Biscuit has always been selectively obedient. She comes when called — if there is food involved. She sits — if she feels like it. She stays — never. So when she stopped responding to her name, I assumed she was just being a Beagle.
"Biscuit!" Nothing. "Biscuit, come!" She kept sniffing the bush. "BISCUIT!" She looked at me, confused, then went back to the bush. I was annoyed. I thought she was ignoring me. I thought she had decided her nose was more interesting than my voice. Which, to be fair, it usually is.
This went on for months. I got louder. I got more frustrated. I tried different tones. I tried treats. I tried stomping my foot to get her attention. Sometimes it worked. Sometimes it did not. I chalked it up to Beagle stubbornness and moved on with my life.
Then one day I was clapping behind her head while she was asleep and she did not flinch. At all. I clapped louder. Nothing. I touched her shoulder and she startled awake, looked at me with confusion, and then wagged her tail because she was happy to see me. She had not heard me approach. She had not heard me clap. She had not heard anything.
The Vet Visit
The vet did a BAER test — Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response — which measures hearing by recording brain activity in response to sounds. Biscuit had no response in her right ear and minimal response in her left. She was functionally deaf. Had been for a while, probably.
"How did you not notice?" the vet asked. I wanted to say something smart. I said: "I thought she was being a Beagle." The vet laughed. Then she said: "This is really common. Gradual hearing loss is invisible because dogs compensate so well. They watch body language. They feel vibrations. They smell your mood. By the time owners notice, the hearing is usually gone."
I felt terrible. I had been yelling at a deaf dog for months. I had been getting frustrated with her for ignoring me when she literally could not hear me. I had been a jerk to my own dog without knowing it.
What Gradual Hearing Loss Looks Like
Looking back, the signs were there. I just did not know what to look for:
- She stopped barking at the doorbell. I thought she had matured.
- She slept through thunderstorms. I thought she was brave.
- She did not react to the vacuum anymore. I thought she had gotten used to it.
- She started following me everywhere. I thought she was clingy.
- She barked at people she knew. I thought she was being protective.
All of those were hearing-loss behaviors. The doorbell, vacuum, and thunder were sounds she could not hear. The following was because she could not hear where I was. The barking at known people was because she could not hear their approach and got startled.
Living With a Deaf Dog
The good news: deaf dogs live full, happy lives. They just need different communication. We started using hand signals for every command. Sit. Stay. Come. Down. Good girl. Biscuit picked them up in about two weeks because she is smart and food-motivated and honestly probably relieved that I had finally stopped yelling.
We also use vibration cues. Stomping on the floor to get her attention. Tapping her shoulder before petting so she is not startled. Flashing lights when it is dinner time. She has adapted faster than I have.
The hardest part was letting go of verbal praise. I used to tell her she was a good girl and she would wag her tail. Now I give her a thumbs up and she wags her tail. Same result, different language. I still talk to her because it makes me feel better, even though she cannot hear me. She watches my face and wags anyway. She knows.
The Lesson
If your dog stops responding to commands, consider hearing loss before assuming stubbornness. Especially if they are over 8. Especially if the change is gradual. Get a hearing test. It is painless. It is informative. And it might explain behavior you have been misinterpreting for months.
Biscuit is currently asleep on the couch. I just walked up behind her and waved. She opened one eye, saw me, and went back to sleep. She is fine. I am fine. We are learning a new language together. And she is still the best dog I have ever had, even if she cannot hear me say it.
