Raising a deaf dog brings a lot of challenges. In other words, you can say that while raising a deaf dog, pet parents need to be extra vigilant. Although it is challenging to raise a deaf dog, I think there are many misconceptions in people’s minds related to deaf dogs. Through this article, I will try to tell you some of the facts related to deaf dogs. There are a lot of people who have misconceptions related to the sleep of deaf dogs.
Deaf dogs sleep more; the phrase is misleading. The more appropriate phrase is deaf dogs sleep well. There is nothing like deaf dogs having any problem with their sleep cycle. Or they tend to be sleepier. However, deaf dogs sleep well because they can’t hear noise and disturbance of the surroundings, so they sleep better than normal dogs. Deafness is also seen in older dogs. So in case you feel your dog is sleeping a lot, then there could be several reasons behind the cover, like old age or any old age diseases that are making your dog lazy, and ultimately they are sleeping more.
Besides sleep, many other myths are associated with deaf dogs. Some people thought that deaf dogs behave aggressively and show startling behavior when someone tries to wake them up from sleep. In the following article, we will discuss everything you need to know about the sleeping pattern and behavior of deaf dogs. If you aspire to be a caring parent of a deaf dog, then make sure to read the article to full length. First, let’s take a quick review of deafness in dogs, and how and why dogs become deaf?
Why do Dogs become Deaf?
Like humans, dogs undergo hearing loss at an advanced age, other than this, some dogs lose their ability to listen due to various ears disease and infections, and also due to severe ear injury. It is a chronic process, initially; you can’t even guess that your dog is going to have a hearing problem.
As we have discussed, dogs have an incredible sense of hearing, which is why pet parents usually fail to identify the early signs of hearing loss. However, when dogs stop responding to voice commands in the latter stages, then the air becomes clear for the pet parents.
Some dogs are born deaf. This type of deafness is called congenital deafness. Most of the cases of congenital deafness are pigment-related (all white or partial white dogs are mostly born deaf.)
As far as the treatment of deafness is concerned in dogs, there is not any satisfying treatment available until now. However, proper cleaning of the dog’s ears can prevent infection-related deafness in dogs.
Now, let’s talk about the real matter in detail.
Do Deaf Dogs Sleep More?
The sleep cycle of deaf dogs is not different from any other normal dog. They have pretty much the same sleep cycle. The only reason you will feel that my deaf dog is sleeping more than the non-deaf dog is that your deaf dog didn’t wake up suddenly when you return home after the office or when you call him after just entering the porch.
You need to struggle, to make him aware of your presence. A gentle tap on the floor is more than enough for this. If your dog didn’t respond to this trick, then you should try touching your dog gently and don’t pounce upon the dog. You might frighten him or provoke his aggressive behavior. Many dogs consider adopting special measures to wake their dogs up before approaching them physically. And I think it is best to alert the dog before touching him. A random touch can provoke startling behavior. In some cases, the dog can even bite the owner.
Deaf Dog Education Action Fund (DDEAF) is an active organization working to collect more and more information about deaf dogs. The organization hasn’t shown any link between the deafness and sleep of the dog.
In other words, you can say that the organization hasn’t proved that deaf dogs sleep more than non-deaf dogs. Advanced researchers, in the future, might link the deafness of the dog with their deep sleep. But, until now, there is not any evidence of the relation of the deep sleep of the dog with their deafness.
Deaf Dog Education Action Fund (DDEAF) has documented that; deaf dogs can’t hear any environmental noise that causes them to sleep more deeply than non-deaf dogs. Because your dog is not listening to any voice, which can cause disturbance in his sleep, he sleeps well. It is common to see that, at night, after listening to other dogs’ barks, normal dogs react violently, even if they are sleeping. But deaf dogs don’t respond to any of these stimuli because they can’t hear so, they sleep more deeply and through than normal dogs.
As we have explained above, old age is one of the reasons for deafness in dogs. At an advanced age, dogs become victims of several diseases. These diseases affect the health of the dogs and make them weak physically. For instance, there is an old dog that has arthritis, and also the dog has gone deaf due to advanced age, in this case, if the dog has long sleeping hours, then it is not solely because of deafness.
Another reason behind deep sleep is arthritis. You all know that dogs who suffer from arthritis don’t like physical activities, and prefer remaining in the sitting posture, and they prefer to sleep more than normal dogs.
Likewise, there could be many other reasons behind the long deep sleep besides deafness.
How to Approach a Deaf Sleeping Dog?
It is one of the most asked questions. Also, deaf dog owners find themselves in a dilemma, while they tend to approach a deaf dog because the dog can show undesirable behavior. Deaf dogs can learn several things, and also with time, they start to understand various postures of their owner. But awaking a deaf dog remains a challenge for several pet parents.
In case your dog is sleeping, and you need to awaken your four-footed friend; always try to touch your baby gently and calmly in the same place; the shoulder area and the upper back may work best. You can also wave your hand in front of your four-footed friends, and you can put your hand in front of a dog’s nose and let your smell wake them up (as you know, dogs have a good sense of smell.)
The best practice is to give your friend a treat and some love every time you wake him. Getting a deaf dog out of sleep can be disconcerting, so there are great chances that a treat or a gesture of love will make waking up a loveable experience.
Some dogs exhibit a marked startling behavior or response at being touched while sleeping. So be very conscious while waking your deaf dog from a deep sleep. And wake him up gently with care.
Conclusion
The deafness of the dog has not much to do with their sleep. However, deafness could be a pillar to deep sleep because deaf dogs don’t hear the noise that keeps normal dogs awake as they have excellent hearing power and can even detect the slightest sound.
So, in answer to the question, do deaf dogs sleep more? You can say, Yes! deaf dogs that sleep more, but their deafness is not the only reason behind their deep and sturdy sleep.