What is BAER testing?
A BAER test is the only 100% reliable method for determining that a dog is deaf (or for measuring the extent of its hearing loss). BAER (pronounced “bear”) stands for “Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response” and is a procedure using computers to record the electrical activity of the brain in response to sound stimulation. This is the same test used to check the hearing of human infants, and measures the same range of hearing. This means that the test does not measure the full range of canine hearing, but it will tell you if your dog has hearing within the normal human range (some dogs will test as “deaf,” but will still be able to hear very high pitches). The test is not painful and can be performed on any dog over six weeks of age. (A puppy’s ear canals don’t open until they are about two weeks old.) Sedation is usually not necessary, but some dogs (especially puppies) don’t like being restrained, or having wires hang from their face, so it can be performed while the dog is sedated. A cli
