Side effects (and solutions) to DDog going deaf

[natura]

My sweet boy is about to turn 15, and over the last few years his hearing has been deteriorating.

Recently though, it's got much worse, and I'm trying to keep up with the impact.

He's become heartbreakingly clingy - he's always had separation anxiety but it's become next-level (he starts wailing if I leave the room and he can't get through the door).

On walks he's only responsive to an ear-splitting whistle with my fingers - if I shout he doesn't even notice - so I have to be super-alert to where he is at all times.

We're getting pretty good with hand signals (come, sit, stay are all strong) but of course they only work if he's looking at me!

He's old, so any kind of intensive training feels unfair - but the clinginess is starting to become really hard for me to manage both emotionally and practically.

Anyone else gone through this? Any tips or advice?

Our deaf dog didn’t respond to any whistles or calls but did respond to loud claps of the hands.

Her recall was shocking so we mostly had to walk her on a long lead unless it was very quiet.

We rescued her when she was 13 and was already deaf so not sure how she adjusted. She was already a lapdog by the time she came to us and hated being on her own.

Our late dog went deaf at about 13 , I just used a longline instead of letting him off for his own safety . Indoors wasn’t an issue as he was watching me all the time he was awake.

One of mine went completely deaf & partially blind aged 18. I never let her off the lead but we have a very big garden with two fields that she used to wonder round. She sometimes got a bit confused as to how to get back to the house so then she’d stand perfectly still & bark as loud as she could till I came & found her. She was perfectly healthy otherwise & happy till she died in her sleep two weeks short of her twentieth birthday.

Thanks, all, this is helpful to read!

@Darklane, @Floralnomad, did you notice the increase in clinginess as their senses deteriorated? Or is that more likely to be something else going on? I've wondered about the beginnings of doggy dementia... but not sure if I'm overthinking things

Not really but she’d always followed be everywhere, even to the loo, all Skyes being “one man dog” dour Scots. The breed are very faithful but not demonstrative to anyone but their “ one person”
Mine are champion cursers & swearers at anyone who stops to admire them when out & about which unfortunately folk are prone to do seeing as they are so rare & glamorous.
Visitors to the house just get glared at from across the room no matter how hard they try to coax them.

Hi OP if you’re on Instagram there are lots of people with good ideas for deaf dogs. One thing I’d add though is about a dear dog I knew who became increasingly clingy. When his owner took him to the vet, they found he was both deaf and almost blind- the owner hadn’t guessed because he was so familiar with his surroundings. So all he had left was his sense of smell and he was becoming very scared. Some owners tap on the ground because the dog can sense that. He was a lovely, lovely dog that I walked for several years.

Although I’ve been on MN for years, I’ve never posted on this forum but came over to ask almost the same question as you, OP.

Our show cocker is 12.5 and has gone almost entirely deaf in the last few months.
Since Christmas, he’s been even more clingy than previously, which is pretty exhausting.
Additionally, he’s started barking in the house almost all the time he can’t see us and even when he’s sat next to us on the sofa - he’ll randomly start barking when we’re watching tv in the evening.
He’s also started barking before we get up in the morning (he sleeps downstairs and will stop for about an hour if we pop down band give him a biscuit).

I’m pretty sure his cognitive ability has been affected by age and the deafness has only worsened the impact.

Its so sad - we adore him but his recent behaviour is really wearying and we just don’t know what to do to help him feel more relaxed.