Is Your Puppy's Disobedience Caused by Deafness?
Hereditary Deafness may be the Reason for Your Dog’s Bad Behaviour
Some 54 breeds of dogs are believed to carry genes for hereditary sensory neuronal deafness, a condition which causes total deafness in one or both ears (unilateral or bilateral deafness). Dog breeds with brindled or piebald coats seem the most susceptible.
There is no cure for the condition, and dogs with bilateral deafness display behavioural problems, which if the cause is not recognised, may lead them to be labelled as ‘untrainable’, ‘disobedient’, ‘naughty’, and perhaps be sent to a dog shelter or pound.
Fortunately for breeders and owners of purebred dogs, the condition can be picked up with a simple hearing test in young puppies.
Hearing Test for Puppies
Puppies are tested at six weeks of age, when it is possible to pick up any degeneration in the cochlea and the hair cells in the inner ears.
A Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response (BAER) machine, a kind of electroencephalograph (EEG), records on a graph the responses of the auditory nerve and the different parts of the cochlea when sounds are fed into the puppy’s ears through headphones.
The clicks are played at 8o decibels and mixed frequencies, and are fed into one ear at a time, while the other ear receives white noise.
If either ear is deaf, the BAER will record a flat line instead of peaks from the different parts of the ear.
Genetic Link to Coat Colour and Hearing Problems
Australian veterinary surgeon,Susan Sommerlad, who has studied deafness in dogs for 14 years at the University of Queensland’s Veterinary School’s Small Animals Clinic, is currently researching the genetic basis of canine hereditary deafness and hopes to develop a gene test for the condition.
She said the genes associated with colour in piebald or merle coats may be associated with deafness in various breeds.
“Breeders suspect that the merle gene in collies can be associated with deafness and eye problems, so they do not breed two dogs with merle colouring,” she said.
“Piebald and extreme piebald genes seen in bull terriers and Dalmatians may also be associated with deafness.”
Breeds Susceptible to Hereditary Sensory Neuronal Deafness
Fifty-four breeds of dog are known to be susceptible to the hereditary condition. The main breeds that suffer from it, in order of frequency are:
- Dalmatians
- Australian cattle dogs
- Stumpy-tail cattle dogs
- Border Collies
- Bull Terriers
- white Staffordshires
- Harlequin Great Danes
- English Setters
- Australian Shepherds
- American Cocker Spaniels
- French Pied Bulldogs
Behaviour Problems in Totally Deaf Dogs
Dr Sommerlad said that deaf dogs, especially those which are bilaterally deaf, are very difficult to train and exhibit behaviour problems, probably out of frustration.
These include:
- barking a lot,
- barking incessantly
- nervousness in dim light
- jumping at shadows, even with good eyesight
- over-excitable
- destructive
- becoming fixated on the owner and unhappy if not near him
“The animal may bark a lot, frequently incessantly, perhaps because it cannot hear itself. It may be nervous in dim light, and jump at shadows even if it has good eyesight,” she said.
“It could be very excitable and may even become destructive, as it compensates for its lack of hearing. It will also be very dependent on its owner and can become fixated on its owner.”
Dogs that are deaf in one ear display the same behaviour problems to a lesser extent, she said, as well as having difficulty in locating sounds.
Caring for Totally Deaf Dogs
If you have a totally deaf dog (bilaterally deaf), you will need a lot of patience to train your dog and to reassure it. The dog will be unable to hear your commands, so you will need to teach it to obey hand commands with the aid of a vibrating collar.
You will also need a very high fence for your yard, to prevent your dog escaping and possibly getting run over or causing an accident. The fence will also keep out other dogs, which might spook your animal.
It’s a good idea to have a hearing dog to keep your deaf dog company and help it understand the rules of behaviour.
Since there is no cure for Hereditary Sensory Neuronal Deafness, it is preferable to have your animal neutered, to prevent it passing the condition on.
Dogs that are deaf in only one ear from the genetic condition are easier to train and make good pets after they have been desexed, Dr Sommerlad said.
You might also be interested in What Personality is Your Pooch? and
Gene Cause of Cardiomyopathy in Boxer Dogs
Puppy Having a Hearing Test for Hereditary Deafnes
|
Deaf Dogs Can Seem to be Disobedient
|
Latest Articles