Lend Me an Ear:
The Temperament, Selection, and Training of the Hearing Dog

by Martha Hoffman

A good working dog does not necessarily make a good hearing ear dog. What you think you know about the assistance dog field will be radically altered by this dramatic new book.

The author explains why animal shelter castaways often make the best hearing dogs, and what breeds and mixes have the highest rate of placement with deaf and hard-of-hearing partners. You'll also discover why the hearing dog field is perhaps the fastest-growing facet of the assistance dog industry.

The author generously shares her "insider" training secrets that she has developed under the auspices of the San Francisco Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). She also shares her temperament testing to determine the specific (and surprising!) temperament that can launch a stray into a new career.

This temperament testing section of Lend Me an Ear is highly unique and incredibly effective for testing the temperament of dogs. While it is geared toward temperament testing for hearing ear dogs, it also can be used for trainers and pet owners to test their dogs for temperament and to see how well they respond or how well they might respond in certain situations. Knowing your dog better can be vital to preventing mishaps. See if your dog "has what it takes."

Anyone interested in the many aspects of dogs, from training to temperament to breeding, will thoroughly enjoy this book. Also, anyone seeking knowledge about working and assistance dogs will get the insider's viewpoint and also discover what it's like to work with assistance dogs. Trainers and dog handlers (amateurs as well as professionals) will especially be able to use this book to begin to train their own dogs. Lastly, Lend Me an Ear will be an essential resource for libraries, hospitals, hospices, physicians, nurses and the many others in the medical field.

Advance Book Specifics*:

• ISBN: 0-944875-56-4
• Publication Date: June 1999
• Available: July 1999
• Retail Price: $19.95*
• Trim Size: 6" x 9"
• Binding: Softcover*
• Pages: 288*
• Photos & Illustrations: 115+ Black & White*

* Certain book specifications are subject to change, and are marked with an asterisk. For example, this page count is an estimate only but will be narrowed down as the book moves closer to printing; 288 is a minimum. Also, the actual number of photos used may vary due to space limitations. If you order the book now, you can lock in the price. See below for more details.

Additional Points:

• This is the only book available that deals with hearing dogs.
• The only book with a temperament testing section that will determine if a dog is suitable for assistance work or not.
• Author is a certified trainer with the San Francisco SPCA, an experienced writer, and dog training expert, taking national titles with her dogs.
• Members of the deaf and hard-of-hearing communities and their relatives will greatly benefit from this book.

About the Author:

A hearing dog trainer with the San Francisco SPCA, Martha Hoffman has been involved in the the training and placement of more than 250 hearing dogs since 1988. A University of California at Santa Cruz graduate, she has published works in the USDAA Dog Agility Report, Front and Finish, Dog Sports, and numerous other dog-related publications. She has also won numerous championships with her own dogs including national agility titles. Martha had a dog take first place in obedience in the 1997 North American Schutzhund III trials. She lives in San Francisco, California.

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