Hearing dogs for the Deaf: what is this?

Man’s (and Woman’s) Best Friend, Hearing Dogs alert their owners to everyday sounds that persons with hearing loss cannot hear. The simple act of knowing when someone knocks on the door or approaches, or awareness of various alarms sounding, fosters heightened freedom and self–confidence among persons with hearing loss. Many breeds can be trained as hearing dogs, legally recognized as Assistance or Service Dogs. This status allows the dogs to travel anywhere with their owner.



Function
Hearing dogs generally alert their deaf or hard of hearing owners to sounds that signal danger or a call for attention. In public, this could be a siren, car horns, emergency vehicles or even someone calling to the dog’s owner. At home, the dog can alert owners to fire and smoke alarms, doorbells or a knock at the door, babies crying or even a stove timer.



Identification
Service dogs are generally allowed anywhere that the general public is permitted. Privately owned businesses that serve the public, such as restaurants, hotels, retail stores, taxicabs, theaters, concert halls, and sports facilities, are prohibited from discriminating against individuals with disabilities. These businesses have to allow people with disabilities to bring their service animals onto business premises in whatever areas customers are generally allowed.
This does not mean that your dog can stay if it creates a nuisance. Obviously, if you go into a theater and your dog disrupts the show by continually barking, it is reasonable that you will be asked to take your dog outside.
If you enter a business and are told that you cannot bring your dog inside, you only need to say that you have a disability and that this is your service dog. A business can demand that you prove that your dog is “certified” as a service dog. He needs to wear his cap.



Training
Training hearing dogs takes several months, usually first at a training center for the dog, then in conjunction with its new owner. Each dog must be schooled in obedience, learning basic commands like “heel,” “sit,” “down,” and “stay.” By the time training is finished, dogs often know more than 100 commands. The animals must learn to be pleasant house pets, as well as to carry out their role as a service animal. Another major area in training dogs is socialization, so they can behave properly in public places. Then, of course, the dogs must be trained to recognize and respond to a variety of sounds.