Hearing dogs alert people who are Deaf or severely hearing impaired to sounds in their environment that the human partners needs to know about for safety and to better function in the world. Hearing dogs can be trained to alert to everything from doorbells, alarm clocks, babies crying, home appliance noises, someone calling the handlers name, and more. Hearing dogs unique in the service dog world as they are often both rescued/shelter dogs and small dog breeds. Historically Hearing dogs rearly worked outside the home, so issues that might have prevent a rescued dog from becoming a service dog weren't as big a concern. Today, you will still find that hearing dogs are still on the smaller side many hearing dogs are specifically breed for the work with known histories and temperaments that can handle a public life.
Standards for Hearing Dogs
Training Standards for Hearing Dogs
What Can Hearing Dogs do for their Owners?
Hearing Dogs Task List (Scroll half way down the page)
Programs Training Hearing Dogs
Dogs for the Deaf- Oregon Based places Nationwide
The Hearing Dog Program- California based appears to place in western U.S.
Canine Companions for Independence- several regional facilities places Nationwide
Golden Ears- Tandem Training Program Washington based (What is Tandem Training?)
Resources on Training Hearing Dogs
Summary: An
exciting book on a fascinating subject! Includes Hearing Dog Basics,
Behind the Hearing Dog Temperament, Testing Potential Hearing Dogs, and
Training Basics. More about Martha Hoffman the author.
Book: 
