Iggy starts his soundwork

Iggy is still living with Cathy, his volunteer socialiser. As well as general obedience training, Cathy is also starting to teach Iggy his basic soundwork. This is when our pups start learning how to nudge people with their nose if they hear an important sound.

Soundwork begins with what we call ‘targeting’, when the pup learns to respond to a sound by nudging the source. As you can see above, he’s starting to target the timer. This is something deaf people often rely on. When a dog is fully trained, it will respond to the timer by alerting its deaf partner, who will give the sign for ‘What is it?’, with both hands raised palm upward. The pup will then lead the deaf person back to the timer. It’s very clever, but also very important. A hearing dog responding to a timer can help remind a deaf person that they have something cooking, or that the bath is filling up. Some deaf people even use them so they can have a little snooze on the train into work!

Cathy is also teaching him to target the alarm clock, responding by jumping on the bed to alert her. A lot of our deaf recipients tell us this is the best way to start the day – a friendly pup lying on top of you, sometimes accompanied by a friendly lick.

Cathy continues: “Iggy’s general obedience is good, in town he walks nicely on his lead and settles well if I stop for a coffee. He is getting used to going in lifts, but doesn’t like escalators so we’re working on that.” It’s important that our dogs are happy in all situations, so that they can accompany deaf people anywhere and everywhere.

Apart from that, well Iggy’s just enjoying life. He loves his ball especially, as you can see below…

According to Cathy, “His favourite game is racing in from the garden through the kitchen into the dining room, bouncing off the far wall and back out. Dog beds and door mats go flying in all directions. He’ll do this until he’s puffed out!”

And finally, a photo showing Iggy’s eyes! So that’s what they look like…

Iggy is coming along really well. He’s exactly where he should be with his training, and he’s developing nicely both as a pup and as a hearing dog. Look out for your next printed update around mid-March and we’ll tell you more. In the meantime, why not ask Cathy a question below – or even ask Iggy!