Whats the best way to train a deaf dog?

I congratulate you on keeping this pup and would guess that you might need a professional animal trainer. Good luck.

Vibrating collar, shock collar, spray collar and hand signals, flashlight signals.

And before anyone gets high and mighty about the shock collar, unless you have dealt with an unruly dog please do not lecture me.

Cheers and good luck to you. Most white boxers are deaf and sometimes have trouble with their eyesight. There are several books you can get that cover this topic. I would not waste money on a dog trainer until you have given it your best shot.
Always only reward your pup when they deserve it, never settle for less than what you are asking. He/she may be a member of your family and the best friend you will ever have however it is still an animal.
I may be able to help you along the way if you have questions, I grew up around a lot of dogs and a dog trainer, dog massager for angry dogs and a K-9 unit.
God Bless your four legged friend.

@judo: would not it be cruel to use a choke collar on a pup? I assume that @micks is talking about domestic training and not the kind of serious professional dogs in K-9 unit.

Maybe he should start out with all of your other very good ideas. And why are white boxers still bred if they are so handicapped? Or can’t the genetics be controlled?. I know very little about dogs other than the mutts we used to have as kids. Back then, no one did much training…but everyone eventually got the point and had fun.

@gailcalled:
I agree that choke collars can sometimes be a little much but they are much needed when you have a dog that lunges at people or into traffic. Even then though you can use what we use on our dog (120lbs. Great Pyr) a gentle lead that slips over the nose and the neck. You control their head movement thus stopping the pulling and jumping and desire to chase squirrels.
As far as the white boxers being deaf, the gene runs in the breed. You can have a bitch that has two or three litters and only one white boxer out of the entire total litter count.
Dogs are super smart as are almost all animals and yes they do get the point over a period of time however sometimes it is important to set a guide lines from the start.

@ Micksarecool ~ check this website for the Deaf Dog Education Action Fund. It looks like a good starting point. You might also want to check within your area to see if there are any dog clubs who have experience with this. You could then meet up with other deaf dog owners, and get pointers, etc.

Dalmations are also known carriers of the deaf gene, check to see if there are any breeders and/or Dalmation Rescue Leagues near you. Don’t give up and most importantly, congratulations. Owning a dog is one of the greatest privileges I have ever known.

If you are consistent and teach your dog that hands are the way you communicate (i.e., and never use them to instill pain) she will learn quickly. I was able to train my puppy with hand signals by age 6 months. Although she is hearing, I felt it was an important part of obedience training. I am very thankful nowadays, as she is a senior and is quickly losing her hearing.

thanks guys all of this is great help, the main problem is getting her attention an getting her to understand what I want her to do. I also with I could understand what she wants, for a deaf dog shes fairly quiet except when shes playing which is normal. She does understand when I point at her and say no and look mad or stern at her that she’s been bad which she somewhat gets but still not that well.

@ micksarecool, it it possible to teach her what you want by communicating with hand signals and your eyes. Start practicing by showing her a toy and putting it within reach but where she would have to stretch to get it. (For example, on top of a flat surface) Have her sit first. Then once you have her attention look at her and look at the toy. Keep doing this until she goes to get the toy.

You can also practice this with the command lay down. From sit you can look at her, then look at the ground. Next, holding your hand flat with your palm facing the ground, lower your hand downward in front of her. Next, look at her and then look at the ground. Repeat until she lays down.

When you do these exercises, visualize what you want her to do. With enough practice, she will learn to obey your eye signals. Always praise her, even if it seems like her response was a long time coming.

One common example of how dogs use their eyes to communicate is how dogs will look at their human and look toward food they want or towards a door if they need to relief themselves.

Keep us posted on her progress!