Not so good Paulie news...

We had our first one on one obedience training today, and the trainer grabbed the behaviorist who happened to be free because he had a concern. Paulie is deaf. He does not respond to vocal commands or cues, is not bothered by loud noises, or noises of any kind(whether it be a semi truck or other dogs). There were other things that the trainer and behaviorist pointed out too. It makes so much sense, and the idea crossed my mind several times this past week and I just pushed it aside. Todd and I are so relieved that we know now. The poor thing was probably so scared because we didn't know how to interact with him, give him commands, etc.

In the 7 hours since our session, he is already making changes because we have. We are both very optimistic about teaching Paulie new things and behaviors, and are so relieved. Even though having a deaf dog will not be easy, for us it seems easier than a dog who is dominant aggressive. He is still biting, but we are viewing and reacting to it differently, so Paulie is reacting to us differently too. Like I said, we're really optimistic and willing to put in a lot of work to help Paulie.

We still want to have him medically tested, but we are pretty sure he is completely deaf. He is getting neutered on Monday, so I will mention it to the vet then to see if there is anything he can do. If anyone has any advice on training and living with dogs who are deaf, please comment!