Jersey's Update
Submitted by JerseyBullies on January 9, 2011 - 9:08amFirst, I would just like the thank everyone who has given me advice so far on Jersey. The last few days I have reevaluated Jersey and her behavior. I documented it for three days to see what was working and what wasn't. Let's just say....I wish I did this sooner! I'm working on teaching her signs..so far she knows what NO means and what GOOD GIRL means. Her main problem was the screaming bloody murder in her cage, especially at night.
One of the biggest things I noticed is how much Jersey bonded with my other female, Cali, who is 8mths old. Initially I thought she was closer to Bronx, my 1.5 yrs male. Boy was I wrong, Cali and Jersey are like two peas in a pod. They rough house...play tug-a-war...cuddle on the couch together..partner together and gang up on the boys. Initially I had Bronx's cage in the middle of Cali and Jersey, so I decided to put Jersey in the middle for a trial test to see how it would go. WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!!! The last two nights she slept soundly in the cage! No screaming, no 2am wake up calls, just total piece and quiet and no dog in the bed! She rarely screams now. Its amazing how just put her in the middle made a huge difference.
She really is a fantastic dog. Now that we got the screaming undercontrol everyone in the house seems to behaving a lot better too. So my next question for those of you who have deaf dogs....when it comes to training...would Petco classes work or should I get a special trainer that has experience with deaf dogs? Also, when you travel...does anyone board their dog and does it cost more because she is deaf? My fiance and I love to take a vacation at least twice a year and don't think our family could manage watching her for a whole week.
Jessica- Bronx, Harlem, Cali, & Jersey
No to Petco
for training. You will need to find a trainer that is far more trained themselves and if you can find someone that has trained a deaf dog then that would be great. Pat on the other forum may beable to help you find books as well to help. Hopefully Lynne will pop on and see your post.
Your deaf girl is very pretty. She was just scared :(
If you find a trainer I would ask about referrals for inhome care (pet sitter) while you are on vacation. We used a pet sitter who was also a licensed trainer last year at it worked great! I would avoid boarding your girl if at all possible. I would think that would terrrify her.
Best of Luck!
Another training idea...
You may want to reach out to your area bulldog rescue and see if they have any recommendations for training. I volunteer for my local bulldog rescue and we have trainers on staff who know how to specifically deal with bulldogs.
and another idea
See if there is a Dog Training Club near you. Local to me (Dayton, Ohio area) there are 2 Clubs that specialize in training classes for Obedience, Rally, Agility, Conformation, Freestyle, etc. They are staffed by volunteers who have many years of experience training/showing their own dogs and in turn have lots of experience training the public thru classes. While they might not have experience specific to deaf dogs, they can have lots of experience training a variety of dogs and can be of much help.
While I'm not belittling Petco, Petsmart, etc. as a dog training place, I think the attention you need for your situation is better found at a training club or thru a person with more experience or credentials.