What we do

Training FAQ's

Hearing Dogs for Deaf People is the only charity in the UK that trains dogs solely to alert deaf people to everyday sounds. We receive a lot of questions from people interested in our work. Here are some of the most frequently asked ones:

What breed of dog makes a good hearing dog?

Over our history many different types of dogs have made good hearing dogs. The breeds we are concentrating on for the future to train to become hearing dogs are typically Labradors, Golden Retrievers, Cocker Spaniels, Miniature Poodles and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.

We do train a small number of Labrador crosses and Cocker crosses alongside these breeds in order to ensure we have the right dog to match each and all of our applicants.

Do any dogs fail in training? If so what happens to them?

It takes a special dog to become a hearing dog as they need to be confident and adaptable. Unfortunately a dog can fail in training and therefore be withdrawn from the scheme. All our dogs are very important to us, so if a dog is withdrawn, we have a dedicated team that looks for a new home for that dog. If you are interested in re homing one of our withdrawn dogs click here.

Do you see the dogs once they leave the training centre with their deaf client?

Yes we do. The client spends a week at one of our training centres learning about their new dog and then takes their new hearing dog home at the end of the week. After the weekend settling in together, our Partnership Team take over and begin the work with the client of training the dog to work to the sounds in his new home.

Our Partnership Team are there for the life of the partnership, we are committed to providing care and support to both client and dog.

I hear you are training dogs for deaf children, is this correct?

Our Team hearing dog project is a new initiative where we train a hearing dog to work with a deaf child in a hearing family. The “Team” refers to the dog, the child and the Team Leader which is usually Mum or Dad. To find out more about Team hearing dogs please click here.

Do you work with any other Assistance Dog charities?

We are part of Assistance Dogs (UK) along with our partner charities which are: Guide Dogs for the Blind, Canine Partners for Independence, Dogs for the Disabled, Support Dogs and Dog Aid.

Can I visit your training centres to look around?

We do organise tours to give members of the public an opportunity to have a look around the centre, meet our dogs and find out more about the work we do. Tours take place on a Thursday at both centres and must be booked in advance.

If you would like more information or to book a visit to either of our centres (Buckinghamshire and Yorkshire), please click here.