One of my dogs, Logic, has a early onset deafness. I've known since she was a puppy that she might go deaf earlier than normal as she carries two copies of the Early Adult Onset Deafness For Border Collies linked mutation. Dogs who have two copies of this are at significant risk of going deaf earlier than normal.

People who meet her, who see her in training, who interact with her, often seem to doubt that she has hearing loss. She appears to respond to most verbal cues quite nicely 'when she feels like it'. She comes in from the yard when I call, she runs to the door when someone knocks, she comes to the kitchen when I open the fridge. Clearly she can hear, right?

At this point she's due for another hearing test, but my best guess is that she's still got some hearing in her left ear. Her right ear seems to be mostly ornamental. I've been getting her hearing checked every couple of years since she was a puppy and her hearing has steadily dropped.

If I didn't get her tested, I could probably talk myself into believing that her hearing was fine, because she's really good at compensating most of the time, and, if I was the kind of person who thought about dogs that way, it would be easy to write off the times that she didn't hear me as her 'blowing me off'. More complicated are the times when she just has trouble hearing, when the effort of sorting through all the muffled sounds is too much, so she retreats into her own world. It would be really easy to make up reasons to explain her actions behaviorally, or to correct her for not being as attentive to me as she 'should be'. I can't tell you the number of people who, when I ask them about their dog's hearing, tell me their dog hears fine because they always hear a cheese stick being unwrapped, or some other treat related sound, even when it's right behind their head. Logic usually responds to that too, because, like most dogs, she has substantially better peripheral vision that humans, and she's hyper-vigilant.

Many decades ago, I had a dog who was going blind. I did not appreciate how much sight she had lost because she was a competition obedience dog and she was still able to maintain heel position fairly flawlessly, a clear indication that she had vision, right? Wrong. She had her right eye removed, and continued to be able to heel just fine, with almost no vision in her left eye. Over the years she had learned a lot about heel position, the cadence of my steps, what her long cocker ear felt like brushing against my leg, who knows what else. She had paid attention to so many tiny details, that she could literally heel with her eyes shut.

Our dogs are incredibly attentive to us, and they try very hard. If you find yourself thinking that your dog is 'blowing you off', being stubborn, or 'knows better', think again. When things go awry assume they are doing their best and look for other answers. Don't assume that health clearances are only important for breeding dogs. Knowing you dog's structural soundness inside and out is valuable information for everyone.

You can get many tests at Health Clinics sponsored by various clubs. The link below can help you find one in your area

On another note - if you want to teach your dog to hold and retrieve:

Time is running out on the Hold On and So Fetching online class bundle.

Save $130 if you buy both classes together, a really good deal. Sale ends 11/08/26

One more use for really solid retrieve training - Yesterday, Logic was introduced to flyball for the first time. She LOVES tugging and tug toys, but has zero interest in balls. However, she, like all my dogs, has been taught to hold and retrieve, and 100% understands it's a great thing to do, so when Julie told her to get the ball, she got the ball, and she held onto the ball until she was released to the tug. Having a well taught, solid hold and retrieve allowed her to get into the fun part of flyball right away.

You CAN teach your dog a reliable retrieve and hold, even if you've failed before, and you can do it while both of you have fun, without any force. Online lessons to work at your own pace, when it's convenient for you, with personalized help to make sure you are successful. As a professional trainer of animal actors, it is very important to me that my dogs can reliably hold and retrieve regardless of the object or the distractions, and that they are happy and willing workers. You can have the same cheerful, reliable results from your dog.