Ever since I got Skip, three and a half years ago, he has turned preferentially toward me to his left, even if to the right is shorter. If I call him when I am at six o’clock, and he is facing three, he turns to his left and runs 3/4 of the way around the clock face to me. Here’s an example:
Note that when asked to go counter clockwise, he did go to the right, because he knows Come Bye means to run around the sheep with them on his left. But if you call him to come, he almost always turns to his left.
Why would a dog do this? Obviously, the expected behavior would be to turn toward the sound the shortest way, in the example above, turning 1/4 of the way rather than 3/4’s. Not doing so is a one of the signs of unilateral deafness in a dog, one I discovered early in my career while working with a client’s dog whose behavior was a mystery. Sometimes he was beautifully compliant, sometimes, uh, not. His owner was frustrated, and, human that they were, attributed his lack of compliance to willful dis-obedience. I barely noticed that he tended to always turn in one direction, until one day they were out at the farm when he called the dog to him when the dog was facing directly away. “Butch,” we’ll call him, turned toward us but then scanned to our right and left, before zeroing in on us once one of us had moved.
Ah ha! He couldn’t localize us until his eyes saw movement. Sure enough, it turned out that Butch was unilaterally deaf, or deaf in one ear. Mammalian brains need two ears to localize sound, and unilaterally deaf dogs can hear, but can’t locate where the sound is coming from. This condition occurs in people as well as dogs, and makes not only localizing sound difficult, but also makes it harder to discriminate speech in noisy environments. There is rarely a treatment, but knowing about it can make working with a unilaterally deaf dog easier for everyone, especially the dog. Skip doesn’t tend to have to scan to find me that often, but he has seemed confused in situations where he couldn’t see me or in noisy environments. Could this explain his behavior?
Certainly, some breeds of dogs suffer from unilateral deafness more than others, including, infamously, Dalmations, Border Collies, Aussies, etc–mostly dogs with genes that carry a merle factor or have too much white. (Every responsible BC breeder knows not to breed a dog with a lot of white on it, especially on their heads.) The classic behavioral signs are what my client’s dog, Butch, illustrated–scanning visually for information his ears couldn’t discern, and what Skip does–turning preferentially toward what is presumed to be the working ear.
I have wondered about Skip and his hearing since the day I got him. Besides the wonky turning toward me when called, Skip has drifted to the left of the sheep, also since the day I got him, no matter how hard I have worked on it. If he needs to drive them in a straight line by staying on the sheep’s right shoulder, he drifts to the left and pushes them in the wrong direction. When I first sent him on outruns, he didn’t stop at the “top,” say at twelve o’clock, but ran to three o’clock and drove the sheep to nine o’clock.
He is also Mr. Inconsistent. Sometimes, on the same day, on the same course, he looks like a different dog from one run to another. Most recently he was on a new course with a lot of extraneous noise (traffic from a highway), and his first run was a disaster, his second just fine. That also is typical of unilaterally deaf dogs. Once the dog is familiar with the course he knows where his handler is without having to localize them.
Of course, there are other reasons for this behavior. His eyes? Something structural? Conditioning? But, one of my first BCs was deaf in one ear, so that’s always been high on my list. However, the only reliable test of hearing is the BAER test, which requires special equipment, may require the dog to be anesthetized, isn’t cheap, and results in a diagnosis for a condition that has no treatment. Because of Skip’s heart condition and the factors above, I haven’t had him tested.
But after thinking about it off and on for years, I decided to turn this question into a win/win. What if I got Skip tested–IF I could do it safely given his heart–and used the experience to spread the word about unilateral deafness, which is possibly more prevalent than people realize. (About 2% in one study done on BCs in the UK, for example.) Not knowing where a sound comes from doesn’t sound like a big issue, but if you are worried about the world in any way, not being able to localize sound could be frightening. It’s believed that some dogs who are deaf in one ear exhibit defensive aggression, but I haven’t seen any studies. So I booked an appointment at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine, one of the few places in the area where you can get a BAER test test done.
I still woke up at 2:30 AM the morning of the test, anxious about the whole thing. I girded myself to cancel everything at the last minute if I wasn’t assured that any risk to Skip was so minimal as to be too small to measure.
Here’s Skip and me waiting for the doctor’s entrance. Would we go ahead with it, or cancel? I had no idea at that point. I was told to fast him when they made the appointment, because they usually used some kind of “anesthesia.” (Really it’s a sedation, very different than general anesthesia, but that’s the word I remember being told, although I can’t guarantee you what was actually said.)
Within just a few minutes, we met neurologists Dr. Starr Cameron (on the left) and Dr. Karina Pinal (on the right), who assured me that, given Skip’s compliance (I WAS SO PROUD OF HIM ❤️), we could try the test without any kind of sedation. Yayayayayayayay! Skip’s expression says it all.
After an hour long standard neurological test, (no photos, sorry, busy helping keep Skip comfortable while he was poked and prodded), it was time for the BAER test.
The BAER test, which stands for Brainstem Auditory Evoked Responses, involves putting ear plugs into the dog’s ear, and inserting five needles under the skin, which “reflect neuronal activity in the auditory nerve, cochlear nucleus, superior olive and inferior colliculus of the brainstem.” Say that fast three times.
Here’s Skip getting an ear plug placed by kind and gentle Veterinary Technician Stephanie Paulson. Stephanie said the dogs are bothered more by the ear plugs than the needles. Surprising, but exactly true with Skip, who shook out the first ear plug but then stayed still like a trooper when it was re-inserted, the needles put in, and the techie part of the test was done.
The results came fast and clear: Skip can hear in both ears. The test can’t compare hearing acuity, it’s an either/or test, but my hypothesis of unilateral deafness was not supported.
Interesting. I certainly didn’t want Skip to be deaf in one ear, but . . . I really thought it would be great to have the mystery of his behavior solved.
And, then, it was.
Drs. Cameron and Pinal explained to me that based on their neurological exam, Skip’s adorable head tilt (and possibly floppy ear? less likely, but possible) on his left side was consistent with “chronic, compensated vestibular disease,” most probably congenital. Here’s a photo I took just days after we got him:
Granted, dogs tilt their heads all the time, the better to localize sound, but Skip’s is more constant, and especially noticeable to me when he runs. The neurologists picked it up instantly, even at a walk. I’ve always said he runs a bit “sideways,” wondering more about his frame than his head. I can’t go into the weeds today on the function of the vestibular system beyond what we all know–that it controls balance for example, but will add this from Wikipedia, that explains his turning to the left over the right: The [ear] canals are arranged in such a way that each canal on the left side has an almost parallel counterpart on the right side. Each of these three pairs works in a push-pull fashion: when one canal is stimulated, its corresponding partner on the other side is inhibited, and vice versa.
That is what the neurologists said best explains his preference for turning left over right. It’s almost like a force field pushing him that way from the right side, in which the working nerve (from his inner ear) on the right “overstimulates” that side of his head. (I’m taking liberties here, simplifying for the sake of our own brains.) Wow. I love discovery.
But, ah, what of his relentless desire to stay on the left side of the sheep, such that they are on his right? That seems contradictory at first, but . . . wild speculation here: Could it be that when he needs information about where he is in space, relative to a moving object like sheep, he is more comfortable keeping them on the side that has no deficit? That gives him more information? Just a hypothesis, but I have to say I have worked three and a half years to “fix” this, and have only been able to manage it. One clinician, far wiser and experienced than I, said, “Yeah, I’ve seen a dog like that, not much you can do but manage it. They seem to be born with it.” But others have given me lots of good advice that I’ve tried and tried, no avail. And, if the one clinician was right, what was it that caused the behavior? I’ve wondered about his ears, his eyes, and his structure, but never his vestibular system. Fascinating. Honestly, it feels like a relief. I’ve always felt that somehow I should be able to do more than “manage” it, that if I was a better sheepdog trainer I would figure it out.
The day ended as well as it possibly could have. Skip came through without much stress at all, the staff at the UW Vet School could not have been kinder, more receptive to handling Skip gently, or more informative. Here are the major players, Dr. Pinal, Stephanie Paulson, Dr. Cameron, and of course the star, Skip. THE BEST DOG EVER ❤️. (Sorry, can’t help it. I was soooo proud of him.)
Except for some small amount of stress while getting set up for the test (both me and Skip), the whole experience was actually fun. Here’s the whole group, including technician Karen Garcia-Olmo and 4th year vet student Macy Peterson. They were so fun I invited them out to the farm. Seriously.
One last thing I should say, full disclosure. I have no idea what anyone else’s experience would be at UW Vet. The fact is, I know people. Dr. Calico Schmidt is a dear friend who helped smooth the way for me to be in the room with Skip at all times. They all knew who “Dr. McConnell” was. I could afford the $510 fee. But I will say that everyone at the clinic could not have been nicer and it’s hard to imagine them doing personality transplants for different clients. I will add, truth in lending, that the parking is a nightmare and the waiting room lobby is too TOO small and when are they ever going to fix that?
If you’re still with me on this ramble, jump in if you’ve ever had a dog who was unilaterally deaf. Do you notice if your dog doesn’t seem to locate sound, or always turn in one direction? Ever had a dog like Skip with a vestibular deficit? Think my hypothesis about why Skip drifts left makes sense? Other ideas? (Sheepdog folks jump in!)
MEANWHILE, on the farm: Here’s Skip and the sheep this morning; I wanted to get in a quick work session before his and Maggie’s monthly chiropractic this afternoon.
Last night I came in from the barn and said to Jim: “Our sheep are not fat. They are obese.” Good grief, girls, your hay ration is going down for a few months.
Beyonce, one of our oldest ewes, is still going strong. Fat, but strong.
Skip and I came down after we were done to put the four-wheeler into the barn in case it rains tonight. I turned to close the gate and saw this scene of Skip resting after his work out. Muted, but something about it caught my eye . . .
May something wonderful catch your eye this week too. I wish you all a thankful Thanksgiving, I hope your life is such that you can do that, no matter how small the joys. Join in if you have ever wondered, or found out, that your dog is deaf in one ear. We’re all ears. Ahem. You see what I did there?
Kendra says
I’m curious if dog vestibular rehab is a thing and if would help Skip. You two have the right training skills to get creative and give it a try. I have a friend who has problem with vertigo. She had days that were so bad, she would have to stay home from work. Eventually she was diagnosed with a vestibular issue. By adhering to a daily to regime of vertibular exercises, she has stopped experiencing vertigo, even during pregnancy when all sorts of things are out of whack. She has a dot taped to her bedroom wall. She stands on one foot and stares with two eyes, then she covers one eye, stares, and then switches to the other eye. She repeats this standing on the other leg. I think she also incorporates some of the other elements listed here: https://www.brainandspine.org.uk/health-information/fact-sheets/vestibular-rehabilitation-exercises/
Essentially she has to prime her brain every morning. It’s absolutely fascinating!!
Timaran says
My dog, Tamsen, has a condition called Cerebellar Hypoplasia, where the cerebellum of her brain was not fully developed at birth. Fortunately, her condition is mild. I’ve seen Youtube videos of severely affected dogs, but Tamsen is able to run and walk normally even though she has some mild disfunction in her neurological abilitieties. I realize that this is different from the subject quesion–she is not deaf in one ear–but she does have tendency to turn circles around objects–always counter-clockwise. I attribute it to her condition, but does anyone else have a similar issue? I would be interested in hearing of any similar issues. Thanks in advance.
Chris from Boise says
I am one of those with unilateral hearing loss (shingles! Get your shingles vaccines, folks!), and it truly is impossible to locate sounds. As a bird watcher, this is REALLY frustrating. I can hear the darn things in my left ear, so always turn to the left – even if they’re practically perched on my right shoulder – and usually end up turning in a full circle trying to locate them. So your initial hypothesis about Skip made perfect sense to me. The vestibular syndrome diagnosis took me by surprise, but what an interesting finding. It sounds as though he compensates phenomenally well. And now that you understand the root of his herding issues, it’ll be interesting to see if/how you can change your handling to support him better.
It also sounds as if your post-surgery wobbles/brain fog is lifting a little?
Thanksgiving wishes to you, your family, and all your wonderful commenters!
Elaine says
I have a unilaterally deaf dog who does agility. Yes he has trouble echo-locating. He’s almost 8, but I still see him scanning to find me when he hears me but didn’t see where I went. And, maddeningly (is that a word?) he knocks bars. BUT friends have noted how much he looks to me for cues and I know if it’s a noisy environment he can’t always hear so he has to look! BTW, like you I have done a TREMENDOUS amount of jump work and etc etc trying to get him to leave bars up. But he’s my perfect dog, so while I will hang in there with him. . .it’s just a bar! 🙂
Paula D Sunday says
That first pic of Skip with the staff with his tongue lolling out, looking mildly sedated when he wasn’t is a hoot. Made me laugh on a dreary morning in Iowa.
Have a wonderful holiday season, hope you like foot ball and parades!!!
Paula
Barbara A Body says
Having had a unilaterally deaf English Setter who ‘seemed to listen selectively’, I can relate. He was loose unclaimed older puppy rescued by folks at my vet’s office. I had lost an English Setter some months before so I was an obvious candidate to foster him. One day in the kitchen I realized he was facing away from me so I hit tow pans together- no response. I had him referred and tested at the NC State University Vet School (no sedation). The confirmed unilateral deafness. This explained his ignoring me when he was outside – he could not triangulate. He became a failed foster. We spent most of our training time on teaching him to look for me to ‘check-in’ in case I wanted to give a command.
Agnieszka says
What a great story! I sympathise strongly with your feelings throughout the whole process – and I’d been wondering – is SI a thing for dogs in US? In Europe, in the past two years, sensory integration therapy became a great tool in rehab and behavioral work.
Hugs!
Linda Gingerich says
First, I must say, I love Skip. ❤️ what a good boy🐾❤️ We have an Aussie with excessive white (not Merle). His vision and hearing seem fine. But, now I plan to test him for turning preference! But, last year he was terribly ill with a vestibular issue. Could barely stand or walk, eyes tracking. Vets never determined the cause, but he improved with antibiotics. I wonder if there could be underlying vestibular condition.
Deborah Bean says
Excellent article. One clarification – Dalmatians are not hearing affected due to a merle gene. It is due to a complicated bit of embryology related to the gene for white spotting. Indeed, color related deafness is an issue for white dogs with spots no matter the breed. English Setters, Old English Sheepdogs, white Bull Terriers, Russel Terriers, and many others become deaf unilaterally or bilaterally due to the loss of hair cells in the inner ear. This is not the same as deafness caused by actual malformed structures that can occur when a dog inherits two copies of the merle gene due to irresponsibly breeding two merle parents to one another.
Trish McMillan says
My first dog was a “uni” Dal. It took me a while to figure out why she couldn’t locate where I was calling her from unless she could see me but we figured it out.
She lost the hearing in her other ear when she was 8 but she was already great with hand signals and rarely left my sight when we hiked off leash so it never really slowed her down. She stopped barking at the doorbell though, so deafness was more of a feature than a bug!
Trisha says
Deborah: Thanks so much for the correction, I should’ve caught it myself. Issue in BCs, for example, is too much white, not merle. I’ll fix right away!
Anne Jespersen says
I don’t know about my dogs ears but I am mostly deaf in one ear due to ear infections. I do have trouble in noisy restaurants. Localizing the direction of sounds is easy but not so much understanding conversations at times.
P. J. Grath says
That happy photo of compliant Skip with the vets made me smile big-time. He is a wonderful dog. Your story reminded me of my pure mutt of many years (she lived to 17), who had always been so obedient until she stopped coming when called. We finally realized she had lost her hearing. Luckily, she also knew hand signals, so if she was looking my way she got the message when I wanted her to come. Also, she had been a shy nervous dog, startled by noises, so when she lost her hearing the world became a calmer place for her. Deafness was an increase in her quality of life!
Barb Stanek says
Thank you for this post! Spell-binding. All of the things in this life that escape our notice. I had only heard of “vestibular” used in conjunction with old animals that lose their orientation in space. So glad to read about the condition.
Oh that picture of Skip! Instantly brought tears to my eyes. Don’t know why and don’t want to think too much about why. What a moving picture of your perfect dog. Great post and amazing picture. Thank you.
Sue Macmillan says
You make way too much of this. I know several unilateral hearing Agility Dalmatians who did not display the issues that Skip has. I’ve owned several Uni Dalmatians over the years and other than their issues locating the source of sound they loved perfectly normal lives. Because I have the same issue I have always been able to identify Uni Dals even before BAER testing was available.
Anne says
Our beloved Husky, Skye, was white with large black spots and black “eyeliner” around her gorgeous blue eyes. She collapsed in the house suddenly at age 13 in October, 2013 and could not stand up or keep her head straight or keep her eyes focused. Our vet diagnosed a Vestibular disorder of unknown etiology. She did not prescribe anything, telling us only that it was not treatable, that might clear up by itself in a few days. If not, it would be incurable and cause endless suffering.
We took turns caring for and sleeping with Skye downstairs on a blanket, trying to get her to eat and drink water and cleaning up after her for about a week. She was suffering terribly (and so were we). When we couldn’t bear watching her in misery anymore, we reluctantly decided to let our vet euthanize her.
Ironically, years later I woke up one morning with my eyes moving independently of each other, painfully dizzy, and unable to stand or walk without holding on to something or someone. I could not work for over a week but it gradually went away. Later it was diagnosed as a reaction to a rarely used antibiotic given me for a urinary tract infection. Not surprisingly, all I could think of during my ordeal was Skye’s.
I have always wondered if vets have since discovered a treatment for this disease. Someone above mentioned antibiotics. Does she remember which one worked on her dog?
Cathy Balliu says
Fourteen years ago, there was a lot of BAER testing in Border Collies. So many trainers/handlers were running into a situation wheredogs stopped hearing around 3 and were completely deaf at 5-7. So tragic and disappointing to lose your good dog to hearing loss at such a young age. I had my 8 month old split-face with lots of white on his ears tested. The technician said as we come into the room “oh, he’s bound to be tested with all that white”. He wasn’t. Did I mention that both his eyes are blue? So surprising that he had no hearing loss. All this testing led to s atfudy being funded in the US and Finland to continue testing dogs to search for genetic markers for what is now known as Early Adult Onset Deafness or EAOD. As of today, no definitive gene marker has been demonstrated but there are clusters of genes that appear to be present in affected dogs. The research is still ongoing. Interestingly enough, the other breed that seems to be most affected is Rhodesian Ridgebacks who don’t come in merle or have blue eyes.
Jean Sheffield says
As a former breeder of English Cockers, one of the tests we did was BAER testing on all litters at about 8 weeks. English Cockers have a relatively high possibility of bilateral deafness. Not an inexpensive test but certainly helpful in a breeding program to know if there is deafness in your line or litter . And the puppies loved the attention.
Crystal says
Deborah, you’ve blown my mind!
This:
due to the loss of hair cells in the inner ear
makes so much sense!
I’d never realized that was the mechanism! I just knew it was ‘a thing’ but from a developmental biology/ embryo standpoint it makes sense (because hair and turbulance-sensing “hairs” called cilia in the cochlea arise from the same type of follicle).
Mind blown. Thank you Trish for such a fascinating story – I’m glad you’re home, have an answer, and all went well!
(Image if folks are interested https://i.pinimg.com/originals/40/71/85/4071852705126baeb83cef993aaf8aca.jpg )
Tricia says
I often wonder why we are so detached from dogs physical ailments. We are in tune with our horses. But we often overlook physical symptoms with our dogs. It is clear that the dog has hip abnormalities, so why are we asking him to sit repeatedly. The dog might have a achy gut, but why are surprised when he gets grumpy. And on and on.
Kat says
This is why I love your blog so much. Reading it I constantly learn new things. I knew that white coats were often associated with hearing loss (although that makes me wonder why the white LGDs all have such excellent hearing–Pyrs, Maremmas, Kuvasz, Komondor, etc., and come to that why are so many breeds of LGDs white?) but unilateral deafness and vestibular malformation were new information to me. It’s all fascinating.
Trisha says
Great question Kat! I can say that LGDs are mostly white because they are less alarming to sheep. At least, that’s the story we all tell ourselves. I will say that I once saw a flock react to a darkish GSD by attempting to leap over the fence in terror, after reacting relatively quietly to a range of other breeds. But why LGDs all white and little problems with deafness? Great question. Must be a different set of genes?
Nannette Morgan says
Great article and love the pix of sweet Skip! I like your hypothesis. I was also wondering if Skip is “left-pawed” – you know how they say dogs have a preference just like us right or left handed folks?
My Siberian does a whirling dervish dance before each meal – his mom and grandmother did that too so could be nature/nurture for him but it’s always to his left. Interesting. Maybe you can tell us one day if you notice that Skip’s also “left-pawed”. Happy Thanksgiving!!
Trisha says
Tricia: I couldn’t agree more. Great topic for a post actually! I can’t tell you how many clients told me they were sure their dog wasn’t in pain, because X, Y, Z. When I thought it was…
Sally Blevins says
I didn’t know that my 12-year-old German Shepherd Jazzy was deaf until my other GSD Ziggy died. He had taken on the role of being her guide. I noticed that he started coming to me first when I called her quite a while ago, but didn’t know why. He took his self-appointed job seriously and did it so well that I didn’t understand the dynamics until he was gone. Besides missing him, Jazzy and I had to renegotiate how to work with her lack of hearing.
Such wonderful dogs.
Catherine says
Thanks so much for this information.
I have vertigo due to vestibular problems but had no idea this could be a problem in dogs as well! My vertigo was much improved by simple exercises learned in physical therapy and by using the Epley maneuver. Maybe these approaches would be helpful to Skip and other dogs?
Just a thought…
Jann Becker says
Skip looks like he’d put up with a lot to have 5 people paying attention to him at once! But in that top picture of him with the sheep they look so unimpressed.
Scott Fischer says
I came down with Ménière’s disease almost 5 decades ago and have been 100% deaf in my left ear ever since. It is absolutely impossible to determine the direction/source of a sound and I often do just as Skip did when I hear my name called out – I turn and scan for someone looking in my direction. And yes, in a crowded room or restaurant, once the background sound reaches a certain decibel level it all becomes an indecipherable din.
This does have it’s advantages. I can spend long periods of time siting next to a person who drones on and on without hearing them. I long ago learned how to pick up on the cues that mean I should nod my head or comment, “interesting…” When it’s someone who knows me well, they’ll stop all of a sudden and say, loudly and to my good ear, “you haven’t heard a word I’ve said, have you?
This has also messed with my vestibular system. The first year I had this I experienced severe vertigo constantly. Thankfully, that diminished greatly after the first few years and is virtually a non-issue now. But I noticed recently that I almost always have my head slightly tilted to the left – my deaf side. I never realized before but lately I’ve been in a lot of video and it’s so noticeable to me. I wonder if it’s for the same reason as noted in your blog by the neurologists?
Diana Nevins says
Tricia: I don’t know much about color genetics in dogs, but I do know a bit about it in horses, and there are many, many gene mutations involved in creating different white patterns in horses. True solid white horses (which are not deaf) generally have a gene mutation in a gene called KIT which knocks out melanocyte function; another pattern known as Splash generally involves mutations in a gene called PAX3 or another gene called MITF, which effects migration of cells from the neural crest in the very early embryo; the areas where the cell migration is disrupted produce white hairs, and if the white pattern involves the upper head and ears, the nerves involved in sound conduction may not have formed properly and the horse will be deaf. And those are just two of many different white patterns in horses: others include Sabino, Tobiano, Frame, Rabicano, and Leopard Complex. And a horse can inherit more than one of these various patterns.
It turns out there are many ways to make a horse hair white! I am sure the same is true with dogs (although more seems to be known about inheritance of white patterns in horses at the moment).
For those of you who’d like to geek out on the topic check out these websites:
Known gene mutations causing Dominant White patterns in horses: https://vgl.ucdavis.edu/test/dominant-white-horse#:~:text=Phenotype%3A%20Dominant%20white%20causes%20a,to%20be%20lethal%20in%20homozygotes.
Known gene mutations causing Splash patterns in horses: https://vgl.ucdavis.edu/test/splashed-white#:~:text=Splashed%20white%20is%20inherited%20as,variable%20amount%20of%20white%20patterning.
And here’s an awesome website that covers what’s known about color genetics in dogs, horses, cats, and rabbits: https://colorgenetics.info/
White in horses: https://colorgenetics.info/equine/white-patterns-horses
White in dogs: https://colorgenetics.info/canine/how-dog-got-its-spots
Trisha says
OMG Diana I love you! This is awesome. What a gift to wake up to.
Katie says
My Aussie seemed deaf as a puppy (she is not double merle but has a lot of white on her head). In behavioral tests with her breeder she seemed not to respond to sounds. However, once she came home she seemed to be able to hear, though it seemed unilateral to us. She had a hard time localizing the sounds. I took her for BAER testing and it showed she can hear from both ears. As an adult, her hearing does not seem impaired or unilateral. I have always wondered whether there is a mechanism for dogs gaining hearing as they grow? Thus certainly doesn’t seem to be something that happens in humans born with congenital deafness, right?
Tricia Lude says
I had a Border Collie who had lost his vision in one eye after cataract surgery at the age of 5. Then, lost vision in his other eye from a cataract at the age of 12 which he got back after surgery. At the same time when he was 12 or so, I noticed that when I whistled for him on our property, he would run the opposite direction. From his previous 12 years of coming when called, I finally figured he must have some kind of hearing deficit and couldn’t locate me. I never noticed if it was turning in one direction. I solved the problem by teaching him that whenever he heard the whistle, he should come to the house. The whistle sound meant come to the house, not find me. It worked beautifully.
Carol Baker says
I’m a physical therapist and people that benefit from the Epley maneuver usually have an object in the semicircular canal that stimulates hairs and thus the brain with confusing signals because the other ear does not agree. The resulting vertigo can be fixed (at least temporarily until the object moves again). When dogs and people have a brain stem problem related to old age that vertigo has nothing to do with the ear. The brain can adapt sometimes. These are not hearing related problems.
I’d guess that a congenital problem could be a brain problem or an ear problem or something else, which might be amenable to early therapy but probably way less so years later.
Diana Nevins says
You’re welcome, Trisha! That color genetics website is fascinating.
One thing that intrigues me is that not all color patterns are shared across mammalian species, which is interesting; why the differences? For instance, brindle is a common color pattern in many different dog breeds, but there’s only one case of a brindle horse ever recorded, and that animal was a chimera (two embryos, one E/E and the other e/e, fused during development; so the adult horse had a black-and red brindle pattern which reflected where the two different embryonic cells migrated to). And where’s the merle pattern in horses? Conversely, I’ve never seen a true dun pattern on a dog, but it’s common (and probably the ancestral coat color) of horses.
Studying color genetics may seem frivolous at first, but I think in the long run it’s going to teach us a lot about how both embryonic development and cellular biochemistry differ between species.
Laura says
Wow this is such a fascinating post! I love all the responses, especially about genetics and coat color. My only question would be, Tricia, now that you know what is the matter, will it effect how you work with Skip and the sheep? I’m always interested to know how people adapt because I have to do it myself so much. Also, I’m so happy Skip was such a great boy! I’m proud of him too! I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving, and I can’t wait for more comments.
Jen says
I have a unilaterally deaf and blind double-merle border collie/Aussie mix. He has been deaf in his left ear since birth. Something I notice all the time with him but which you did not describe with Skip is confusion when noise comes in several directions. I know several unilaterally deaf people. They all tell me that their ability to discriminate among sounds disappears when noise is coming at them at similar loudness from several directions. It all goes to white noise, which is distressing and uncomfortable. I am guessing the brain can’t get locations because it can’t triangulate, and everything runs together. It is clearly distressing for my dog, too. Interestingly, my dog has an appalling sense of balance- I have never seen him lift his leg to pee, and I gave up trying to teach sit-up tricks very quickly (he was going to get hurt!). I always attributed that to his wacky hearing, but maybe there’s some vestibular issue going on, too?
LisaW says
I am constantly amazed by all the millions of bits and pieces that go into making up a creature–be it human, dog, horse, fish, etc. It’s incredible we don’t break more often; really it’s more incredible we work as well as we do. Wowzer.
In the video, I really could see Skip’s ear flop, and before I read the post, I wondered if that had something to do with his audible response, but it may be somehow either connected or symptomatic? Why does one ear flop? And how does that affect the right ear’s push and pull? Or vice versa? Fascinating topic, thanks. And you are the best explainer-of-complicated-things, so thanks again.
My husband had benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. It was debilitating while it was happening and was caused by small pieces of bone-like calcium (called canaliths) breaking free in his inner ear canals. He had a series of exercises to do twice a day to reposition the canaliths. It hasn’t reoccurred (knock on wood). We did joke that he had rocks in his head 😉
Sasha says
We had a uni English setter who passed at 15 years of age in 2015. She was bred for bench and field and would range up to as much as half a mile and was a quarter mile away on open hikes most of the time. She was good about checking in visually and the only time we had problems were early on in forested hikes where she’d lose sight 10 yards away. We all learned to whistle constantly and let her “triangulate” by tracking the fading and increasing noise as she moved closer and further. The one interesting behavioral observation was that she would always appear anxious on one section of our daily walk as we passed a fish ladder. We eventually speculated that the noise, especially in the winter after heavy rain when it was roaring, sounded like a heavy growl and she had no idea where it was coming from.