• Replies 1 reply
  • Subscribers 67 subscribers
  • Views 947 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
Related
Hints and tips
  • To quote someone's message, first select/highlight the relevant text, and then use the Quote button that appears
  • To "mention" someone, type @ followed by the start of the forum name, and choose from the list; that person will get a notification of being mentioned

Assistance dog or not

NAS7972

My 3 year old daughter was diagnosed with Autism in January of this year. She loves nature and we have been looking at potentially getting a dog as a companion for her. I have heard about Autism assistance dogs and wondered if anybody had any experience of getting one of these dogs?

Not sure if it is best to get an assistance dog or just a well loved/trained dog?

  • I've never had an assistance dog but the topic came up on the NAS site a while back 
    https://www.autism.org.uk/get-involved/media-centre/news/2016-07-14-autism-support-dogs.aspx. The message is basically to be very careful from whom you get one.
    This looks like the go-to ADUK accredited place to get a service dog for an autistic child. https://www.dogsforgood.org/how-we-help/assistance-dog/autism-assistance-dogs-children/ 


    A few things I noted reading the website/information guide that might be worth thinking seriously about;
    www.dogsforgood.org/.../Autism-Assistance-Dogs-for-Children-Information-Guide.pdf

    • If your daughter is prone to run off in public places it looks like it could work well as that seems to be the main thing the dog is trained to prevent. Because of this capability large dogs are generally the only option as a small dog cannot be an anchor.
    • Service dogs need to be carefully matched and are checked up on regularly. This may be very inconvenient in the short-term while you are being matched to a dog. There are also several courses you need to attend. According to the information PDF "Training courses last for a minimum of five days and require overnight stays."
    • Alterations to your home may be necessary at the discretion of the charity.
    • You cannot leave the service dog alone for over 4h a day (though to be fair this is a bad idea for any dog)
    • I would ask about what is meant by "Interrupting repetitive behaviour" on the list of tasks the dog can perform as some repetitive behaviours are harmless and self-soothing, so if it were my child I wouldn't want those to be interrupted (on the other hand, interrupting self-injurious behaviour would be great).

    The downsides of a regular pet dog, in comparison, are; 
    Obviously you couldn't take it in many public places.
    Puppies are difficult and may be incompatible with an autistic child who doesn't like loud noise/unpredictable fast movements.
    An adult dog, on the other hand, is generally of an unknown background and may be frightened by the child if she is distressed and making loud noises/sudden motions herself. What I might suggest to mitigate this if you did not want to go the full 'service dog' route is taking on a retired service dog (or even a young one that has failed its training for reasons other than temperament).