Behavior Change

Question
We have a 5 year old female maltese/poodle.  She has always been very good with "kenneling up" when we leave the house.  Recently she seems very nervous about going in her kennel.  She will see us getting ready to leave the house and hide behind the toilet or in a corner.  She used to just run into her kennel and wait for us to close the door when she realized we were leaving.  Or we could say "daddy has to go to work" and off she would run to her kennel.

I don't know if this has anything to do with it, however, we have felt she has been losing her hearing for about 3 years now.  We believe she is pretty much completely deaf.  I have told the vet of her hearing loss.  He indicated he could do expensive testing to determine the extent of her hearing loss, however, he did drop a metal lid on a tile floor and she didn't even flinch.  Could her perception of the kennel now be different since she has lost her hearing?  

She will go into the kennel if we pick her up and place her at the door.  

Thank you.

Answer
Greetings, and thank you for contacting All Experts,
Yes, indeed loss of hearing is a potential cause for sudden behavioral changes and an increase in anxiety in dogs. If we try to put ourselves in her state of mind, she may feel particularly vulnerable in being left alone and being unable to hear noises that could sense danger. Therefore she may feel much more reassured and secure in your presence, since she can rely on you.
According to Vetinfo.com, hearing loss is listed as a potential cause for anxiety in dogs, listed under medical causes for anxiety, you can read more about this here:

http://www.vetinfo.com/medical-causes-canine-anxiety.html

If you believe she is completely deaf, she will be relying more on reading your body language and therefore will be paying more attention on how you move. According to Dees Dogs in the article Living and Working with a Deaf Dog:

''Deaf dogs may have separation issues because they cannot hear. For example, if you leave your dog in a crate, she may panic because she cannot hear the activity in the other room''.

So, yes, I am sure this may be contributing to her problem, therefore feeling more vulnerable, she may feel sort of trapped in the crate with no way out, and may feel anxious not being fully aware of what is happening in her surroundings..

I think the hearing test your vet may be referring to is a BAER testing. The Deaf Dog Education Action Fund, provides a few hearing tests you can perform at home and watch your dog's responses such as:

-Jangle keys, a rattle, or a can of coins
-Squeak a toy (be sure that air from the toy doesn't hit the dog - try it behind your back)
-Call your dog in a normal voice - try yelling
-Clap your hands (you should be far enough away so that he doesn't feel air movement)
-Whistle or (if you're musically challenged) blow a whistle
-Turn on a vacuum cleaner (be sure it's far enough away from the dog so that the vibrations or airflow don't reach him)
-Bang two pots together (be careful of air vibrations reaching your dog)
-Ring a bell or have someone ring your telephone or doorbell

Here is the link to this helpful website:

http://www.deafdogs.org/faq/#baer

I hope this has helped understand better your dog's behavior, my very best wishes and kind regards!