# Oops.. done it again.. Blind dog experience wanted



## doggoblin (Jun 6, 2011)

I've done the fatal thing of looking at a couple of rescue sites. In this case it's a blind dog, a hovawart mix which has caught our attention Hund, Hovawart Mischling aus Odenheim - Sonnenschein Benny ist leider blind

I've browsed sites like Blind Dogs.net - Where dogs see with their heart! - Home but would like to know other people's experiences. My current information is that although additional care needs to be taken it's not that big an issue. It is possible that the other dogs we own may also "assist".


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

When Hoss, my brittany, went blind, Dude did nothing to help! Hahaha. 

I did have the advantage of having Hoss while he could see too but the key thing that I learned was that you CANNOT leave anything out on the floor. They learn the layout of the house and we made the mistake more than once of leaving toys (little brothers) or laundry baskets or something out in the middle of a room and he would trip over it. He could walk through the house pretty easily because he knew where everything was but just one thing out of place threw him off completely. 

New places or rearranged furniture made him nervous. He was fine at a few of the neighbors' houses that he had been frequenting when he still had his sight but we had to make sure to keep him outside in the pen with Dude when we would get the carpets cleaned since the furniture would be all over the place while the carpet was drying. 

Training them is easy as long as they aren't deaf too. THAT I have no experience with. Hoss never lost all of his hearing and he really didn't lose his sight until the end so I always maintained SOMETHING to communicate with, whether it be eyes or ears. 

The biggest thing was really keeping the house orderly and consistent. Even with no sight, that dog could come running to the kitchen with no issues when he smelled food.


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

One thing I just remembered was to talk to them in a constant stream when you are with them so that they always know where you are by the direction of your voice. I startled Hoss more than once by approaching him without vocally letting him know that I was approaching him. I learned that, as long as he was in the house with me, to keep a continuous flow of one sided conversation or to sing. Anything so that he could hear where I was at all times. That way, no startling him and he could come find me to let me know if he needed to go outside. That was another thing we struggled with at first. If we weren't making any noise, he couldn't find us and he would be stuck in the house when he really had to pee with no way out. 

Forgive me if I keep adding things in multiple posts. He was put down in May so the details of living with His Royal Blindness (as we used to call him) are slow in coming back to me.


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## doggoblin (Jun 6, 2011)

Add away.. More details the better. I have also heard spraying cheap deodorant on the feet can also help the dog when you are outside. Hopefully it's not too painful remembering for you and we definitely appreciate it.


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

Nah, the old guy stuck around with us for 17 years. He was also put down the day before I picked Buck up at the airport and I had already moved away (he stayed with my parents) a few months prior. Knowing that he lived a really long life and having the joy of Buck arriving to offset it helped me deal with it really well. I had already come to terms with the fact that I was not going to see him again when I moved. He stuck around a lot longer than most dogs get to so I can't really be sad about it. 

Now, spraying deodorant on your feet or the dog's?

Do you have a pool, by any chance?


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## Aerodogs (Jan 14, 2012)

I've fostered dogs for over almost 14 yrs (Feb) and routinely work with special needs dogs. Blind dogs can do well quite well in the right environment. Depending on their personality, they may or may not bond close enough to your other dogs to use them as guides but I find more often than not, they do bond with fellow canines. The posts above offer good advice in terms of keeping the house clutter free and not randomly moving furniture. They adjust much better if furniture is moved gradually. I actually don't find blind dogs startle as easily as deaf dogs (maybe those who previously had vision, but typically not those born blind) because their other senses are incredibly heightened. They can usually sense your presence by the vibration on the floor, or the subtle noises in your movement before you even reach to touch them. Training can be easy too, I find teaching them to use bells to let me know they need to go out works well and transfers over easily to other environments.


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## doggoblin (Jun 6, 2011)

No pool but am aware we do have some areas we need to "texture" as a boundary. Most of the bushes etc have not survived Emma which now has advantages.

The deodorant is used by someone who actually let's their dog off lead. The dog can actually trace the owners tracks easier. Off lead isn't something I am planning but idea may be useful as something to bear in mind.

Recently found through another site that this particular dog has been blind from birth.


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

Aerodogs said:


> I've fostered dogs for over almost 14 yrs (Feb) and routinely work with special needs dogs. Blind dogs can do well quite well in the right environment. Depending on their personality, they may or may not bond close enough to your other dogs to use them as guides but I find more often than not, they do bond with fellow canines. The posts above offer good advice in terms of keeping the house clutter free and not randomly moving furniture. They adjust much better if furniture is moved gradually. I actually don't find blind dogs startle as easily as deaf dogs (maybe those who previously had vision, but typically not those born blind) because their other senses are incredibly heightened. They can usually sense your presence by the vibration on the floor, or the subtle noises in your movement before you even reach to touch them. Training can be easy too, I find teaching them to use bells to let me know they need to go out works well and transfers over easily to other environments.


You have to keep in mind that my boy was 15 when he went blind and he started to lose some of his hearing as well. He startled very easily because he was old and just didn't use his senses like he used to. I am only going off of MY experience. I've never actually worked with a totally deaf dog. Hoss lost most of his hearing as well by the time he was put down... But he never lost the ability to hear the microwave or fridge door! Hahaha.


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## doggoblin (Jun 6, 2011)

Latest update.. After careful consideration with experienced being passed on from this thread and other locations we are likely to be picking blind Benny up on Sunday.


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## AveryandAudrey (Sep 20, 2010)

Yay you are getting him!


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## KittyKat (Feb 11, 2011)

doggoblin said:


> Latest update.. After careful consideration with experienced being passed on from this thread and other locations we are likely to be picking blind Benny up on Sunday.


lol blind benny - love it =)


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## Kbug (Oct 23, 2011)

Although I don't have much experience with it the blinddog.net site was very helpful for me when my dog was going blind (the dog died 1 month after going blind due to diabetic complications). 

The biggest thing I found useful was teaching the dog cue words and using bells. My dog seemed much more confident on the stairs if I told her she still needed to step. She also really needed to learn a "stop" command since she'd start running and then bump into something. Baby-proof your furniture that your dog could poke their eyes on. It doesn't take much bumping into stuff to cause eye irritation even if there is no significant injury. Put bells on you and your other dogs, especially if they'll be outdoors. Mine was bonded very well with my other dogs and they did play guide dog, but the bells made it so much easier for her to keep from bumping into them or to follow without being right on top of the others. If you have a yard you can set up an inground/electric type fence that works with a sonic/vibration collar. The wire does not shock the dog but when the dog gets close to the wire it triggers the collar to vibrate and/or make a sound that will alert the dog that the fence is near. The trainer I went to re-work my blind dog's training uses one and she says you can set it up with different ranges. For example you can set it up to beep as far out as 6 ft from the fence or as close as 6 inches.

Also, I can't emphasize enough how much good training will help you manage your blind dog. Also, you might consider going to k9diabetes.com and posting on your questions over there. Even if you dog isn't diabetic, diabetic dogs almost invariably go blind so just about everyone over there has a blind dog. They are a really great group and would be happy to help you with the blindness issue.

Kbug


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