hahah some good pics in here!
Here's my brew dog Lucy. She is my missus dog, which I wasnt really a fan of. But she's grown on me quite alot
She's about 2, and is an Australian Koolie with the Sable merle colouring. Unfortunately, the gene responsible for her striking markings is also responsible for deafness and blindness. She is deaf as a post. I have taught her hand signals and she is pretty good with those, however have difficulties taking her places as she cant hear commands to come back etc? I've found some collars which vibrate and rumble etc via remote control for this purpose but they are wicked dear (>$300) so if anyone has any ideas I'd welcome them.
Overall though she is awesome, despite sometimes being a bit of a burden with the hearing, I wouldnt trade her for anything. quote]
When taking my dog for walks, i'd always make him stop and sit prior to crossing the road by putting my hand where he could see it, & when calling him i'd bend over a bit & pat my thigh. i didn't consciously realise i was doing this, but I remember losing my voice when my dog was a year or so old, & i realised in amazement that i didn't even need to say anything to him- as long as i did the action he was happy to do what i wanted.
He went completely blind within a year after that ( for a period of 6 months or so, prior to eye surgery), but was completely happy still going for walks. Good leash control with a series of pulls/tugs/lifts to indicate what's required is helpful. He ended up completely blind & deaf eventually, but it wasn't really a problem. A few drops of different essential oils in different parts of the house on specific items of furniture can help navigation, & help regain their sense of direction after a sleep etc.
You're right, it's a lot of extra work looking after 'lesser-abled' dogs, but for a smart dog such as yours she should adapt pretty easily & it's up to you to train yourself how best to help her! Very worthwhile & rewarding for such awesome animals...