The idea of caring for a blind dog can be intimidating: What special care is required? Is it possible to treat him like an ordinary dog? Is there extra financial stress with taking care of a blind dog?
Paula Biacone, Animal Welfare Director of Tell the unsaidAn Ohio-based nonprofit group that specializes in the care of dogs with special needs.
“Blind dogs, especially those born blind, don’t know they’re blind,” says Paula. “They act like any other puppy or dog, just with additional navigational skills.”
Not being able to see is usually the only disability a blind dog will have. Blind dogs can still play, run, find food, jump on the sofa, crawl into the dog bed, go hiking and go for walks… basically anything a normal dog can do, they can all do it. “The only thing they can’t do is see,” says Paula.
Paula emphasizes that training a blind dog is no different than training a puppy or puppy to see. Leash training works just like standard manners training — relying more on your voice, instead of any hand movement. Take your blind dog for a walk like any other dog.
Living with a blind dog
Blind dogs do what is known as “mapping” when they are introduced to a new space. Puppies do the same when they begin to stand and explore around two weeks of age. Paula explains that mapping is very similar to what a robot sweeper does when it receives a map of your house and the rooms in which it will work. The dog will walk, aka “map,” the perimeter of the space along the walls, then around the objects in the area (couch, table, chair, etc.) It outlines the entire space. This process is repeated a few more times until the dog can remember the layout of the space.
“If there is something new in space or if something moves, the dog will just repeat the map in the area of the newly inserted object,” says Paula. Mapping is not just limited to small rooms, but also to the entire house and yard.
“After years of caring for and nurturing blind dogs, we realized that no special equipment was needed,” says Paula. “Since blind dogs have hearing, training is just like any other dog – you can use verbal commands or verbal and touch commands to train.”
To let others know your dog is visually impaired, your dog can wear a bandana, exploit and even a neck tag that lets people know he’s blind, so they know how to address him through voice cues and touch gestures. This is especially important if he somehow gets lost.
