This time it ' s not canine selective hearing

I have laryngitis. I've never had it before, but I've got it now, and let me tell you, I had no idea how much I relied on my larynx until it stopped working. Not just for mundane things like, you know, answering the phone, but to communicate with my dogs, and even to keep them safe.







Since moving back to the city last fall after 16 years in the country, I've taken to leash walking my dogs three times a day in the big park across the street from our house. We've developed our little routines and habits, and I keep them moving and not snatching illicit snacks deposited by careless picnickers, nor stepping into the path of oncoming cyclists, and a million other little things I want them to do like "Come," "Wait," or go "This way" by using... you guessed it... my voice.



Which currently I don't have one of.



It's not that tugging on their leashes is totally ineffective as a method of getting their attention. It's just that, well, they really don't understand why I've gotten so quiet all of a sudden. And they can't always figure out what I'm asking them to do. At least, that's their story and they're sticking to it.



It does remind me of when my Chow/Aussie mix Colleen lost her hearing in old age. We still lived in the country and I was able to take her on very long walks without needing to give her any commands, but there were many times I wished I could get her attention when her back was to me while we were out. Still, we got along just fine.



One afternoon we were out on the back deck, and I smiled at her and remembered that, more than a dozen years before, we'd learned hand signals in obedience class. I walked a little ways down the deck, turned to face her, and used the hand signal for "Come."



Colleen's plumed tail flew up into the air, her tipped ears perked, and she bounded over to me with the speed and grace of a much younger dog, plunked her butt down on the ground in front of me, and sat there, four-square and beaming with joy.



I immediately burst into tears, dropped to my knees, and promised never, ever to stop speaking to her again. I brought out every single hand gesture we'd ever learned, and she still knew them all. Even the ones I'd forgotten, and had to look up on the web.



So tonight when I take Kyrie and Rebel for their final turn around the park, I'll tug on their leashes, and smile and pet them, and be thankful that my voice should be back in a few days. And then I think I'll teach them a few hand signals.

Comments

[The OTHER Pat]

People forget that dogs are FAR more tuned into visual communication (i.e. body language) than they are to vocal communication. That is, dogs don't "talk" to each other, but they've adapted very well to life with their "talky" human beings.



Communicating via hand signal - such as what is done in the advanced levels of Obedience - is a WONDERFUL way to maintain your communication with an older dog whose hearing is not what it once was. And - as it turns out - it's not even all that "advanced" when you realize how much more "natural" it is for a dog than all the talking we do at them all the time.



Dogs are such wondrous creatures!

[Kat]

TODAY IN *ENERGY* COMMITTEE



Diminished Capacity: Can the FDA Assure the Safety and Security of the Nation's Food Supply? – Part 2



Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Hearing, 9:30 a.m. in room 2123 Rayburn House Office Building



http://energycommerce.house.gov/

[Kat]

TODAY IN *ENERGY AND COMMERCE* COMMITTEE



Diminished Capacity: Can the FDA Assure the Safety and Security of the Nation's Food Supply? – Part 2



Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Hearing, 9:30 a.m. in room 2123 Rayburn House Office Building



http://energycommerce.house.gov/

[Kat]

OOPS! Sorry for the double post. Hit STOP "X" but it didn't work.

[lost for words]

ah the joys of golden silence. I am deaf. I use hand signals with my two aussies along with my voice commands (my voice is ok as I have some hearing in one ear.). we are always learning new ways to use this. I didn't start hand signals until we were fairly well along in obedience training with the older aussie. With the younger one I started immediately using hand signals. Much easier when they are young anyway, always a new game to play. I highly recommend it to everyone. I teach obedience now after many years of being a student. I really enjoy working with signals. Always a challenge but so rewarding when it finally makes sense to both fur student and their human partners. At one time I was teaching my older one tricks using hand signals and it was always entertaining for both of us to see what behaviors we could chain together. I too have forgotten some of the tricks we started with. I'll have to go back and see what she remembers. Of course be careful what you teach them. It might show up in the obedience ring accidently. :-)

[Kat]

There are 3 panels, William Hubbard on 2nd panel.

[Maureen]

The House hearing on the FDA and food safety begins at 9:30 a.m. EDT -- minutes from now.



CSPAN3



I don't have the schedule yet as to whether it will be replayed tonight on CSPAN. There was a great call in show and discussion with the chairman of the committee, Rep. Bart Stupak, Dem, that just concluded. Don't miss it if it's replayed tonight.

[Kat]

On C-Span:



http://www.cspan.org/watch/cs_cspan3_wm.asp?Cat=TV&Code=CS3

[Kat]

It's on NOW!

[Kat]

Click on the Energy link for Windows Media audio/video.

[KathyF]

We've always used hand signals in addition to voice commands--my last dog went deaf too. Now we've learned new ones, including right, left, and straight, which we use while walking off-lead on wooded trails. When she comes to an intersection, she always looks back to see which way I want her to go. Strangers who see her obeying the command "Right!" or "Left!" are always amazed, but I think it's the hand signals more than the voice.

[Schnauzer]

I also have hearing loss, and seem to be prone to loosing my voice, so my dogs all know some traditional hand signals and we use various other sounds, lip smaks, hand claps, wistles etc., all mean look at me then a directional signal gets us going the right way. It's amazing what you can do without words...



At our clubs first rally/obedience trial (the first weekend you could have rally trials) I was the obed trial secretary, and was runing rally with an old almost blind dog and a young basically uncivilized puppy, and I lost my voice... It was a great, my old girl got her RN and the baby did too.

[Dorene]

Pepper has always preferred hand signals to voice -- some Border Collies have clear preferences and hers is definately for the hand signals. If I do a hand signal, she follows it immediately -- if I use my voice, she often looks back for the hand signal, just to be sure.