Deafness in white dogs??

Hi guys..I know I have posted a lot of stuff this week and i apologize I am just such an extreme worry wart when it comes to my Gwennie. I have heard white dogs are prone to deafness is that pure white dogs or would Gwen be considered a white dog because she is mostly white with 3 or 4 small brown patches? Since we got Gwen home my OH has been saying he thinks she is deaf! With training for example sit..i have "sit" and then i point my finger in a downward motion. Last night i did a test to see if she would sit just to me saying "sit" without the hand signal and she didnt! I have noticed this before that she will not sit until i do the hand signal..however I can do the hand signal without saying a word and she will sit immediately. I do think she can hear somewhat but I am worried she may have partial deafness? Would she be considering a "white" dog and be at higher risk or is that only for pure white dogs? I also read something about 2 white parents causing deafness. Both gwens parents were mostly white with brown/tan patches..any info would be greatly appreciated!

I thought it was just pure white dogs that have a higher risk of deafness, but not sure. She might just prefer hand signals though, Loki responds better to words alone most of the time. Does she respond to her name if you call her while she's looking the other way?

try "sweeties" , I can whisper this when Tommy is in another room (or softly scrunch a sweetie packet) and he will come straight away. Really don't know about full white or not but they can also suffer from selective hearing

it is solid white dogs that are much more a risk of being deaf or partially deaf then partial white dogs.

I have a solid white dog and mostly white one and thankfully both have full hearing! Does she react to sudden noises or noises around her? she may just be ignoring you

It could be that she considers the hand signal is her cue to sit, and not the verbal command!

How did you teach her?

Does she come when you call her? If you tap on her food bowl does she come running?

I have two whites and they are most definitely not deaf. However, Caryll is correct. Often times how the training is done will determine what they respond to. They think the command includes the pointing and that is what they respond to. Have you simply tried Dave's suggestion or getting out a treat when they aren't looking to see if she responds?

you really can't beat the hearing test of a response to a crisp packet opening

Dave wrote:you really can't beat the hearing test of a response to a crisp packet opening

Or a whistle when they are sleeping

She doesnt come from me just calling her..I have to slap my hands on my thighs and then she comes. I know it could just be her not wanting to listen but I get worried because she is mostly white. She doesnt respond to the food dish unless she smells/sees it. A couple weeks ago i got right by her ear and made a high pitched noise and I swear it seems like she heard it! I am going to try the whistle!

There's a test you can get to see if she's deaf, but I think you have to go somewhere specific to get it done, I don't think the vets do it. So if she's sleeping or facing the other way, and say you clap your hands near her, she won't respond?

I'm going to do a few tests now and I'll let you guys know how it goes! I found a hearing test on youtube! Might try that too.

I'm not saying your dog is or isn't deaf but even a deaf dog can live a wonderful and remarkably normal life. Just thought that it would be good to say.

I thought it was mostly white dogs with white parents but I haven't done too much reading on the subject.
My partner was worried about Taco (because of the white thing) when we first got him so I was checking him each time I went to the breeders by snapping my fingers slightly behind and to one side of his head to make sure he'd react. I still do this every now and then just to watch his head swing around. There's a hearing test that they can do at the vets which is the only way to really know for sure. Our vet said to not worry about testing him just yet as he's given no indication that he's genuinely hard of hearing. If you're concerned that she might have partial hearing, take her to the vets for a check over. If they don't have the equipment to do the test there, they'll know who does.
If she doesn't have any hearing impairment then you've got that reassurance and if she does have some partial or even full impairment then it doesn't change the fact that she's still a brilliant, gorgeous, little girl who is amazing at non verbal commands! Like Ben said, she can live a full and happy life either way!

It might sound a little odd but try putting on some Cesar Milan or something with dogs barking in it and see if she reacts. I've just tried playing the Youtube dog hearing test at my dogs and the reaction that I got was minimal at best but dogs on tv always seems to get their attention.

It tends to be all white dogs that are deaf especially if they have blue eyes

Gwen has green eyes. I know she could live perfectly normal and it would just make her more special!! Did a few tests I think she can definitely hear! Next time we are at the vets I'm going to ask him to take a look just to be sure. Thanks everyone. I think shes just a stubborn little girl that doesnt like to listen

aurora wrote: There's a hearing test that they can do at the vets which is the only way to really know for sure.

It's called a BAER test, and not all vets will have the equipment to do it. It's perfectly painless & stress free, although vets will sometimes lightly sedate a dog if they think it won't stay still for a minute or so.

But to be honest, unless there's a problem in the breed (which there isn't particularly, unlike the EBTs) or unless you have a real concern about deafness, I wouldn't bother. It sounds as though she gets selective deafness, and I'm afraid they all have that when they don't want to listen!

Ah, good to hear (no pun there...). Sounds like a normal staff to me! lol

Whoo! That's great news! She's just got selective hearing like most kids

It may sound strange but it's actually down to whether or not the ear is white, same goes for cats, if they're white on one side of their head that's the side it's possible for them to be deaf in and they'll be fine in the none-white side, it DOES usually only come with blue eyes however.

Glad to hear she's okay though

While doing research I also read it does have to do with the ears being white. Which made me even more nervous because both of Gwen's ears are white! I would like to do the BAER test just to make sure!

CaraJeff11 wrote:While doing research I also read it does have to do with the ears being white. Which made me even more nervous because both of Gwen's ears are white! I would like to do the BAER test just to make sure!

To the best of my knowledge it has nothing to do with the ears being white, more the complete absence of colour.

That's why it's usually advisable not to breed two whites together. A BAER test will not only show if there is deafness in one or both ears, but will also show the level of hearing. If there's somebody near you who can do the test (it's very specialist equipment) then by all means get it done to set your mind at rest, but I doubt that Gwen has a problem.

i was concerned about buck being deaf when he was tiny because hes pure white and because it was hard to get him to respond but i quickly realised that it was just because he was too busy exploring the world to pay much attention to me.

now all i have to do is rustle a packet or whisper the word "biscuit" when hes on the other side of the house, in another room and he comes charging in :p

im glad gwen has started to respond better. try not to worry too much. deaf and dogs with partial hearing can live just as amazing lives as dogs with full hearing