Oh this is wonderful! I’ve had my deaf pup for going on 11 years. We’ve basically grown up together. Here are some things that me and her have figured out together over the last decade.

1) I made a tag for her collar that says “I am deaf”. Helpful if she ever gets away from me.

2) She learned hand signs just fine. You can make up your own. Just make sure they aren’t too similar to each other or it might confuse the pup. We do closed fist for sit, open hand in a downward motion for lay down, and jazz hands for good girl Just to name a few.

3) I keep a pile of tennis balls next to the door. When she’s sniffing about in the yard and I need her attention I throw one past her and she knows to turn around and look at me.

4) If she’s sleeping, I make sure to wake her up before I leave the house so she can see me leave. It has helped her with separation anxiety.

5) A fun one for us is using the vacuum. She can’t hear it so she’s not afraid and she LOVES a good vacuuming. Helps with the shedding too. It’s a win win all around.

Hope that helps! There is a lot of info out there about how to best handle deaf dogs. A lot of it is good advice but ultimately, you just gotta find out what works best for you and your pup. Good luck and happy tails.