anyone here have a hearing dog?

hi tigersharkdude,

do you have direct experience with Sibs? <Siberian Husky>

I see what HoHtopics means-

one potential difficulty with training one's own service dog - whether for mobility, signal, whatever - is that, unless the owner/handler also happens be an accessibility lawyer, or to work for or has experience with a training agency - can be more challenging to gain access and have the same protections as if you had a dog from an "official" agency. Dogs from agencies have official badges and contact information from an organization as part of their working equipment. You can get some of the same stuff, visually, from websites, but the handler won't have the same "connections".
 
dogmom said:
hi tigersharkdude,

do you have direct experience with Sibs? <Siberian Husky>

I see what HoHtopics means-

one potential difficulty with training one's own service dog - whether for mobility, signal, whatever - is that, unless the owner/handler also happens be an accessibility lawyer, or to work for or has experience with a training agency - can be more challenging to gain access and have the same protections as if you had a dog from an "official" agency. Dogs from agencies have official badges and contact information from an organization as part of their working equipment. You can get some of the same stuff, visually, from websites, but the handler won't have the same "connections".
Click to expand...

Excellent points that I was unaware of. Thanks, dogmom!
 
dogmom said:
hi tigersharkdude,

do you have direct experience with Sibs? <Siberian Husky>

I see what HoHtopics means-

one potential difficulty with training one's own service dog - whether for mobility, signal, whatever - is that, unless the owner/handler also happens be an accessibility lawyer, or to work for or has experience with a training agency - can be more challenging to gain access and have the same protections as if you had a dog from an "official" agency. Dogs from agencies have official badges and contact information from an organization as part of their working equipment. You can get some of the same stuff, visually, from websites, but the handler won't have the same "connections".
Click to expand...
I've had some indirect experience with another family's Sib. And needless to say, he was at times a bit of a tough dog. Maybe that family just happen to have one that was not too friendly. And that there are also other Sibs out there that are friendlier or more people oriented? Those running the hearing dog business would probably know better on which breed make better hearing dogs and so forth.
 
Sibs were bred to be long-distance, independent workers with extreme desire to pull loads, run fast and and also nature to work in groups - not that that means "group peace" but they don't have the more "solitary" one -relationship tendency the same way a Chow, GSD or Shar Pei does. They are not for novice people who have not cared for larger, working dogs. As a breed, they do not tend to look for direction from handler the same way the Sporting <Goldens, Labs> and herding <Border Collies, etc> do. They need to run/work for several hours a day ideally.

My experience with the service dog org. I volunteered with and my dog experience in general leads me to the understanding that hearing or signal alert agencies in particular look for smaller, often mixed-breed dogs <say Cocker Spaniel-size and a bit bigger> high-energy, VERY curious and people-oriented dogs who LOVE to investigate things and interact with people. They're looking for dogs who are bold and biddable - will work easily with someone - and want to see what's going on everywhere in their environment, as opposed to be being driven toward a specific intention. They want a dog who is able to hang out in smaller spaces for extended periods and can fit under or on a seat at restaurant etc

agencies looking for mobility dogs need different dogs then described above and the specific dog depends on the mobility needs of client. Generally larger dogs fitting a certain type, especially if this is a cross-trained dog. As with seeing eye groups, the mobility dogs tend to be in the Sporting dog category <Labs, Goldens> partly for breed tendency and partly because of unfortunate public stereotypes of other types of dogs such as Shepherds, Rotts, Pits - all of which can and have offered the same assistance with mobility needs but the public reaction to those dogs is different than to a dog like a Lab.
They also want a dog with the ability to pull a chair, open a building door, get up on their hind legs and turn on a light, push an elevator button up on the wall, pay a clerk at a counter or get the mail at the post office. More agencies have their own breeding programs for this just like the Guide dog organizations have been breeding for years now.
 
dogmom said:
Sibs were bred to be long-distance, independent workers with extreme desire to pull loads, run fast and and also nature to work in groups - not that that means "group peace" but they don't have the more "solitary" one -relationship tendency the same way a Chow, GSD or Shar Pei does. They are not for novice people who have not cared for larger, working dogs. As a breed, they do not tend to look for direction from handler the same way the Sporting <Goldens, Labs> and herding <Border Collies, etc> do. They need to run/work for several hours a day ideally.

My experience with the service dog org. I volunteered with and my dog experience in general leads me to the understanding that hearing or signal alert agencies in particular look for smaller, often mixed-breed dogs <say Cocker Spaniel-size and a bit bigger> high-energy, VERY curious and people-oriented dogs who LOVE to investigate things and interact with people. They're looking for dogs who are bold and biddable - will work easily with someone - and want to see what's going on everywhere in their environment, as opposed to be being driven toward a specific intention. They want a dog who is able to hang out in smaller spaces for extended periods and can fit under or on a seat at restaurant etc

agencies looking for mobility dogs need different dogs then described above and the specific dog depends on the mobility needs of client. Generally larger dogs fitting a certain type, especially if this is a cross-trained dog. As with seeing eye groups, the mobility dogs tend to be in the Sporting dog category <Labs, Goldens> partly for breed tendency and partly because of unfortunate public stereotypes of other types of dogs such as Shepherds, Rotts, Pits - all of which can and have offered the same assistance with mobility needs but the public reaction to those dogs is different than to a dog like a Lab.
They also want a dog with the ability to pull a chair, open a building door, get up on their hind legs and turn on a light, push an elevator button up on the wall, pay a clerk at a counter or get the mail at the post office. More agencies have their own breeding programs for this just like the Guide dog organizations have been breeding for years now.
Click to expand...

I have a cousin who raises Sibs. I can tell you that it is a lot of work to attend to the breed's needs.
 
Beach girl said:
In another thread we were talking about the organization "Paws with a Cause," based in Michigan, which trains dogs to be hearing ear dogs. It takes about 1 1/2 to 2 years to train a dog to the appropriate level. The first part of the training is standard obedience, done by individual foster-families. After the dog completes that part of the training, it goes back to their headquarters for the specialized training. '

(Hearing assistance is only one thing the organization does; they also train dogs to assist people in wheelchairs and other types of assistance.)

Once they start the hearing-assistance training, they do basic things like train the dog to go get the person if it hears a doorbell, a ringing phone, the "beep" of a microwave, an alarm clock, and other things. At this point it begins to be specialized depending on the person's needs. A young mother might want the dog to react to hearing a baby cry, in person or on the baby monitor. An older person in a wheelchair might need the dog to bring things (like a ringing cellphone) as well as react to the sound.

It's a fascinating process. Exactly how long the specialized training lasts depends on the situation and how much it has to learn.

Generally a person has to wait a while before a dog is ready for him. Once in a while there are situations where a dog is placed and then doesn't work out with the person, for whatever reason, and then it's returned and could be placed elsewhere fairly quickly. But usually there is a wait.

Plus, they will not place a dog if you already have a dog under 10 years old, nor will they train your own dog.
Click to expand...

It take 18 -24 months for "Paws with a Cause," to tell you if you can get a dog from them! You could wait 2 years only to get a 'NO" for an answer.
If get a 'yes' money has to be raise to train a dog , you do not have pay for the dog but it would help you get a dog faster if try to raise some money yourself. The whole progress could take 3-4 years to get a hearing dog from
Paws with a Cause!
 
tigersharkdude said:
I love dogs :D

Ive been doing some research, and have found that my favorite dog is a fairly good "hearing" dog......a Siberian Husky
Click to expand...

I do not think a Siberian Husky is good breed to use for hearing dog. They're outside dogs , I had a Samoyed Husky and she loved to sleep outside
in the winter! Husky also love to chase small animals and are not always good around small children. Some home insurance companies want you to pay a higher premium if you have a Husky as they're consider a high risk dog.
I am not sure where live , but if live anywhere near a farm that live stocks
you should not let your husky run lose.
 
The whole progress could take 3-4 years to get a hearing dog from
Paws with a Cause!
Click to expand...

Possibly, but as I understand it, once they approve you, you are on the waiting list while the dog is being trained. Once the year-old pup comes back to them for the specific training, they will be training that particular dog for the specified person. So it could be potentially as fast as 18 months, if everything goes well in the training.

Possibly, rarely I guess, even sooner, if a dog that has been placed with someone else doesn't work out with them for some reason, and then can go almost immediately to someone else.

Never hurts to get on their list. Two years can go by in a heartbeat, haven't you ever noticed that?
 
whatdidyousay! said:
I do not think a Siberian Husky is good breed to use for hearing dog. They're outside dogs , I had a Samoyed Husky and she loved to sleep outside
in the winter! Husky also love to chase small animals and are not always good around small children. Some home insurance companies want you to pay a higher premium if you have a Husky as they're consider a high risk dog.
I am not sure where live , but if live anywhere near a farm that live stocks
you should not let your husky run lose.
Click to expand...

let a dog run loose? Who does that. Your dog would get picked up by aniimal control here if you did that. I have no small children, and hate to say it but my 2 small dogs are getting old (both around 12)

I have done some researching and found a number of huskies that are hearing dogs. Im looking at huskies and german shepards, as I love big dogs.
 
For a hearing assistance dog, you do want to remember that the dog should go with you almost everywhere. A smaller dog can fit into more spaces than a larger dog can.

Keep an open mind. I used to love larger dogs, and my "heart dog" was a large dog who was my guard dog when I lived in Africa. I brought him back to the U.S. with me and had him for many years.

After he died, we bought our first poodle, who was so wonderful and smart and funny and affectionate, we said we would never have anything but poodles again. I never thought I would like small dogs that need a lot of grooming, but now I'm nuts about them.

Not saying you should get a poodle, of course (although hard to go wrong with one ;-) ), but just saying that an assistance dog is not the same as a pet, and has to fit into a wide variety of places that you would just never think about with the usual pet.
 
My cats react to noises (people at door, etc) and if they happen to be in my "view", I'll notice and then look to where they're looking
Click to expand...
I tried convincing my college that there was such a thing as a hearing ear dog and that they should let me have one.....LOL
 
Beach girl, u had a Ridgie?

one thing I think about for me, too and I often discuss when talking with people who are considering a new/first dog - not only what does the person/family want the dog for/to do, but if they are thinking of a certain size/type/breed - think/learn about what that breed<for example> is FOR and would that be the most appropriate choice given the situation. Based on the information about themselves and the dog, how do they think the DOG would be successful...how would that work for them? Because the dog's success/ease in adjustment ultimately affects them and they could do a ton of work after an in-appropriate placement and still not have the "dream dog" they imagined. Though they are both big dogs, the Husky and the GSD <Shepherd> are two very different dogs in terms of temperament and needs. Loving big dogs, and actually working and living with big dogs is not the same thing ...add in dealing with public perception - especially if one is going to have a working service animal - I think it's a good thing you're researching into it, tigersharkdude. I have a friendly suggestion - go meet Huskies in person - either at shows, kennel clubs, see if there's anyone around you who has one - and spend time with them. See if you can spend any time playing with one and walking with one; same with Shepherd. Both neat dogs, but not for everyone.

even if someone doesn't have small kids, there can never be a guarantee that small kids won't sometime be over at the residence - either relatives kids, neighbor's kids, kids selling something, kids getting their ball back, kids walking by....the liability is always there regardless of whether the property owner personally has any small children.


unfortunately, many many people let their dogs run loose, I've seen it in my neighborhood, picked up a dog in that situation - a wonderful Pittie girl - and see it in shelters all time. There also tends to be quite a different official and public response with a smaller dog running loose versus a big dog running loose. Huskies are notorious for being able to dig under and get over fencing and when they run - they RUN - that's what they were originally bred for.
 
Beach girl, u had a Ridgie?
Click to expand...

No, not a Ridgie. He was a bit smaller than that, maybe around 55 lbs. He was some sort of terrier/hound/who knows what mix. Had a fox-terrier colored face, with that beautiful blackface /caramel eyebrows and accents /white blaze combination, and a mainly white body with some large black circles. And a wonderful fringed, curled tail.

His name was "Killer." Named by someone else before me - I was his 4th owner. Wonderful, wonderful dog. So good with people, so gentle with children, yet he literally saved my life from a guy who was trying to climb over the wall into my yard in the wee hours of the morning. Killer went for him and persuaded the guy to change his direction. ;-)

Also went after another guy who approached me in my yard in broad daylight. Killer was perfectly still and calm sitting by my side, until this guy reached out a hand toward me. Bang! He jumped up and again, persuaded the fellow to move on. (No actual bite - but had the guy not withdrawn his hand in a hurry, there would have been bloodshed, I'm sure.)

His instincts were always right on. This is the dog I mentioned in the "Marriage" thread, who didn't like one guy I was dating, but instantly adored my husband-to-be, who also adored him. It was fate - I had to marry my husband when he'd been approved of by such an expert!

I greatly admired the Ridgies. A friend of mine there bred them, and she had a litter of pups at one point that were just gorgeous. I SO wanted one - and then considered my life-style, and traveling all over the world, and knowing that I would sometimes live in apartments and sometimes in houses - and sadly decided it just would not be fair to a dog like that, who needs space to run and a lot of time doing it.
 
Our pitbull cross in El Paso looked a lot like a ridgeback, although with pitbull head.

She weighed 80 or 90 and the vet said the pitbull kept the size down.

We called her Pal. :)
 
And I bet she was a good "Pal," too.

Dogs make such over-size imprints on our hearts, don't they.
 
My cats react to any doorfknocks, noises etc.. They all knew that I am deaf.. Sometimes I didnt except I left other cat by accident close the door and my other cat would annoy me hell out of it until I get the message and realized other cat was in other room and I had let him out oops. For foods or water if Im asleep.. they would annoy me to get me awake, one of them does the lick on face ugh. Its so awesome to have them as my assistance! :)
 
Back
Top