hearing

[Ben's mum]

Well Bens hearing has pretty much gone now, realized just how bad it has got when OH dropped the tin with their biscuits in, Harry came running - Ben was still snoring loudly on the settee 
I can't get over the speed of it, and finding it really sad as I talk all the time to my boys    and I find it so difficult to think he can't hear me chatting away to him and telling him what a good boy he is.  To be fair he doesn't seem that bothered, but in a mad moment yesterday I worried that he would think I wasn't talking to him and wondering why (how's that for putting human emotions on a dog!)

On a more serious note it is causing some issues as now he can't hear Harry warning/grumbling when he gets to close and Harry is starting to guard things more like socks etc.  Before Ben just left him to it as Harry would grumble if he had something and Ben would move away.  There has been a couple of near misses when Harry has told Ben off and being oblivious Ben has gone up to him, so I am having to watch him.   Has anyone else had to manage this? 

I am amazed though how quickly Ben has learnt a fair number of hand signals he hasn't lost his brains 

[elaine.e]

William sleeps a lot more deeply now and very often doesn't hear me come in or if I open the biscuit tin or fridge when he's asleep. His hearing seems alright when he's awake, although he seems a bit puzzled about where sounds are coming from sometimes, so perhaps it's starting to diminish. I'll be interested if anybody has ideas about the problem with Ben not being able to hear Harry's warning growls, because it's a problem I will have with my two if William goes deaf.

My first Cocker went deaf when he was about 9 or 10 but I still continued talking to him as normal for the rest of his long life. I still enjoyed our little chats even if he was totally unaware of them

[zenon_bass]

I've realised recently how deaf Millie has become.  Our friend, her occasional dog sitter, has also commented.

This morning, with Millie dozing on the landing, I was able to creep around her for at least 10 mins doing housy things. Only when I touched her lightly did she wake and realise I had sat next to her.  Last week when off lead on a field walk, she stuck her head into a hedge. I walked on 50yds. As she emerged she headed away from me and no amount of calling was going to do any good.
The sad thing is that her sight is going too and only very large arm waving at a fairly close distance will bring her back.  Sensible lass on that occasion used her nose to track me eventually.

As Bens mum said, it is sad that this hearing loss seems to have happened very quickly and all of a sudden.  I still talk to her, with important words such as 'wees' and 'toilet' straight into her ear. 

At close quarters Millie still responds to hand signals, but I suspect eventually the day will come when for safety's sake she will need to be kept on a long line for her main walks.