Considering a dog for ASD Son, concerned his behaviour may frighten dog. Thoughts?

Taking on a puppy is a big job, on top of everything else. An older rescue dog might be better. If you find the right one, they come ready trained, calmer and more mature. The baggage they bring with them may be far easier and quicker to resolve than training a puppy.

I'm 60 and live on my own, so am in an entirely different situation to you. My previous dog was a year old collie/springer cross who was totally out of control when he moved in, and it was a lot of hard work to help him become a wonderful companion. I was just able to handle this at the time, but I couldn't the way I've been feeling in recent years. I don't think I could take on a puppy. My current dog is a German Shepherd, who was almost 5 when she moved in. Right from the start she was very calm and gentle (most of the time!!), and settled in and adapted to her new life very quickly. The only problem I had was that she was very nervous, and I needed a supply of carpet cleaner on hand for the first couple of months. She reads people and other animals very well, and knows when to go off to a safe place, and she is also very loyal and does almost everything I ask of her. I think she'd get very worried by violent rages though, as I think most dogs would, and would need plenty of reassurance when they were over.

I'm not suggesting a GSD is the right breed for you, but just to consider an older dog may be better than a puppy. I think one of the larger intelligent breeds may be better than many of the small breeds. It's amazing how many people pick up their small dogs when I walk by with my GSD, not because they're scared of my dog, but because their small one is likely to attack! My "big fearless" GSD just runs back to me for protection if she feels threatened!

Taking on a puppy is a big job, on top of everything else. An older rescue dog might be better. If you find the right one, they come ready trained, calmer and more mature. The baggage they bring with them may be far easier and quicker to resolve than training a puppy.

I'm 60 and live on my own, so am in an entirely different situation to you. My previous dog was a year old collie/springer cross who was totally out of control when he moved in, and it was a lot of hard work to help him become a wonderful companion. I was just able to handle this at the time, but I couldn't the way I've been feeling in recent years. I don't think I could take on a puppy. My current dog is a German Shepherd, who was almost 5 when she moved in. Right from the start she was very calm and gentle (most of the time!!), and settled in and adapted to her new life very quickly. The only problem I had was that she was very nervous, and I needed a supply of carpet cleaner on hand for the first couple of months. She reads people and other animals very well, and knows when to go off to a safe place, and she is also very loyal and does almost everything I ask of her. I think she'd get very worried by violent rages though, as I think most dogs would, and would need plenty of reassurance when they were over.

I'm not suggesting a GSD is the right breed for you, but just to consider an older dog may be better than a puppy. I think one of the larger intelligent breeds may be better than many of the small breeds. It's amazing how many people pick up their small dogs when I walk by with my GSD, not because they're scared of my dog, but because their small one is likely to attack! My "big fearless" GSD just runs back to me for protection if she feels threatened!