How to Communicate with a Deaf Dog

Challenge: a hearing-impaired dog

Do you care for a deaf dog? Have you ever had the opportunity to work with a deaf dog? I had not—until Blanca.

In 2013, my friend Milena rescued a large, but skeletal, dog from an abandoned gas station and contacted me for some training help. The dog delivered 10 puppies the day after her rescue, and was big, strong, and exuberant. I agreed to help evaluate and do some training with the mom, as well as assist with puppy duty.

Although I had fostered, ad...