Smiling white and tan double merle dog with microphthalmia sits on gravel

How I Train My DeafBlind Dog

I train Aston using touch cues and positive reinforcement, but how does Aston know what each touch cue means? Read about my typical process for teaching Aston a new touch cue below.

Aston's marker is a key part of our training process, so I will refer to it in the steps below. It marks the exact moment Aston does a behavior I like and tells him he's about to get a reward. If your dog doesn't already have a marker, refer to my blog post about teaching your deafblind dog a marker before getting started.

Step 1: Practice the Behavior

Before introducing a new cue, I first get Aston familiar with the behavior I am looking for and offer reinforcement for that behavior. Sometimes I lure the behavior using a treat and other times I capture and shape behavior that Aston offers on his own, but for the purposes of this explanation I will discuss training using a treat lure since that is how I taught Aston most of his initial tricks.

For example, using a treat lure, I could encourage Aston to sit by holding a treat to his nose and then slowly pulling the treat up. As soon as Aston completes the behavior (as soon as his butt hits the ground), I mark and reward him. We practice this first step until Aston consistently follows the lure.

Step 2: Add a Cue

Once Aston consistently follows the lure, I add his new touch cue for that behavior right before the lure. I continue to mark and reward as soon as he completes the behavior.

For example, when teaching Aston "sit," I would double tap above his tail right before luring a sit. Then I would mark and reward as soon as his butt hits the ground. He begins to realize that every time I double tap above his tail, I lure him into a sit and then reward him.

Step 3: Remove the Lure

Finally, I start weaning out the lure as Aston creates an association between the touch cue and the end behavior. Ultimately, the lure is no longer necessary.

For example, after practicing the first two steps for "sit," I would stop pulling the treat as far above Aston's nose while luring the behavior. Eventually, Aston associates the touch cue with the behavior itself and we no longer use a lure.