Hearing Labradors

Article contributed by Jenny Moir - Hearing Dogs for deaf people [www.hearing-dogs.co.uk ]

BAILEY – A CASE STUDY

Handsome chocolate Labrador Bailey was just another resident of Battersea Dogs’ Home in London, having been “gifted” in as a puppy by a lady who could not cope with his boisterous nature. Rather unusually for a rescue centre pup, he came with a full pedigree. When he was two months old, he caught the eye of the Dog Assessor from Hearing Dogs for Deaf People as having the potential for training, and in June 2003 he started his new life.

Being a lively Labrador puppy he needed to spend some time with one of the Charity’s puppy socialisers to learn some basic obedience and manners, and so Bailey went to live with Karina and Michael Hearn in Chesham in Buckinghamshire. They spent much time and a great deal of effort teaching Bailey how to be a well-behaved youngster, and introducing him to all sorts of different situations and environments. It was during these eight months that he met other dogs, children and strangers, all valuable aspects of turning a bouncy puppy into a well-rounded confident young dog who will be able to cope with life as a working dog.

In March 2004, Bailey came back to the Hearing Dog training centre in Buckinghamshire for two weeks for a rigorous assessment. This was to enable Hearing Dog staff to check that he had all the necessary qualities to continue his training. Bailey passed the assessment with flying colours, and was allocated to Dog Trainer Bruce Petty.

Bailey is one of the first dogs that Bruce has trained for Hearing Dogs, and it is obvious that Bailey weaved his magic spell over Bruce in the four months that they worked together. Bruce showed us a glimpse of what it was like training an ex-rescue dog for a very important role.

“When Bailey came into training he had been out with his socialisers for several months, “says Bruce, “and they had done a great deal of work with him. This made my job easier from the start. When we started the soundwork, it was all quite new to him. He was a little bit hesitant with some of the sounds, and when it came to alerting – touching me with his paw to tell me about a sound – he found that quite difficult.

“We got over this initial problem by giving him lots of practice and encouragement, using treats and toys as rewards. As soon as he got the basics of the alert, he gained in confidence and ability to move on to other aspects of the work.”

During his four months’ soundwork training, Bailey learned to respond to seven household sounds – alarm clock, doorbell, telephone, cooker timer, the call, smoke alarm and fire bell.

Hearing dogs are trained to alert their deaf owners to various household sounds. “Leading sounds” like the doorbell, telephone and cooker timer are so-called because a hearing dog is taught to touch his owner with a paw then lead them to the source of the sound, whether it is the door, the telephone or the portable cooker timer. In the case of the alarm clock the dog will, depending on his size, either put two paws across the bed to wake their owner or jump on the bed fully. However, for danger sounds such as the smoke alarm and fire bell, it is necessary that the dog responds in a different way to emphasise that it is an alarm bell. In these cases, the hearing dog will alert his owner with his paw, then when asked “What is it?” he will drop to the floor to indicate that it is a danger sound.

It did not take long for Bruce to discover which sounds Bailey enjoyed most. “The doorbell was one of his favourite sounds,” he confesses, “as it allowed him to run from me to the door, using up some of his boundless energy. He loved the fact there was someone at the door as he is very people-oriented, and it gave him a chance to say hello to lots of different trainers!

“Another sound that he particularly enjoyed was “the call” – which is used when someone wants to gain the attention of a deaf person, they can call the hearing dog to them, then send the dog to fetch that deaf person. During the training period, this meant Bailey running between two trainers all over the training house – which was something he found great fun as he loved to run and stretch out his long legs.”

In addition to alerting their deaf recipients to sounds, hearing dogs are generally noted for their friendly, biddable natures. So did Bailey fit the bill as far as character is concerned? Bruce has no hesitation in singing his praises.

“Bailey was always a very happy, bouncy dog – quite exuberant at times in fact! He was extremely popular with all the trainers and kennel staff, and he always attracted attention wherever I took him. I know that he is already making a huge difference to his deaf owner’s life, and is still very playful, but has matured since he was in training. He does take his work seriously, but he does really enjoy it too.

“He was a model student when I took him out into town, and he was always guaranteed to draw a crowd. One time we were sitting in Trafalgar Square together – I was drinking coffee and Bailey, resplendent in his burgundy hearing dog in training coat, was drinking water from a Costa Coffee mug. All of a sudden we were surrounded by Japanese and American tourists snapping away with their cameras! Being the model hearing dog in training, Bailey didn’t turn a hair, and in fact I know that he now tends to pose whenever a camera is produced!”

Nowhere was this illustrated more than when he was chosen to be featured in the Battersea Dogs’ Home Annual Review. The stunning photograph of Bailey with Bruce really does show off his noble features, and although it took several hours to get the right shot, not once did Bailey throw an artistic tantrum!

Bailey completed his 16-week soundwork training, and went to live with the deaf person with whom he was matched earlier on in training. How did Bruce feel when Bailey finally flew the nest?

“I know that as a working hearing dog Bailey is very busy and active,” he says proudly, “and I know that he has definitely changed his recipient’s life. However, I have really missed him since he has left the training centre, as he was such a great character, with some quirky habits that were pure Bailey.”

So what were these Bailey-isms? Bruce laughs as he explains Bailey’s funny little ways. “When Bailey was relaxing with his toys he used to lie with his front legs crossed and his back legs flat out behind him, which made him look for all the world like a frog! He also had the distinction of being the only dog trainers have ever known to have vertical take off and landing! Sometimes I used to think his legs had been replaced with springs!”

Despite Bailey’s boisterous nature and huge sense of fun, Bruce just knew that the handsome chocolate Labrador had it in him to be a hearing dog of whom both the Charity and his owner could be proud – and he has been proved right. “I had no qualms about his abilities as a hearing dog, and I knew that with his lovable personality and willingness to please, he would form a very strong and close bond with his new deaf owner. I feel privileged to have spent a few months in Bailey’s company.”

Surely there can be no higher praise for a former rescue dog.