Barking, growling, or whining is an additional form of communication, not the primary one. They tell each other almost everything through body language first, then by scent. When two strange dogs meet, there is very little sound. Because we depend so much on speech, we tend to think that dogs communicate that way too, when in fact, they don't. Dogs do not understand English (or any other language). Hearing dogs learn the meaning of words through repetition. It doesn't require any more time, effort, or necessarily different methods, just different cues.

Training a deaf dog is really not so very different from training a hearing one, you just 'talk' in a different language. Fox Training for Deaf Dogs Do You Need A Trainer? What to Use for Hand Signs Training With Food Teaching A 'Good Dog' Sign Teaching 'Watch Me' Teaching 'No' Teaching a 'Release' Word Teaching your dog to be Gentle Teaching 'Sit' Teaching 'Down' Teaching 'Stand' Teaching 'Stay' Teaching 'Leave It' Teaching 'Come' & 'C'mere' Teaching 'Go' and 'Move' Teaching to 'Walk Nice' Going Further (Tricks, Vocabulary) Training for Deaf Dogs Teaching Hand Signs Understanding your dog and knowing how to control him, develop his potentials, and resolve behavior problems, emotional conflicts and frustrations are no less essential than love and respect.

Another word for sign