Autism and Puppy/Dog/Doodle

[Ed]

Can anyone with children with special needs share your experience with your doodle and the response from your child? Did the child adjust immediately to having a animal, was it a difficult transition? We are looking for a Doodle for our 7 year old non-verbal autistic, he is very mild autistic and loves electronics and trains, riding bikes, driving his powerwheels etc. We have no animals and although we've had him around animals, I cannot be sure how he would respond to have one living with him since hes not a touchy feely type of kid, can you share your experiences?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Ed, we recently had a new member post a discussion about the fact that she is going to have to rehome her doodle puppy because her non-verbal autistic child is responding very badly to having a dog in the house. You may want to read it, along with the responses:

http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/confused-new-owner-of-a-la...

[Ronna, Murphy & Wilson]

Ed, you pose an interesting question. Although I do not have "human" children and have no experience to share with you I do commend you for thinking about this BEFORE you bring a puppy into your family.  Puppies are a lifetime commitment, just as your human children are.  I think it is very important to think about what life would be like if your son doesn't respond well to your doodle.  Do you have a relative or friend that would let you babysit their dog for a few days to see how your son reacts?

I have to add that I do not ever think it is a good idea to get a dog "for" a child....you have to want this dog and be willing to care for and provide for it just as if it were one of your human children.

I hope someone else chimes in with some advice/guidance. Best of luck to you.

[Ed]

My bad, sorry about that - my wife and I really want the dog as well - this is in no way only for the purpose of my son. Let me go read that.thx!

[Moe]

You could check with Autism Service Dogs of America. They have a screening process to make sure the kids will do will with a dog. They help with fundraising ideas to help pay for the dog.

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

Ed, I don't have any children so I can't give much advice on that front, but thank you for doing your research before you jump into this.  My one suggestion is this: You could try contacting an animal therapy group near you and see if it would be possible for one of their registered and certified therapy dogs to meet with your family and see how your son reacts to the situation.  Therapy dogs are comfortable around people and are pretty much the calmest most laid back dogs that you will encounter.  If your son does not handle that meeting well, then bringing a dog into your home will probably be a bad idea.  If that meeting does go well, you could continue to work with that handler and dog and also expose your son to other dogs.  Take your son for a trip to a local Petsmart of Petco or walk past a dog park.  Then you can see how he feels about the barking and chaos that goes along with having a dog.  :)

[Ginny Nightingale]

I know of a group based in Canada that trains dogs for families with autistic children--but, although the dog is desensitized to loud noises, etc, the main purpose of bringing the dog into the home is to provide a buddy for the non-autistic children in the family who may feel left out on numerous occasions. I do not know of dogs specifically trained to assist autistic kids and maybe the concerns you bring up about your son not wanting to hug and be kissed by a dog are the same reasons that there is no such training program. But my knowledge about this is very limited--wish I could help, but I think you got great suggestions.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Ed, how does your child feel about the sense of touch? For example, does he respond more negative being picked up, hugged, hand holding? Does the feeling of clothing, shampoos, lotions bother him?
Last week, the woman with the autistic child had problems with the noise, but touch is also a big issue with some cases. Just wondering

[Ed]

No he doesn't have issues with touch, he loves playing and wrestling and playing tag and chase and all those fun things, but sometimes he just wants to have a break ...

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

So, my next question is; what are your plans for training? What methods have you considered? Have you researched trainers, know the difference in methods, conducted interviews... ?
Some previous discussions here on DK talk about what those initials mean after a trainer's name. Look at those. How willing, or how much time do you plan to dedicate to helping your child communicate with the pup. Will the trainer you select include your child? Many trainers want one fxmily member to do the initial training - that's okay, but ask if the child can attend and watch.
Just some thoughts.
I'm all for this situation, however my concerns are with the young age of the child. Still, this really all comes back to the parents involvement and commitment which seems that you are.
Just this week, I had a horrifying discussion with a neighbor whose son ( Aspergers) was given a dog. Now at one year, the child is beating and kicking the dog. Instead of training the did and the child- well
What a mess. This could have been a rewarding experiane if begun correctly. Now, it's an emergency.
a lot of this has to do with another failed social relationship this child had with the dog and his poor communication with the animal, lack of parental involvement.

So, my thoughts are, this can work if it becomes a family project where the child LEARNS the love of a dog through commitment from the parents. Please, research training. ( excuse typos- difficult to type on phone)

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

My neighbor- ".... we heard, dogs are so good with Autisim/Aspergers" So they dumped a dog on a child who already has problems and expect him to cope.
Well, no dog, even in a normal situation is good with a child without the love and parental guidance from the parents.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I think the hardest thing for many people to realize is that statements like "dogs are good with..." are completely meaningless. No dog is born "good with" anything. They become "good with" kids, people, other dogs, noise, leash walking, whatever, through their experiences with these things, and through guidance, as you say. And of course, the socialization done before the puppy ever goes to a home is crucial as well as the temperament of the parent dogs.

The biggest reason that doodles lose their homes are unrealistic expectations on the part of the owners. They expect that the dog will be a certain size, or will be good with kids, or will do therapy work, or won't shed, or will be calm, or whatever. There is no guarantee of any of these things with any individual doodle. I think about poor Baxter, Linda's foster, who is now in his 4th home in his short 16 weeks on earth, and will soon be moved to a fifth, through absolutely no fault of his own. The original owner with a houseful of small kids was told "these dogs are good with kids" and assumed that meant "automatically", I guess. Another owner was told "these dogs are hypoallergenic".  Poor Baxter was told nothing, he was just passed from one misguided person with unrealistic expectations to another. This puppy has no idea where he lives or what to expect from the world. After food, water, air and shelter, a dog must have consistency and know what to expect every day from the world around him to survive and thrive. Otherwise, he will never be a calm, even-tempered, trustworthy animal, no matter what breed he is. A dog also must have at least one adult who loves him, wants him, and is committed to his care.  

Sorry for the outburst, this story about your neighbors just touched a nerve for me.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

I'm not a trainer but I offered to intervene! Please , please bring your son and dog over. I'll give you all that I have and know ( they won't take the dog or the son to training).
I'm so upset with this situation. So rant on.....
This is a shared parenting situation. The father is my neighbor, the mother's home is where the dog is living. I'm desperately trying to find info on that location. I would rather help this boy build a lasting and life-long relationship but if they refuse my help, well I have plans