He came from the Cocker Spaniel rescue I work with. A good samaritan saved him from being killed by his breeder and turned him in. He is a homozygous merle, which causes his coat and eye color, and congenital defects. My heart dog, Domino, was also a homozygous merle (sans major defects), so this was a heart descision.
So here we are. He is a BOLD soul, no fear. And super smart (well. For a cocker
). I read everything I could and have been wallowing through training, but it is so hard! And hard to ask for advice, too. We have started heel, sit, down, stay and come. I use a pen light as a clicker and a vibration collar for "come". It is a struggle to juggle a hyper puppy, pen light, treats and collar remote while also getting the timing. Ay yi yi
We are making some progress, though.I am hoping Gunner can step into Domino's shoes as a therapy dog. If I can get him broke, I think he could be almost as good as Dom was.
PS, do you have any idea how loud a deaf dog barks?
He doesn't bark for guarding like other dogs, only when he is mad or frustrated (I think that is interesting), but he barks at absolute top volume because, of course, he can't hear to regulate it. Ouch! 
On the other hand, thunderstorms and vacuums? Nooooo problemo! 
