Strider entered our home at 14-weeks and filled our hearts with such joy! We promptly signed him up for puppy classes. He paid attention and responded to our hand commands, but with verbal commands, he simply relaxed and admired his surroundings. We saw improvement at home, but also saw the same aloofness and the total lack of recall.
When 3-year-old Halah was returned to Annette Israel, we were excited to double the love, so she came to live with us. Strider loved having another Canaan in his realm. We then determined that Strider wasn’t aloof. We drove hours away for an appointment with one of only four veterinarians who perform hearing tests in Virginia. Confirmed… Strider was bilaterally deaf since birth. Enlightened, we headed down a very different training path.
An experienced Canaan Dog trainer helped us develop a plan. First, we were AMAZED that Strider understood us for nine months without being able to hear! Second, we worked on a strong recall with the E-collar vibration feature. Yay! Now he runs to find us no matter where we are. Third, we established his very low level for the TENS unit portion to keep him out of danger and teach him property boundaries… the E-collar IS NOT A SHOCK COLLAR; humans use TENS units to reduce muscle pain. Finally, the fourth phase of training: teaching him sign language. Initially, Strider looked at us like we were crazy with all our hand movements, but he caught on quickly and now has quite a vocabulary. His least favorite signs are "no"and "all done". His favorite signs are "eat" and "squirrel".
Strider’s eyesight is his main sense, followed closely by his sense of smell. He’s afraid of the dark, so usually refuses to venture outside at night, and has a nightlight in the room where he sleeps. He’s our loving fuzzy bum boy and very attuned emotionally to those around him. We’re happy that Cheryl Hennings entrusted him to us.
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