, he may have a hearing issue.
Louise Lawson has been a published author and editor for more than 10 years. Lawson specializes in pet and food-related articles, utilizing her 15 years as a sous chef and as a dog breeder, handler and trainer to produce pieces for online and print publications.
Schedule your puppy for an auditory exam. Your veterinarian will refer you to a facility that conducts brainstem auditory evoked response (BAER) testing. BAER tests measure electrical activity in the cochlea to determine the level of auditory response in the puppy’s ear. This brief, painless procedure provides a definitive answer regarding your puppy’s hearing.
See if the puppy jumps or shies away as you approach him. Hearing-impaired puppies are easily frightened, because they can feel your footsteps approaching but can’t hear the direction of the movement. If the puppy cries or ducks away when you approach from behind, he may be deaf.
When should I ignore my puppy?
If they are not in any kind of danger from the behavior or behaviors (for instance, eating something bad from the garbage), ignore the behavior and reward when the behavior stops. The key to helping prevent negative, attention-seeking behaviors from your dog is by giving him plenty of love, attention and playtime.
Why You Should Get Your Dog’s Hearing Tested
For dog breeders, testing the breeding stock for deafness before they’re bred allows a better understanding of the type of genes that the sire or dam may pass on to his/her offspring. While testing helps avoid producing puppies that are hearing-impaired, the BAER test does not completely ensure the hearing of the resulting puppies.
For dog owners, knowing that their pets are partially or totally deaf will make it easier for them to address their deaf dog’s needs, such as developing appropriate communication and training techniques (use of hand signals or exaggerated body language). Necessary precautions can also be made to protect deaf dogs from potential dangers, such as vehicles and predators. The awareness and understanding of pet parents regarding their dog’s condition are very important so measures can be taken to ensure the dog will live a happy and healthy life.
Deafness in Dogs
Some dogs are born deaf, while others develop hearing problems later in life. It is estimated that about 5 to 10 percent of dogs in the United States suffer from deafness, either in one ear (unilateral) or both ears (bilateral). The number can be quite significant considering the number of dogs kept as pets in the US. To increase awareness and knowledge among pet owners, Deaf Dog Awareness Week is observed every year during the last week of September. If you’re worried that your dog might be hearing impaired, keep reading to learn how to put their ears to the test.
Cochleosaccular Deafness – This is the most common cause of congenital deafness in dogs and is linked with hair coat color patterns. Dogs with piebald color genes or merle color genes have higher risks of developing deafness in one or both ears. It’s also often diagnosed in dogs with blue eyes and white hair coats. Cochleosaccular deafness is commonly diagnosed in puppies between 1-3 weeks old.
Neuroepithelial Deafness – This type of congenital deafness occurs in newborn puppies regardless of coat patterns. Both ears are usually affected and are typically detected at the same age as cochleosaccular deafness.
Acquired deafness may occur in one ear (partial hearing loss), or both. Acquired deafness can be a result of a variety of factors:
Some cases may be temporary, such as when the ear canal is blocked by wax or pus buildup or from the presence of benign tumors. But it could also be permanent. Damage caused by some medications, trauma or injury, tumors in the brainstem, or loud noises (such as gunfire near the ears) are just some of the most common causes of permanent ear damage.
Deafness may also be an age-related issue in senior dogs brought about by the degeneration of the cochlea.