Skip to content

Hearing dogs – what do they do?

Black labrador answering a phone
Black labrador answering a phone

Do they answer the phone?

I’ve had a Hearing dog for just over a year now and I’ve noticed from comments that some people are unsure what a Hearing dog does. Two things they don’t do:

  • A Hearing dog doesn’t answer the telephone for their deaf owner (I wish!)
  • A hearing dog doesn’t listen carefully and then sign what someone is saying to their owner. 😉

The handsome dog in the picture

This picture is not Magic – my hearing dog. This is an AI generated image and no dogs were harmed in its creation.

What Magic does is alert me to sounds. I regularly travel alone around the country training organisations in Mental Health First Aid and other courses. This involves staying in hotels. When I take my cochlear implant off, I hear nothing. The fire alarm could go off, or somebody could be knocking on my door but I wouldn’t know about it. As someone who’s slept through a house burglary this is a worry.

Magic will nudge me, to alert me to:

  • The doorbell
  • Wake me up to the alarm clock – usually my phone
  • Alert me to a kitchen timer
  • Alert me to the fire alarm/smoke detector

Sound games

Alerting me to sounds is a game for Magic. A game with rewards – edible rewards and also being told he’s ‘a good boy.’ Labradors are good-natured dogs who want to please and they’re greedy. The combination of fun loving, eagerness to please and greed, makes them easily trainable.

Their role isn’t just about alerting me to sounds and ensuring I’m safe in an environment where I can’t hear. Hearing dogs increase the wellbeing of their owner. Looking after a dog covers the five steps to mental wellbeing from the NHS website.

Five steps to mental wellbeing

Connect
You connect with your hearing dog and while taking the dog out you connect with other dog owners. Simple hellos and occasional casual chats build connection with people around you.
Be physically active
Your dog will insist you take her/him out for numerous walks or play time throughout the day. Walking and playing with your dog will keep you physically active.

Learn
You’ll learn new skills – what your dog needs. Learning about their medical, emotional and psychological needs.
Give and care
The act of giving and caring makes you feel good. It is not a one-way relationship. Your dog will give and care for you too. Just don’t ask him to ‘give’ his ball!.
Pay attention to the present moment (mindfulness)
Dogs live in the moment. They pay attention to the world. They delight in all the scents, sounds and sights around them. Humans have a habit of living in our heads, brooding anxiously over events. Paying attention to the here and now - bird song and the rain firing into our faces - draws us out of our anxious minds. Dogs, by example, show us how to be mindful.

Sign up for our monthly email about new blogs and courses

You’ll be the first to find out about new blogs and courses.
Sign up here

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.