Activities For Dogs With No Ears

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Activities For Dogs With No Ears

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Introduction

If your dog happens to have no ears, then you are already well aware of the many day to day challenges your pup may face. The strength and tenacity of a pup with a hearing deficit is often apparent in their attitude and zest for life. You have probably already found many tricks to work around the fact that your dog cannot hear. But let's find even more fun games for your dog to play! No ears are needed for these fun activities so get your pup ready to play and be prepared to have fun!

Sign Language

Popular

0 Votes

Any Day

Free

Normal

1 hr

Items needed

Dog treats

Activity description

Even though your dog has no ears, you still need a way to communicate with them and sign language is the perfect solution! Training your dog to understand basic hand motion commands is actually surprisingly easy to teach and will be something that your dog will love - they will be thrilled to be able to understand you and receive praise when they do what you ask. Many dogs are trained to understand hand commands without words whether they have ears or not. This skill will not only be fun for your pup to learn but also useful in day to day life.

Step

Choose the commands

Pick the commands that you want to teach your dog and make a check list so that you can mark them off as they learn. Sit, stay and come are all great basic skills and easy to teach using hand motions alone. However, you can teach your dog whatever you like! Roll over, jump through a hoop, the sky is the limit!

Step

Decide on the hand motions

Decide what hand motions you will use for each skill. There are actual signs already for almost every command you could want to teach (sign language is, after all, a real language!) so it's recommended that you use real signs to keep things simple. However, switch it up if there are hand motions you'd rather use.

Step

Training with treats

Time to train your dog! Get your dog's favorite treats and go somewhere where distractions are limited. Do an exaggerated version of the hand motion you will be using and then help your dog complete the skill. Reward your pup and start again. Repeat the same skill and hand motion until your dog catches on and then continue to practice every day! Teach as many skills and hand motions as you'd like!

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Treasure Hunt

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0 Votes

Any Day

Cheap

Easy

20 min

Items needed

Toys

Treats

Activity description

If you dog doesn't have ears and therefore, cannot hear, chances are that their other senses are heightened. This means your dog may not be able to hear you but may have a super sniffer or laser eyesight. Put these abilities to good use by setting up a treasure hunt for your dog. You can do this inside or outside and you can use any number of things as the 'treasures'. Treats and toys are ideal, especially if they are your dog's favorite - they will be scrambling to find where their favorite ball went! No ears are needed for this activity, just a playful disposition.

Step

Select the treasures

Gather a few things to use as your treasure. You may want to begin with just three or four items and, once your dog is an expert treasure hunter, add more toys to make the game last longer. Make sure the treasure is something your dog will want to look for - a boring stuffed animal that they never play with won't work out well.

Step

Teaser sniff

Begin by showing your dog the treasures. Let your pooch sniff but not take each object. The first time you play, have your dog watch as you hide the treasure around the yard or around your house. Make sure they sit and stay so that you can hide each toy! Then, 'release' your dog and let the hunt begin!

Step

Praise for the search

Watch as your pup looks for the items you have hidden. Praise them with pats and attention when they find something that you hid. As your dog gets better at the game, start hiding the treasures with a little more difficulty: under a pile of leaves, behind a rock, or anywhere that will make your dog will really have to search!

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Go For a Sniff

Popular

0 Votes

Any Day

Free

Easy

30 min

Items needed

Leash

Collar

Activity description

A dog with no ears will most likely enjoy sniffing everything. Even more so than a dog with ears, sniffing will help them to learn their surroundings and feel comfortable wherever they are. You may find that your dog with no ears sniffs a considerable amount while on walks and may be doing more sniffing than walking! So, why not let them? Why not celebrate this method of deciphering the world? Bring your dog around the block for a sniff instead of for a walk. Your dog will appreciate the extra time you give them to stop and smell the roses….or fire hydrant.

Step

Pick a place

Plan a place to visit that you know will have great smells. This can be right around your neighborhood, a local park or just a friend's house. A place where you know other canines have been is especially good for sniffing as dogs love smelling other dogs! Pick a smelly place and get ready to go!

Step

Stop and smell

Head out with your dog and be prepared to take longer than usual on your journey. The idea is to let your dog relax and enjoy the trip. Rather than trying to force a walk where you keep your dog moving at a steady pace, let them stroll casually, stop frequently and really enjoy smelling everything.

Step

Find new smells

Find new places to bring your dog with no ears where there will be new smells around. Dog parks are especially good for this (so many dogs, so many smells!) however you should make sure your pup will be okay in a crowded setting - mainly that they will respond to your commands if needed.

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More Fun Ideas...

Vibrating Collar

If your dog is unable to hear, training them with a vibrating collar can be very beneficial. The subtle vibrations can be triggered by you to get your dog's attention. Effective and easy to use!

Agility Training

Dog agility training and obstacle courses are typically taught to pups using basic hand motions making it the perfect activity for dogs with no ears. Set up that obstacle course and get ready to watch your pup play, learn and run!

Conclusion

Don't let your dog's lack of ears hold you back from teaching and playing with them. Your dog is just like any other and will love exploring, learning and playing. Pick an activity that will suit your dog's personality, not one that centers around their handicap. If it is an activity your dog will love, then you will be able to find a way around the fact that they have no ears.