Assistance dogs for adults with autism

If the dog is trained and managed by someone else then I would reccomend it to anyone.

If you, like me, got 'your own' dog to help you then I would would advise caution and a realistic assesment of whether you can cope.l As mentioned below in part. 

Rewards: total companionship 24/7. A project to focus on. Sidekick during incomprehnsible events / people. Somewhere to angle a random narrative stream. He needs routine so you need to focus on giving that for both of you. The '2 minute chats' with other dog walkers seem to be a standard part of daily walks for everyone. This has been massively beneficial in helping my social skills in micro-situations where it really, really dosn't matter if you mess it up!

Caution: social anxiety made it really difficult to train behaviours when there are other people watching. 'Masking' is problematic, the dog seems to not respond well - and you have to switch a lot in front of other people  it's not optional if you suddenly need to control the dog. Consistency is key for dogs and that may not fit with your default behavior.

It's a difficult choice to reverse out of - for the dog's sake - many times I have felt excruciatingly bad for wishing I could give him up (but most of the time he's a blessing and relief and an angel all in one).

Overall, for me, it was a very challenging road - but one that I was *just* about able to cope with and a massive opportunity for self-growth.

Jon

(Dog owner + 2 years)

If the dog is trained and managed by someone else then I would reccomend it to anyone.

If you, like me, got 'your own' dog to help you then I would would advise caution and a realistic assesment of whether you can cope.l As mentioned below in part. 

Rewards: total companionship 24/7. A project to focus on. Sidekick during incomprehnsible events / people. Somewhere to angle a random narrative stream. He needs routine so you need to focus on giving that for both of you. The '2 minute chats' with other dog walkers seem to be a standard part of daily walks for everyone. This has been massively beneficial in helping my social skills in micro-situations where it really, really dosn't matter if you mess it up!

Caution: social anxiety made it really difficult to train behaviours when there are other people watching. 'Masking' is problematic, the dog seems to not respond well - and you have to switch a lot in front of other people  it's not optional if you suddenly need to control the dog. Consistency is key for dogs and that may not fit with your default behavior.

It's a difficult choice to reverse out of - for the dog's sake - many times I have felt excruciatingly bad for wishing I could give him up (but most of the time he's a blessing and relief and an angel all in one).

Overall, for me, it was a very challenging road - but one that I was *just* about able to cope with and a massive opportunity for self-growth.

Jon

(Dog owner + 2 years)

I could not agree more with what you said there, Jonagain. Thank you for it.

I have had dogs for the past 20 years and although they have not been trained or designated as support animals, they have provided what appear to be similar benefits for me.

I find the companionship my dogs have given me at home and their need to be taken care of help me and lend structure to my non-work time. Also the fact they need a long daily walk or two has, in my opinion, caused me to keep a good 7-8 kilograms off and look and feel better than I would have, otherwise. 

On a sidenote, we in Canada, like the Americans, have not actually switched over to the metric system, despite it being our official measurement system. So I had originally typed ‘15 pounds’ in the paragraph above, but then switched it to kilograms after asking Siri on my iPhone to help me convert it. Just a little insider tip about Canada.

My dogs have always been among my closest friends. My current, small dog is becoming elderly now, and he probably only has about four or five more years to live. I look forward to savouring these slower times with him and ensuring he is always happy and comfortable. Already I find myself doing multiple extra things for him daily just to add that extra little touch of comfort to his days.

I’m happy you and your dog have each other!

Elizabeth