Hi we rescued a 8 week old puppy and because he has no sight just wondering if anyone has any tips. Desperate for help. Already have 4 dogs. So trying to give him as much time as possible without cutting down on others attention.
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Blind pup need help
- Thread starter Sharrie
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First thing I would do is let a vet take a look to see if anything can be done. Also to make sure no suffering is going on. If all is well then rest assured that your pup should cope well with a sightless life.
I would arrange the house so that things are not moved around too much so that the pup can navigate without danger.
Scent is very useful to blind dogs. You could use one scent, say lavender, to mark doorways and another to mark steps. He will scent mark around the garden to help himself navigate.
Many years ago I watched a blind dog navigate a roadway on his way home (he had escaped from his garden) and it was obvious to me that he was measuring the number of steps he needed to take before negotiating a kerb. Amazing! Another one, which we fostered for a short while, would pee up every obstacle in the garden in order to know it was there in the future.
You could also introduce a word like "careful" to warn the pup of a potential hazard. Obviously he will have to learn some lessons himself.
Training can be done by using your voice and luring with food. If you have trained your other dogs then do be aware that most dogs pick up visual clues from us much more than they listen to our voices. If you want to test this out then just put your hands on your head or behind your back and tell your dog to "sit". See what happens.
With your blind pup he will learn to listen much more than other dogs do. He may will bond with one or more of your other dogs to help him navigate the world. Do be careful to ensure that he is not totally reliant on one of the other dogs as he will, most likely, outlive them and that could bring problems later on in his life. Ideally, he should get his guidance from you.
I would arrange the house so that things are not moved around too much so that the pup can navigate without danger.
Scent is very useful to blind dogs. You could use one scent, say lavender, to mark doorways and another to mark steps. He will scent mark around the garden to help himself navigate.
Many years ago I watched a blind dog navigate a roadway on his way home (he had escaped from his garden) and it was obvious to me that he was measuring the number of steps he needed to take before negotiating a kerb. Amazing! Another one, which we fostered for a short while, would pee up every obstacle in the garden in order to know it was there in the future.
You could also introduce a word like "careful" to warn the pup of a potential hazard. Obviously he will have to learn some lessons himself.
Training can be done by using your voice and luring with food. If you have trained your other dogs then do be aware that most dogs pick up visual clues from us much more than they listen to our voices. If you want to test this out then just put your hands on your head or behind your back and tell your dog to "sit". See what happens.
With your blind pup he will learn to listen much more than other dogs do. He may will bond with one or more of your other dogs to help him navigate the world. Do be careful to ensure that he is not totally reliant on one of the other dogs as he will, most likely, outlive them and that could bring problems later on in his life. Ideally, he should get his guidance from you.
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Hi, if you are on facebook, have a look at a page called 'The touch of sight'. Its run by a lady that has a blind Whippet, I'm sure if you contacted her she will be able to give you both tips and reassurance.
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