keys hanging from your belt, a cat bell or a bracelet all work well for this purpose. Having an identifier noise will help your dog find you and avoid them being startled. Remember to always speak to a blind dog before touching them or waking them up, as physical contact out of no where could scare them.
Stress the voice With blind dogs your voice will be used far more in training that with a sighted dog. You must remain aware of your voice’s tonality at all times, as this will benefit your dog’s understanding since he cannot read body language or facial expressions. Use low, growl-like tones for ‘no’ and corrections, and use high-pitched sounds for positive expressions and rewarding good behaviour.
In the home It can help a blind dog if other pets in the home also tote identifier sounds. This can be as simple as adding an extra bell or two to each pets’ collar and assigning different bells to the different animals to further distinguish their sounds. Just like a sighted dog, having a home base will be helpful as your dog learns to map the house and yard. Typically, wherever his bed, crate and food bowls are will make a great home base, a place where they can start from and go back to if they get confused. If your dog hesitates while learning to map the house, get down on all fours with him to lend a paw. Puppies especially love this gesture and respond well to the physical interaction. Get down on the floor and see the world from your dog’s perspective. This will be particularly useful in identifying anything that might be dangerous to a blind dog. Do the same exercise in your yard and remove obstacles such as low-growing branches or uneven stairs.
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