We’ve all seen guide dogs for the blind while were out and about and they prove invaluable to those who are visually impaired. But, did you know there is also such a thing as hearing dogs for deaf people?

Hearing dogs remove some of the isolation that those who cannot hear faced in their day to day life, and allow them to live with a greater degree of independence, as well as staying safe when in the home and out and about.

In the home a hearing dog will listen for an alarm clock going off and then wake their owner (who is called the recipient), alert them when there is someone at the door, or ‘tell’ them that the phone is ringing. In these types of situation the dog will first alert the recipient by touching them with their paw. The recipient will then ask the dog ‘what is it?’ or something similar and the dog will lead them to whatever is making the sound; the phone, the door, the microwave etc.

The procedure is slightly different when there is danger afoot, as after getting the recipients attention the dog will lie on the ground, and this is the sign that the recipient understands as danger. The recipient will then act accordingly getting themselves, and the hearing dog, to safety.

Once a dog is chosen to be trained as a hearing dog, they begin a training programme so that they are able to help their eventual recipient as much as possible. This training process includes an intense four month soundwork portion where conditioning exercises are used to encourage the dogs to respond to specific sounds in particular ways. The dogs are encourage to see hearing the sounds and alerting a human as a fun exercise, so they feel it is a treat and enjoy the reaction they get from the recipient.

Once the dog is successfully trained they are introduced to their new home and start to form the partnership with their recipient. Their training is ongoing and often, as the dogs enjoy alerting the recipients to sounds, they learn more sounds for themselves.

Ear damage, can completely change an individuals life and if you have suffered deafness as a result of working in a loud job then you may have a case to make a hearing loss claim.