Published on 12, July, 2020
Okay, i live alone with 5 animals - a 2 year old cat, a 4 year old Pygmy hedgehog, a 8 week old pygmy hedgehog, 6 year old husky and a 6 month old labradoodle.
My cat has allergic reactions to different things - but she loves a cuddle, treats and my husky. My cat, Riley, is amazing and so loving
My 4 year old hedgehog is my grumpy boy, Griffin, who loves his bath and being talked too. Not really a cuddly hedgehog but a cute one
My 8 week old Pygmy hedgehog I picked up yesterday, she is also a grumpy girl at the minute - quite stressed but everything is new to her. She is my little Raven
Penelope is my loyal 6 year old husky who ive visited since she was 3 weeks old and ive had her from 8 weeks. She is my beautiful girl that i love soo much. She is my star in everything she does and makes me smile everyday. Although stubborn she is well behaved and does things to support me
Last but not least Tara or Santara my younger pup who is 6 months old, she is a black labradoodle F3 so she has curly fur. She is a monkey - chewing everything at the minute, still in her puppy phase and enjoying it haha. But she is getting there with training, shes even noticing things to do before i even teach her which is amazing!
Even though i have all these pets, all of them having different personalities and quirks. I’ve been wanting to go to the idea of an assistance dog in training. I tried with my husky and although she knows some tasks, she is quite stubborn and does the task when she feels like it. I love her so much but with her stubbornness and age I didn’t want to push her. So i decided to get a puppy. Tara is my labradoodle who is full of energy and needs that attention to release her energy. But i dont know if it’s the right thing. I would love to work with Tara and train her with a trainer to become my autism assistance dog, but i also work in a nursery - will that be problematic? I just love the idea of training her and helping her find a purpose. Penelope’s is my star who is my loyal girl, Tara is my dream with her cuddles and thinking skills.
I just dont know how to go about it…
if you have an autism assistance dog could you please comment? Or if you dont and have ideas comment too.
I have severe anxiety too so overthinking is what i do or is that apart of autism too, im newly diagnosed and finding new things about me each day. Having that extra help from my dog would be amazing, wonderful and a miracle for me. Especially with my other symptoms of other things too - need to see doctor about - im all over the place but thank you for reading…
I like that, thank you !!! ️
I have an 11 year old Labradoodle F1, Carter. Not trained to help me. I used to do pet dog obediance training, and help to teach people to teach their dogs. I would be lost without him. As previously stated, dogs don't judge and love unconditionally. I struggle terribly with people, but connect with my dog. MD like you dogs and music are my saviours.
I think an autism assistance dog sounds great, we all know dogs are amazing at so many things so why not. Go for it Shannon. My motto, 'try it, if it works great, if not you tried'
Thank you this helps a lot !!! Very informative and helps with my head space right now thank you :)
I like the vest ideas :)yeah thats my worries too well 2 of them, but i have been talking to an organisation in the UK that helps with public access issues, maybe if you work with an Org too it may help? I don’t know ♀️
If you are to plan for an assistance animal/dog, you may need to slim down the size of your existing pack. Assistance dogs yearn for the close attentive relationship...you sound gloriously spread over many animal friends at the moment. I'm very happy for you.
Assistance dogs/animals tend to complicate the lives of others around you both. That doesn't make the relationship a bad thing to seek, it is just something to bear in mind.
Number.
My dog is a 13 year old Jack Russell, Billy Bubbles, who I do agility with. I have trained him a little to help me. When I talk to people he comes and sits beside me so that I can scoop him up if I am feeling overwhelmed. People also tend to focus on him and don't expect eye contact which is an additional benefit. The other thing I am training him to do, is to respond to an alarm, and keep on bugging me until I get up and respond. This is to help me break away from activities that I get so absorbed in that I don't eat, drink or sleep. So far we have got bedtime sorted, as he knows that when the TV goes off (automatically), I should respond. If I don't he lies across my face and keeps doing it even if I lift him off. I am in the process of getting him to link this behaviour to a sound so I can use it in different situations.
With your puppy, I would be starting with all the usual basics, sit, down, stand and the very important 'come'. If you want her to go with you when you are out, she needs to be well socialised with people, especially children, and dogs, only approaching both when you let her, and being calm when she does. Also she needs to be familiar with all sorts of transport noises, and travelling in them if you do. Ideally she should toilet on command. Then you need to work out how she is going to assist you.
Train with lots of treats or play with a favourite toy. I use a variety of treats from low-value kibble through to high value dried fish skins with sausage, chicken and liver on the way. Expect her training to take about 18 months. In your situation, if affordable, I would find a puppy class with a maximum size of 6, and a progression through various stages. A lot of training is about you learning how to train and an experienced observer can really help with that.
Good luck
I have a 1 year old Rottie that I've been thinking about making a service dog. I feel so safe at home now, that I leave the blinds open even when I'm gone. I think having her with me in crowds would help me get out into public spaces more since I would feel safer. I have two concerns though. One is having to argue with a therapist for paperwork because in my experience, they like to act like guardians of the American Disabilities Act and typically only support service dogs for those with severe physical disabilities and also happen to get along with the therapist. The other is that too many people would come up to me to talk about her rather than let me enjoy the moment. Maybe I could get a service dog vest that says, "Don't ask about me unless we're friends," or, "Leave my dad alone." lol
I'm not sure if I can imagine how to train a dog to become support dog for autistic people?. I can imagine that any dog can make most humans feel way better :)
sadly it was me who found him spread-eagled on kitchen floor one morning
That must have been devastating! I'm tearing up But who else would you think we would have wanted to find him?
Dogs are man and woman's best friend - they are protective, friendly, great company and never judge so IMO they are a great idea if you struggle. I've got an autism support dog and she's my entire world I would be lost without her. Every day she is with me and she's made my anxiety a lot more bearable.
I highly recommend! I think it would help you. My mental health team got me mine.