Hearing dog

A hearing dog is an assistance dog who supported his deaf or hard of hearing owners in everyday life, by making him aware of important sounds. The hearing dog for the deaf is often mistakenly called deaf dog or deaf dog. In English, the term hearing dog is used.

The dog will for example the phone ringing, the door bell or alarm clock. The dog has reliably indicate the sound by, for example, by nudging draws attention to its owner and its owner then leads to the noise source. A hearing dog also shows when its owner is addressed by name, or if the owner of an object is dropped unnoticed. In road traffic, he points to a siren or car horn and logs from the rear approaching vehicles. As a command signal for dogs not the usual verbal command ( sit, down, here, ...) are used. (Hand gesture, head movement, ...) and special sound signs are instead used hand signals. The sound signs are mostly in another language or have their own names, so that only the owner of the dog can enter the commands and no strange man uses them.

In addition to the use of the term signal dog exclusively for dogs for the hearing impaired is also a broader definition of the term exists. It includes a dog that detect seizure disorders such as epilepsy and may signal impending seizures ( epilepsy dogs).

Training

The training of dogs signal is conducted by various associations and institutions. Uniform of all recognized standards exist neither in the framework of the European Union or in Germany or Austria, although numerous clubs around just such endeavor and many claim to be their standards are valid for all.

Legal situation in Austria

In Austria only the guide dog is currently enshrined in law. For all signal dogs and service dogs the same rights apply in general as in the guide dog, but they are not enshrined in law: Public buildings such as office buildings, cinemas, theaters or churches can be entered, as well as all transactions including food trade. The Austrian Airlines allow the entrainment of the dog in the cabin ( by prior arrangement). The ÖBB (Austrian Federal Railways) allows unlimited travel ( for the dog ) without a muzzle on their trains ( within Austria), all trains of Western Railway and transport of the Wiener Linien. Access to rehabilitation centers and hospitals is regulated differently even by state laws. In Vienna and the Vienna park, these dogs are also exempt from the muzzle and leash.