When company comes to visit your home it is a good idea to sit down with the kids (and adults) to go over some of your safety rules. I am going to share with you my “Top 20 Safety Rules For Visitors:. Each household is different, so you may find some of these tips more appropriate to your home situation then others. They are just some safety tips/rules to consider putting in place to keep your deaf and hearing dogs safe when company comes over. I think it does help to write them down on a white board and post them in a common traffic area of your home as a reminder to everyone to follow the rules.

Since summer is here and you may be planning to have company visit, I thought it would be a good idea to come up with some house rules concerning to go over with your company when they arrive. If you have tips you would like to add be sure to add them in our comments section below this post.

Lets keep the kids, adults, and dogs safe this summer!

Have fun!  ~ Christina Lee – Deaf Dogs Rock

Safety Rules Regarding My Deaf and Hearing Dogs To Go Over With Visitors  by: Christina Lee – Deaf Dogs Rock

It is extremely important to explain why the following rules are in place with your visitors so they know how important the rules are to you and why you want the rules followed. If you have a deaf dog who sometimes gets into fights with your other dogs when company is present, please consider kenneling your deaf dog or keeping him/her in a separate area of the house (away from guests) where there are no fighting “triggers” (especially if there is children present). We have kennels set up in our bedroom so when we have company, Bud and Nitro get a peanut butter stuffed Kong in the kennels until short term company leaves. 

1. One of the most important rules is making sure a deaf dog does not escape and run loose in the neighborhood at anytime. Explain to your guests why it is so important for your deaf dog not to run loose. Be sure to explain the dangers of a deaf dog getting loose. I always make sure all five of my dogs have their collars which include their ID tags before company arrives. Tell your company to make sure they close all baby gates and doors when the walk through them. Think about putting a lock on all of your outside gates so no one can come in or out from the back yard but have to go inside through the house to go outside.

2. If visitors are going to go outside, they need to make sure there isn’t a hearing or deaf dog shadowing them (tell them to always look behind themselves to make sure a dog is not following them) and tell your visitors to block the door as they walk outside so no dogs sneak out and escape. Be sure to show them the “wait” sign before they walk out the door so they know what sign to give the dogs when they are walking out the door.

3. Tell your company NOT to grab any of your dogs from behind because it may startle them. Tell your visitors to try to approach the dogs from the front and then pet the dog gently.

4. Share with your visitors that if at any time they see one of your dogs sleeping, under no circumstances are they to wake them. Sometimes dogs strike out when they are in a deep sleep. They don’t mean to wake up snarling, but sometimes they do because they are not fully awake (this goes for deaf and hearing dogs).

5. Keep all children off limits to all dog crates and dog houses. The dog house/crate is the dog’s “den” and a place the deaf/hearing dogs can go to get away from all the chaos of children running around.

6. Don’t let your dog’s play with a the children’s toys because they may not be pet safe and some dogs get possessive with new toys.

7. Don’t let the kids play with the dog’s toys because the dog toys have been in the dog’s mouth and are usually very dirty. The dog may also feel the need to guard the toys especially if the dog is not used to company or children being around.

8. When people are visiting your home, give your dog a place where he can eat in private away from the chaos of the house.

9. Make it very clear to all your visitors that no one is allowed to “rough house” with any of the dogs. When they get excited they might accidentally knock over a child or be on the nippy side.

10. Absolutely NO TUG OF WAR with any of the dogs for any reason.

11. If a dog is being to “mouthy, or jumpy”, then tell visitors to just walk away from the dog and ignore the dog completely.

12. Also explain to everyone who is visiting that no one person is allowed to walk any of your dogs unless an adult is present at all times.

13. Tell them to never ever feed the dog any food especially human food.

14. Because sometimes dogs startle it is very important for all adults and children to pet the dog with a “gentle” hand. In the same respect your deaf dog should also know the “gentle” sign.

15. You should always be present with your deaf dog and hearing dogs when company is visiting. If you can’t be present then put your dogs in a kennel or in the  back yard where they will be safe. Also consider putting locks on all the outside gates so a gate cannot be left open. Yes you will have to walk through the house to get to the front of the house but this is one thing you can do as an insurance policy to make sure a gate is not left open.

16. Under no circumstances is a child to chase a dog especially if the dog is not used to being around small children.

17. Do show visitors the sign commands for sit, come, down, wait, good dog, and gentle.

18. Sit down with the dog and visitors and DO show them how to pet the dog. With adult supervision you can show them how we play scent games with our deaf dogs. Show them by putting a yummy treat inside one closed fist and show the dog both closed fists. Let the dog choose which hand he/she thinks the treat is in by letting the pup put a paw on the fist with the treats in it. When the dog selects the right hand with the treat in it, show them how to open their hand (flat palm up) to let the dog have the treat for making the right guess.

19. DO go for a walk all together to get the dog outside with everyone to get some fresh air and exercise.

20. If at any time the kids or the dog gets out of hand when playing, then be sure to give the kids and the dogs a brief “time out”. DO put the dog in the crate to give him a break from company.