[QUOTE=jej;4408320]
Hmm… my old deaf dogs have all developed what I call “the mechanical bark”.
Dog sits there and goes “Woof…woof…woof…woof…” and so on, ad infinitum. Same tempo, same pitch. Followed by owner shouting “No bark, no bark” and making mad hand signals.
I always felt that the dog did not hear himself clearly, and the vibration of the bark was somehow comforting.[/QUOTE]
lol I always do the “no barking!” too…gets me no where though. I have to point at him aha
My 13 year old brittany is nearly deaf; he can hear you clap your hands loudly, although maybe he just feels the vibration. I don’t think his sight is terrific, either.
What we’ve found is that he’s more anxious in general due to his deafness. He is not brave outside and will run home if he thinks there is anything scary around (which is likely, we have a lot of coyotes in our area and he can probably smell where they’ve passed through). When in doubt, he heads for home and finds a safe place. Without his hearing I think he feels pretty defenseless.
In your case it may just be that he feels especially vulnerable if he can’t see you or doesn’t have another dog with him to help him keep “safe”.
My 13 or 14 year old Sheltie is deaf, hastened by vestibular disease, and he’s now going blind as well, because he has uveitis ! He has a very sensitive tummy so I cook for him, but he seems very happy. He gives his ‘brother’, a younger Sheltiedawg, a hard time whenever the youngster is not ‘behaving’ in the house properly. I have to treat his eyes with drops daily and he is a very good boy about it. He has always been a snuggler and is more snuggly as he’s gotten older. He really does rely on the younger dog to know what’s going on.
His head is STILL crooked from last time he had a vestibular flare up, but it adds to his cuteness I think.
Old thread but new problem for my 14 year old little dog. She’s recently become stone deaf and now has an odd bark nothing like her former bark. It reminds me of an old friend of mine who was deaf and couldn’t hear how loud she talked or how her voice sounded. Her sight is fine, but if it wasn’t, I don’t think I could let her live in a dark and silent world.
Don’t forget how important a dog’s sense of smell is to them! When ours got to the point where she had cataracts and was mostly deaf, we’d try to take her for walks early in the morning when the scents were best, or to places with lots of interesting smells. She would toddle along, smelling every blade of grass, happy as a lark.
OP I also have a 13, almost 14 yr old JRT female who has significant hearing loss and cataracts that greatly affect her vision. When we lost our 16 yr old Dalmation/Greyhound type guy last summer she exhibited what I could best describe as Jack Depression. She seemed confused, lethargic (…for a JRT) and began peeing on the couch and bed. She also has kidney issues so I don’t fault her for the peeing. She’s become less vocal, if anything as she loses her hearing. We started taking her on errands and, I take her down to the arena for lessons, etc. She’s doing much better and her increased care needs (I give her Sub-q fluids daily for her kidneys) ensures she gets lots of attention. She can still sniff out rabbits and flush them from their hiding places but she usually doesn’t see where they go. The vet clinic washed and returned the blanket we brought her brother in on and there are times she goes to “his” corner and lays on his blanket. I think she smells him and it comforts her. Do you have anything, a collar or blanket or something, that smells like your Whippet? Maybe that would help him feel at ease.
Our Springer behaves exactly like this! She’ll be 13 in November and i’m trying to treasure each and every day. 
Trying to find you by echolocation?
I have a mini dachshund who seems to be very deaf. Not quite 100% since she will react to certain noises, but you can walk past her when she’s asleep and she won’t wake up. She also no longer responds to verbal commands but will obey the hand signal. I’ve always discouraged her from barking since dachshunds can turn very yappy. When she wants my attention, she STARES at me and does this little happy bouncy dance thing. Since she also had a herniated disk when she was younger, she has to remain confined when not supervised (per the surgeon). I’ve created a doggie play pen for her - basically 2 dog crates that I tore apart and created a fenced in area for her. Like a playpen for a kid. I open the gate for her when I’m home but she usually is happy to stay in ‘her room’ though will come out and ask for attention and sometimes lay near me.
No destructive behavior but she’s not alone at home either. When we’re gone, the cats keep her company. They’ve all been together for all of her 14 years of life, so get along pretty well. A couple of the cats will sometimes go snuggle with her, which she seems to like.
Last year I adopted an elderly tiny dog who is completely deaf. She follows me everywhere (her eyesight isn’t the greatest either) and easily loses me. I don’t know if it’s because she can’t hear or that she’s tiny and shorthaired (and possibly always chilled) but she always has to be in contact with me. Either on my lap, or having a paw on my leg when next to me or against me when I’m standing.
It’s actually a bit convenient. She’s really annoying around food but if she can’t hear something being unwrapped, she’s clueless. Storms and fireworks aren’t an issue. She’ll sleep through anything so if I don’t want her pesty behavior near me, I don’t wake her up. She’s not vocal at all, but maybe she’s always been that way. She’s in her crate during our mealtimes and she’ll howl a bit then. We talk to her all the time anyway. It’s a bit disappointing at times because she doesn’t really get too excited over anything, but that’s just her.
My corgi girl is 13 years old and mostly deaf and blind. She has always been loud, but I think she is now a bit louder. She likes to use her power bark to get what she wants. I have to be careful walking her with her younger brothers as she trails behind and while I look back often (every 50’ or so) I lost her once when on a straight road she couldn’t see me and ran back. Had a panicky hour until my sister found her again! A neighbor who has a deaf and blind dog wears the same perfume so her dog can find her in the house. Dogs sense of smell seems to stay so I wear the same perfume so she can find me easier. Maybe once your dog associates you with a smell, you can put it on a pillow and he will think you are still in the house.
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