by Amber Jackson — Preston’s Awesome Trainer!
Do you live with or know a dog who has a disability or one that is a special needs dog? He maybe deaf, blind, or missing a leg? Do you think they are happy? Do they even know that they are disabled?
I decided to blog about this particular topic because my Dalmatian Duke had his right hind leg amputated at 8 months old. Recently, I had someone ask me why I let him live like that. Why didn’t I just put him down so he didn’t suffer? The individual implied that he would be miserable for the rest of his life. They said it was cruel for me to make him walk on three legs especially being such a young pup. Their comment caught me off guard because I didn’t know what to say because I didn’t think that they would understand. Raising a dog with special needs can be a challenge but so is raising any puppy or child. You will have things that you have to be cautious of as a pet parent.We all know that dogs should always stay at a healthy weight and never be allowed to become obese. This is especially important when the dog is missing a leg. While having to walk around and missing a leg is hard enough on the joints, you do not want to have to worry about the extra weight putting more strain on him. You have to be aware of proper joint supplements. There is also the possibly of them being diagnosed with arthritis earlier than most dogs. You have to be careful when training. A small jump to one dog can be a very painful for a two or three legged dog.
When you have a dog who cannot hear he will have to be trained using visual hand signals that the whole family agrees on so the dog doesn’t get confused. This is something that is important to do with all dogs but especially with deaf dogs. Noise or whistles will not get their their attention when they find something that is fun to chase or run after. They sell vibrating training collars that will help you to mark specific behaviors to help with the training. You could also pair that vibrating feeling with a reward as well.
When you have a puppy that is visually impaired you must take extra caution to make sure to puppy proof your home. They will get to know their home by the different floor textures in each room and also by the scents. Be consistent with this and try not to rearrange furniture unless needed and do not leave things on the floor. You don’t want them to fall. They are also blessed with the fact that their other senses become stronger and the dog will rely on those. Do not underestimate the power of the other senses. Also do not get in the habit of moving the food and water bowls around. Always make sure blind and deaf dogs can sniff your hand before petting them because this can startle them if they cant see or hear you.
Training is very important when taking on a dog with special needs because they need to be trained using positive reinforcement to help build up confidence. Look for a trainer that is comfortable working with such dogs. If you ever get the opportunity to meet a dog that is blind, deaf, missing a leg or any other disability you will not regret it because, you will see that they are happy. They live their lives to the fullest. They do so because in their mind nothing is wrong with them. it is truly wonderful to see that something as simple as not being able to hear or see doesn’t hinder them at all. Nothing can stop them when they put their mind to it. We as humans will take disabilities harder than a dog will. Always express happy attitudes around them because they can still pick up on the negative. Don’t feel sorry for them, they are normal and happy pets.
The person who made the comment about Duke obviously has never met him and seen that Duke is one of the happiest dogs in the world. I know he can still run, jump, swim and play just like he did with four legs. I think he runs faster now than before and I know he can out jump any dog I have had at my house so far. He gets around just as well has my other two dogs and they have all four legs. I don’t let that persons comment bother me because I know that Duke is perfectly normal and happy. In my opinion these dogs are actually not disabled, we are because we take the fact that we have all our limbs and senses for granted.
