Down at heel terrier Ivor was passed around five different homes because owners could not cope with the fact he is deaf. As this endearing video shows, 10 month old Ivor is now enjoying life to the full after being taught a wide array of commands using hand signals. Footage shows Ivor sitting, resting on his belly and also waiting patiently to take a treat as he responds to owner Ellie Bromilow’s instructions like any well-trained puppy. Yet things were looking decidedly bleak for the young Staffy when his previous owners handed him over to the RSPCA last November because they they could not cope with him – the fifth time he had failed to find a forever home because of his hearing problems. Dedicated staff at the RSPCA’s Halifax, Huddersfield and Bromsgrove branch began to give Ivor a helping hand, using finger signals to start the challenging process of training him instead of relying on much-easier voice commands.

NC Ivor the deaf puppy has been learning sign language during his time with the RSPCA

Having a deaf dog is just like having a hearing dog. We still speak to him as we sign and I chat to him a lot Ellie Bromilow

As soon as Ms Bromilow, from Colne in Lancashire, met Ivor she knew that his deafness was not going to stop her from having the perfect pet. Ms Bromilow said: “He’d already learned the sign command for ‘sit’ and ‘come’ from staff at the RSPCA centre but now he knows lots more like ‘lie down’, ‘stay’, ‘all gone’ and he’s learning ‘roll over’. “When he gets the sign for ‘walkies’ he gets so excited. We keep him on a long lead and, if he’s looking, he’ll come to you when you raise one hand in the air. “Having a deaf dog is just like having a hearing dog. We still speak to him as we sign and I chat to him a lot – even though he can’t hear a word.

NC Ivor was sadly passed over a number of different homes due to her deafness

“Ivor also has an amazing sense of smell so we use that for games to keep him occupied. We hide lots of treats around the house for him to find. The RSPCA says owning a deaf pet like Ivor can be rewarding and no different from any other dog, and by using their other senses of sight, smell and touch through training, can help them enjoy life. Natalie Heaton, from the charity’s West Yorkshire branch, said: “Ivor is a very clever little pooch who has had to overcome a lot in his short life. “The poor boy was only a few months old and had already been through five homes by the time he was signed over into our care.

NC Ivor's sense of smell remains brilliant, so his owners use that for playing games