think my new pup is deaf?

the_galwegian

Hi guys. I just picked up a puppy today, a Japanese Akita/Collie cross. I've just noticed that he is not so responsive to sounds.....if i really shout he seems to register but apart from that he carries on oblivious to the noise....can a puppy be hard of hearing, or just really chilled out?

andreac

Have you brought it to the vet? Dogs can be deaf alright so if you think theres a chance it could be i would urge you to take it to the vet straight away for a check over by them.

cocker5

the_galwegian wrote: »

Hi guys. I just picked up a puppy today, a Japanese Akita/Collie cross. I've just noticed that he is not so responsive to sounds.....if i really shout he seems to register but apart from that he carries on oblivious to the noise....can a puppy be hard of hearing, or just really chilled out?

Congrats on your new puppy

what age is your pup?? you may have to check his ears from mites??
this can cause reduced hearing...

have you clapped your hands beside his head?? does he turn around??? if so he should be fine...

Ih he isnt trained in commands yet then he wouldnt know you are talking to him... does he actually know his name yet??

Some puppies have "selective" hearing... as in the respond when they are interested etc..

TooManyDogs

He could be both! I have a deaf JRT, she was deaf from birth. She came into the sanctuary I volunteer for and we started thinking she might have hearing problems. One of the easiest ways of testing them (obviously apart from boer medical testing, but I think that's expensive) is to wait until he goes asleep, leave him 10 - 15 mins to make sure he's really asleep and then make a startling noise - blow a whistle, drop a metal dish, slam a door, that kind of thing. If he's deaf he won't react at all, if he's just chilled out you should still see some kind of reaction, even if it's only opening up an eye! If you have other dogs then put them out of the room first, it's amazing how deaf dogs pick up on the slightest signal from another dog and react correctly.

Good luck!

mymo

Bring him into a quiet room and when his back is turned, drop some keys, watch for movement of his ears towards the sound. Try it with quieter sounds too, this should give you an idea of if he is deaf or hard of hearing.
Also check his ears, look inside for redness and/or bad smell or dirty ears, these can be signs of infection, which can cause hearing difficulty.
He could be just ignoring you when theres something better getting his attention;)

the_galwegian

Thanks for the responses guys. I did some of your suggestions and he is definitely not deaf. He seems to be getting more responsive by the day, but still looks a little hard of hearing. Maybe it was the transition from being in a litter to being alone. His ears have no visible signs of infection and he never scratches them. He is getting on grand. He slept in his kennel last night for the first time. Now i'm looking into nutrition, training and his vaccination etc...oh and stopping him peeing on the floor!!!....he's good craic so far

thanks again