well, this isn't MY experience, but my parents adopted a deaf dalmation (just turned 10 this year and still going strong!) when he was 5 months old. this guy had been passed from foster home to foster home since he was weened, and had no training beyond potty training, and no socialization. my folks enrolled in an obedience class with a woman who said that she had experience with deaf dogs. well, most of her methods were fairly normal, and they did get at least a good groundwork laid with him, but this woman insisted that everyone pin their dogs every training session to reassert dominance. Every training session, no matter what, they were all supposed to put their pups on their backs and hold them until they submitted. both my parents considered that to be kind of bullying, so as soon as they'd muddled through the first steps of training, they withdrew from the class.
|