We’ve already written here about living with a deaf dog, so now let’s look at living with a blind dog.
There are many reasons you could end up living with a blind dog, from age related disease that slowly (or quickly) takes your dog’s vision to adopting a special needs puppy. And though blindness might seem at first to be more difficult to deal with than deafness, dogs adjust to challenges like this. Often it’s the humans around them who have a harder time.
Remember that your dog is not suffering. As long as you understand what has happened and you know there’s no underlying disease causing pain or discomfort, they are fine. And they don’t sit around lamenting their current state and feeling sorry for themselves. They figure it out. As will you.
Remember, too, that dogs very much live by their noses. To them, the world is a vast array of interesting smells. And they aren’t very concerned about much beyond spending time with you, playing, eating, and sleeping.
Here are some tips for living with a blind dog.
Create a safe zone
This could be a room, a small part of a room, or even a large crate. But it’s a space that is limited in size and scope and contents. That’s the key. Create a soft area for them to retreat to where there are never any surprises.
Talk!
Because they can’t see you and even though they can smell you, they will find great comfort in your voice. And it helps them to locate themselves in space relative to you. Of course, you could also sing them songs. And if you’re not home, do leave the TV or some music on for them. (Though all dogs like that.)
Stick to routines
This is really important pretty much for any dog, but it becomes exponentially more important for a dog with special needs. This is not just about what happens during the day but how. So, for example, constantly changing their walking route is not a great idea. Give them the comfort of familiarity.
Tell people
Make sure everyone around you knows your dog is blind so the dog is not reacting out of fear. You might want to get some sort of bandana or t-shirt to indicate to people while you’re out and about that your dog is blind.
Make your home easy
Look around for anything and everything that might get in the way of your dog. Get down on all fours and inspect every room that they’ll be in. Also, create cues for them in terms of different rugs and textures on the floor so they can tell where they are. And finally, don’t change things around too often. Really? Only when necessary.
Change up how you play
But still play, of course. Every dog wants to play. You’ll just have to think a bit more about the how of it. For example, you can still play fetch but you will want to use some strong scent so they can find the object. You’ll also want to look for toys that make noise.
Overall
When you are dealing with a blind dog, you just want to think about the senses they have that are working normally. Work to rely more heavily on their sense of smell and hearing. Create environments and experiences that rely on those things and your dog will be just as happy as any other dog.