dog deafness

Question
We recently bought a 9 week old yellow lab that we believe is deaf, We are taking her in to a local vet for a confirming opinion and testing.  Can you recommend sources of studies regarding  auditory deficiencies? I am interested in a history of any corrective procedures depending on the cause, of course, and am also desiring training procedures for this challenge. For the record, she was the runt of a large litter --  Is it likely that the smaller, less developed offspring are more prone to a lack of auditory development?
Thank you!  

Answer
It is hard to determine hearing acuity in dogs.  There is a test available at veterinary teaching hospitals called the Brain Auditory Evoked Response (BAER)that can evaluate hearing.

As far as treatment, there really is no treatment for deafness in dogs.  Several years ago someone came up with a hearing aid for dogs, but it did not work very well.

Some pups do not "listen" well, but they can hear sounds.  Try whistling and clapping to see if there is any response.