Hearing Dogs for the Deaf

Written by: Lisa Jo Rudy, M.Div.

Hearing dogs, sometimes called hearing ear dogs, are service dogs that are specifically trained to support people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Their work involves recognizing and responding to particular sounds. Some hearing dogs are trained solely to respond to sounds inside the home, ranging from alarms to crying babies. Others have more extensive training and can support their owners in the workplace, the street, and other public venues. While not as well-known as seeing-eye dogs, hearing dogs have become increasingly popular because they help increase their owners’ independence, confidence, and safety.

Types of Hearing Dogs

Hearing dogs, like most service dogs, must be intelligent, attentive, and calm. Certain breeds of dogs are most commonly selected as hearing-loss dogs; these include Labrador and Golden Retrievers, Cocker Spaniels, and Poodles.

There are two types of hearing assistance dogs available: home hearing dogs and certified hearing dogs. Both are trained to alert their owners to specific sounds, and both can help provide greater confidence and safety. The biggest difference between the two types of dogs is that home hearing dogs are not considered to be service animals. As a result, they are not granted access to public venues under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

There’s a simple reason for the distinction between the two types of dogs. Service dogs must be able to maintain focus on their owner, ignore other people and pets, and calmly manage crowds and noise. They must also have the ability to sit quietly for long periods without barking or growling. Not surprisingly, it’s less expensive to own a home hearing dog because their training is less extensive, and home hearing dogs may be shyer, more excitable, or less focused than certified hearing dogs.

Choosing between home hearing dogs and certified hearing dogs is usually fairly straightforward. Home hearing dogs may be ideal for older adults who are largely housebound. Certified hearing dogs, however, are best for people who are out in the broader community regularly and need support across a wide range of settings. In some cases, it’s possible for a home hearing dog to be trained to become a certified hearing dog.

What Hearing Dogs Do for Their Owners

Some people are born deaf or hard of hearing; others become deaf or hard of hearing later in life. In either case, hearing loss can create physical, emotional, and functional challenges that a hearing dog can help alleviate. For example, most alarms and alerts rely on sound, and while blinking lights or vibrations can help in some cases, they are not always enough. Many people with acquired deafness feel isolated, lonely, and dependent on others for help with everyday tasks.

Hearing dogs are trained to alert their owners to specific sounds. They do this by pawing at their owner when they hear a particular sound, and by running between the source of the sound and their owner, or by leading their owner to the source of the sound. This makes it possible for a deaf or hard-of-hearing individual to, for example, wake up on time, respond to their name being called, or react when a baby cries.

According to a study called “The Role and Relevance of Hearing Dogs from the Owner’s Perspective: An Explorative Study among Adults with Hearing Loss,” many hearing dog owners experience very positive outcomes. Most feel more secure, and say they are more active and independent because of their hearing dog. Others say they’re more social and less lonely.

How Hearing Dogs Are Trained

All hearing dogs, whether certified or not, start their training as puppies. Like all service dogs, certified hearing dogs are selected for their intelligence and personalities. One hearing dog training company, Paragon, explains that hearing dogs are initially trained to respond to doorbells, telephones, and emergency alarms. These are important to almost any deaf or hard-of-hearing individual. Once the dog is matched to an owner, the list of sounds is expanded to meet the owner’s particular needs. For example, the dog may learn to respond to crying babies, alarm clocks, appliance buzzers, or other sounds likely to occur in the owner’s home, workplace, or personal environment.

While hearing dogs are initially trained by service dog breeders, the next steps require the potential owner’s involvement. Owners are matched with dogs based on temperament and specific needs, and then work with trainers to provide a customized list of sound alerts for their dogs to learn.

New owners must work with their dogs, learning to build a strong personal connection and then practicing alerting with cues and responses. Paragon requires new owners to go through a two-week on-site “team training” experience with their dog. At the end of the training, the dog is granted certification and becomes an official service animal.

Who is eligible to own a hearing dog?

While there are no legal requirements related to owning a hearing dog, most breeders require that owners:

Be at least 17 or 18 years old
Are deaf or hard of hearing as documented by a licensed physician or medical professional
Do not have another dog in the home
Are able to provide a dog with appropriate exercise and care for the foreseeable future
Have the financial means to not only purchase but also care for a service dog, with appropriate veterinary care
Have a home that is an appropriate setting for a service dog in terms of size, cleanliness, etc.

While a particular income isn’t required, it’s important to know that a trained hearing dog is an expensive purchase. It can cost up to $20,000 before any additional expenses such as food and veterinary care. Some organizations, however, do help to defray costs. Hearingloss.org offers a list of entities that provide properly trained hearing dogs at various price points.

Service dog registration and certification

Written by: Lisa Jo Rudy, M.Div. | Disabilities Service Dog

About the Author: Lisa Jo Rudy, M.Div. has been writing on developmental disabilities and mental health since the early 2000s, when her son was diagnosed with autism. Lisa lives on Cape Cod, where she is the proud "mom" of two beautiful cats.