Maltese deafness

My maltese has been deaf since birth (she is now 6 yrs old). I did not find this out until I took her to puppy school and she did everything but respond to her name. She has done very well, she is intelligent and has picked up hand signals very well. However, I have trouble communicating to her that she must not bark. As a rule, she is not a barker, but at times I wish I could get that message across. Does anyone out there know of maltese deafness, or what causes it? I would like to hear from other deaf dog owners on what they have done.
Teri

• Hello Teri,
  I don't know if I can help you, but I have had a blind & deaf dog, and the little female terrier that we have now appears to be bilatteraly (SP?) deaf. I found with the blind & deaf Aussie that touch worked great. It was hard to stop barking, as we never knew when or why he would bark. But, I think that if you gently hold your dogs muzzle and use some type of "stop" signal, you might achieve the results you are looking for. My little terrier responds to speach, but I am questioning just how much she can hear. Good luck, and let me know how it goes.
  Sam

• The Deaf Dogs Page is intended to act as a resource for people who are living with deaf dogs. I hope it will serve a complementary role to the Deaf Dogs Mailing List which is for discussion about living with deaf dogs. To join the Deaf Dogs Mailing List just send mail to deafdogs-request@cybervision.com giving your name and email address. The list is maintained manually so you don't have to send any special commands.

  As of December '96 the mailing list had approximately 200 members with an additional 300 former members. http://www.kwic.net/~cairo/deaf.html is the address or you can follow the link below to the deaf dogs page. I visited it earlier today and its excellent site and has loads of info which I think you'll find real interesting and helpful.
  Bev

• Although it's expensive, RC Steele carries a training product that works like a shock collar, but instead of an electric shock, it squirts out a little bit of citronella. It's new, and from what I've heard, extremely effective. It might be a gentle way of deterring the barking. Good luck -- I have a deaf dog too (from old age), and it can be frustrating at times. Best of luck to you both.
  Donna