Sister brought a ten week old, deaf albino home. I've never owned any pets so I've got no clue what to do.
Uhh, well it's Deaf so training it is going to be an absolute bitch.
Best I can do is link you here:
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/training/how-to-train-a-deaf-dog/
I'd suggest some mass googling tbh. It's going to be a lot harder because the dog is deaf.
Keeping the dog alive isn't difficult, keep a bowl of fresh water out at all times so he/she can drink whenever they need to. Feed him/her twice a day, with what food depends on how much you want to spend, but seeing on how young the dog is right now you shouldn't just go for dry biscuits. Dogs need nutrients and vitamins just as much as we do.
Keeping the dog happy can be a bit more tricky, it really depends where you live. If you have access to a garden I'd let them roam free if there is no chance of escape (do not underestimate a dogs ability to escape). You will still need to take the dog out on walks regularly, especially since he/she is young, this is both for the dogs benefit and yours, dogs can get very agitated (and annoying) if you don't properly exercise them.
Pet it
Do deaf dogs bark all fucked up because they can't hear themselves?
Would definitely recommend a gentle leader chest harness instead of a collar- makes teaching walking cadence a breeze, while being more humane.
https://files.facepunch.com/forum/upload/281778/dc668620-5d58-4b4f-a88a-49da725b6866/IMG_20170629_151744.jpg
Here's my late dog, Martha wearing hers.
If its deaf it will never know its a good boy
Kicked my dog over to a harness instead of a collar as soon as I could get one that fit him.
Could not recommend this enough. Works on vomit too.
I grew up with a kennel, so my memories of this is pretty old.
This might sound a lot, but it's very easy to remember and do when it becomes routine. And in the end you don't only gain a friend, you also introduces into a life with more healthy activity, and the experience of responsiblities. So far the only problem I've had with raising dogs is that they vary in difficulty during training, with different needs and that medical costs can be a lot of money. There are pet insurances than can keep the prices down.
This is general guidelines, and it can change depending on what type of dog you have.
Walk at least 1 hour a day
The dog is recommended to be physically exhausted 4 times a week
If the dog is young, nutrition is a lot more important. There's food specialized for puppies. When you but in pharmacies and pet stores, they usually recommend you stuff
At young age it is VERY important to teach the dog to socialize with humans, dogs and other animals. This also applies later in life, not as much if it has been teached well when it was a puppy
Water must be available all day
Always use a leash, especially in towns/cities. Only release the dog in the woods if it can handle social encounters. Remember that the dogs' race can inrease/decrease its capabilities to run free in the wild - this is debatable when it comes to hiking trails
Some dogs are made to be leaders, some are made to work for you, and some are made to work with you. But you must always remind the dog who the master is, but depending on the race, you should know how much you should master the dog (less or more)
Research about the dog on how to take care of its fur. Sometimes it's not even necessary except a single bath after a long period
Combing depends on the race, but most dogs need to be combed at the start of their legs, and where most fur is. Rarily there are races that don't need combing
Also research about common medical issues the race has
Depending on the race, and where you live (Sweden at least) you need to register the dog in certain ways
Some dogs are built for families, some just want to be lazy and sleep, and others need constant activity. Races such as polar and hunting dogs need a lot of activity and is not recommended for a owner without that lifestyle, unless the dog changes your lifestyle
Find out the real race or what is most closest. There are many dog clubs and experts out there that knows every detail about them
Never hit your dog, respect goes both ways and showing love makes the dog happy, and makes it care about others as well
Since it's deaf and the dog does something bad and you can't yell at it (never yell too hard), you must stomp on the ground, or GENTLY push the dog away; show them it's not okay, but not in the way as if you're a threat. This takes time
Deafness is a disability to percieve the environment, you need to keep it more safe when you're walking in the park, or streets etc. Naturally the dog will adapt and use their eyes/nose more, but that's not enough
Some stores sells vibrating collars that can help your dog through training to stop, follow commands, or put their attention to you. Hand signals also work but it's difficult
Always reward good behaviours, not just during training. But don't spoil the dog by letting it eat your food under the dinner table, you're the master
Deaf dogs can be startled when they're not prepared
Their dental health is important, and so is their jaw muscles. Give them special food and designed toys to let them chew on
Take the dog to a vet each year just to see what should be more focused on, or to discover hidden problems
If you ever go to a lonely beach or a snowy area, take your dog with you, it's a dream for them
Collar/harness needs and identification to prove ownership, and your phone number, and if possible your address. You can even chip your dog in case he/she gets stolen
Collars and harnesses MUST be the right size and comfortable or it can itch so the dog scratches till they make wounds, and sometimes even the collar/harness creates the wound. This is often hidden so it becomes infected
Depending on country, vaccinating a puppy may be a legal obligation
Puppies has a difficulty when it comes to controling their bladder/etc, so be ready to clean your house after them (should end at 11-13 weeks age)
Teaching a dog to sit is a basic command, and when that is learned it'll be a lot easier to train more advanced commands - communication is important
If the dog behaves badly it can also be because it's bored
Key rule: just love it like you love your family and you will take good care of it, and you yourself will be rewarded. Having a pet is one thing, but a pet like a dog is a lot greater. Mankind's best friend and all.
I don't know anything about deaf dogs, but as a general rule, make sure there's nothing they can get stuck in. If they stick their head in a box or a hole or something and get stuck, there's a real possibility that they can suffocate, so keep that stuff out of reach, or at least poke some airholes in them.
This sounds like it's easy to avoid but it's still healthy to be aware.
I had a dog go like that. Got into the recycling when we were out and got his head stuck in a large plastic bottle.
Dog must stay off the grass until parvo shots are given. Feed puppy food. Deafness doesn't change anything as far as training. Most new trainers should mostly learn to train via gesture first.
To train the dog to sit guide a treat above their nose and they will learn to sit out of comfort.
keep it company, let the dog be social and interact with other dogs, especially early on it its life.
your dog is super cute
It will pee everywhere, on the floor, in the bed, on the couch. And you'll need to have the patience for that. Sometime it'll also poop on the carpet and look at you as if nothing is going on.
Giving it a scheduled eating time is a good way to gauge when it'll poop and piss.
That was my biggest irks with my girlfriend's dog. But it'll improves significantly in a few weeks.
Remember to reinforce it positively when it has done good boy things.
This
My family looks after a lot of dogs, and we strongly enforce eating times, and we let them outside to do their business a few times around these windows of eating
Oh another thing, puppies will bite sometimes, and often they don't know how hard they're biting. So you'll have to teach it to be gentle. With our puppy we stopped giving it attention for about 30-60 seconds when its bite was too hard. He's picked up on it fairly fast.
Dont let it sleep on you while you are on the computer.
Don't let her out of your sight, for puppies crate training is usually a good idea just for their own safety; if left on their own they will get into something they shouldn't, and you're probably not going to be able to put absolutely everything out of their reach, so crating them at night and when you leave is a safe bet. If you do crate them at night though make sure the crate is in the room you're sleeping in so they can see you at night, serve their meals in the crate, and give them treats when they go in.
Have a crate but the dog is really upset being in there.
Add some toys and blankets, give treats when they go in the crate, and let them do things in the crate without the door being closed (meals and treat-containing toys like Kongs are great).
I remember a trick we used when trying to teach our dog how to sit. Basically, you wave a treat from their nose up past their head - in this process they have to look up, and generally sit down when trying to do so. If they sit, you give them the treat to reward them.
Since your dog is deaf, this might be the way you get the dog to sit moving forward by just running your hand past their head.
To add to this, when you make your dog a corner, don't punish him when he's fled inside it, when that happens he already knows he fucked up. It's REALLY important for a dog to have a little safe corner, it helps him build trust and avoids him being afraid of things.
It's really good when you're dealing with troubled dogs too, creating him a safe corner and softly petting him/giving him treats when he's on his corner helps the dog overcome fears slowly.
You have to cover the crate with a sheet or blanket, it'll stop whining eventually if you keep up on making sure crate time is enforced, it'll be very hard, was for me anyway, to not just go in there and "rescue" the dog from the crate. My dog loves her crate now and actually enters it when she's sleepy and ready for bed.
I need to find a way to stop him chewing on cables
Get some decently spicy hot sauce or if you want a dog specific product there's one called bitter apple. My dog only put a cable in her mouth once and never again after that. It's a bit cruel but tbh it's far less cruel than letting your dog potentially take 120VAC@~15A before the breaker trips in your house. Which uhh, you should avoid to say the least.
Had to give him back. Just too unruly and untrainable.
I just got the news when I woke up, I had no say in the matter and I wanted to keep him a bit longer but he was seriously fucking up our sleep.
Yeah with puppies you're on basically the same kind of schedule as kids. My puppy had me waking up every 2 hours at night to take her out. They're a huge hand full.
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