Dog for family with child with autism

[googlenut]

Im looking for some advice. We have three children 10,9 and 7. The youngest is a ds with mild autism. I have been on the training workshops run by dogs for the disabled and had decided to wait for a while before getting a dog.
But today we were out and met a dog owner who had an 'Esky'. We all fell in love with it and on the surface seemed a lovely temperament for our family. Does anyone have any info on this dog breed?

[PersonalClown]

What is an 'Esky'? Sure they didn't say Husky??

[hellhasnofury]

One of these?

[googlenut]

We were outside an art gallery and the person with the dog wasn't the owner. He just said it was an Esky and couldn't say what cross breed it was. It was much larger than the dog in the link, had a lovely long coat and was grey and brown, it was very calm and loved the children stroking it. It also has an intelligent look to it - sorry if that sounds daft but one of the things they warn about on training is getting too laid back a dog that isn't quick enough to learn the training needed to be an assistance dog.

[OldMotherDismass]

Like this en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Canadianeskied22.jpg? (Canadian Eskimo Dog)

[AmberLeaf]

Dont those types of dogs need a lot of exercise?

[moosemama]

Was it definitely a crossbreed?

Something called an Esky which is a crossbreed sounds like it would probably have Husky in it. I wouldn't recommend a Husky for your needs as they are such high energy dogs and really need knowledgeable homes with experienceo of the breed.

I am completely biased, but my Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier would have been perfect. She was very intelligent, really friendly and I can honestly say one of the easiest dogs I've ever lived with. She was also the easiest dog I've ever trained and absolutely adored children. We did obedience, agility and heelwork to music together and she loved nothing better than a good training session. I have three dcs myself and my oldest ds has ASD - she was always really good with the children, even when they were tiny.

My ds has never been interested in our dogs, which is a shame, because he suffers from extremely high anxiety and I think developing a good relationship with a dog could help him in many ways.

Other than that, if you would consider a rescue I would recommend going to a reputable rescue centre and asking their advice and whether or not they have any dogs/pups that might be suitable. There are such a lot of amazing dogs stuck in rescues that would make wonderful family pets and would be so keen to learn and be trained. The danger is in falling in love with one that's completely unsuitable, rather than taking the advice of the rescuers who will have spent time with the dogs and got to know their temperaments and strengths and weaknesses etc.

If you don't want to go the rescue route and aren't rushing into anything, a trip to Crufts to visit Discover Dogs would be a great way of getting to see lots of different breeds and talk to breeders and owners. I'd advise taking a shortlist of preferred breeds with you though, as there are a lot of dogs to see and its easy to be sidetracked.

[AnEcumenicalMatter]

A friend of mine breeds Labradors and several pups she has bred have gone to be assistance dogs for autistic children.

I would avoid crossbreeds and any dogs of unknown origins in your circumstances. So much of temperament is genetic and crossbreeds are very much an unknown quantity (you don't know what combination of traits it will inherit and in what measure).

I don't know what an 'Esky' is (as far as I am aware, there is no such breed) other than some type of spitz crossbreed. I personally would avoid any spitz type breeds in considering an assistance dog as, on the whole, they are intelligent but wilful and difficult to train reliably. They will learn quickly but chose when to obey a command and when to go complately deaf and do their own thing. And I speak as the owner of a spitz cross.

[googlenut]

The Canadian Eskimo dog is more like it but this dog was chunkier and had a softer face. I wish I'd seen the owner to check. They probably do need a lot of exercise but we are an active family.

[AnEcumenicalMatter]

Canadian Eskimo Dog is ENTIRELY unsuitable as an assistance dog...even less so than the Husky. They exist only in very small numbers in the UK as there are only a very few breeders and not many homes suited to such dogs. They are a very primitive breed and truly not for the faint hearted!

Could it perhaps have been a Eurasier. If so, they are fantastic dogs but, again, not sure they would be my first choice for an assistance dog as trainability is not their strong point.

[ANTagony]

My eldest has ASD and we have a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. She's my third. Small, will walk miles and miles on days like today but just pop out long enough to do her business in the pouring rain or heavy snow. Easy to get dog sitters for as she's not much bother.

Very even natured breed that are an easy fit in a family but I wouldn't say they're very trainable. You can train them to go outside, sit, down and basic agility, they're generally pretty good off lead because they're loyal but mostly they like to snuggle up on the sofa.

[Lougle]

DD1 hasn't got ASD, but she has got SN and goes to Special School. We've got a 14 week old Staffordshire Bull Terrier (we also have a Westie, but he's getting old and tolerates the children more than loving them!).

They are already firm friends, although puppies are hard work.

Staffys are quite food orientated, so training is very easy but they are strong dogs and need you to be boss.

[GrittersWifeAndProud]

My greyhound came from a home with 3 small children, 1 of which was autistic. He is so laid back he's lying down :o

[lisad123]

We have 2 girls with autsim and have a labradoddle. He is big enough to take their cuddles without being hurt on squezed too tight. He is a big bouncy dog but very gentle, clever and seems to understand that he needs to be gentle.
Just remember that dog will still need walking come rain or shine. Im lucky that dh is about in morning and evenings to walk him as the novaty wore off the kids pretty quickly.

If you want an assitance dog you can either choose your own pet to train with OR ask them to find a suitable one.
We werent allowed an assitance dog because with have 2 kids with SN :(

[Bossybritches22]

Read this book, fanastic

A labrador every time.

[googlenut]

Just to clarify- there are no trained assistance dogs available. There is no chance we will get one. Dogs for the disabled have started these 3 day workshops to help people select and train their own dogs.
I think we need a biggish dog, don't want a puppy and happy to look at rescue dogs. The dog we saw today just seemed to gel very well with all 3 children. A Labrador is the obvious choice, although apparently they can be not quite so intelligent in terms of training for what a child with asd needs.
Ds with asd would benefit hugely from a dog. We are holding off just now because of work commitments and because ds can sometimes be aggressive. We are borrowing friends dogs to get used to having them around.
And I talk to people who I see with a dog I like the look of to get info about different breeds.

[googlenut]

Yes have read this book a few years ago and it was what inspired me in the first place

[thestringcheesemassacre]

I would say a German Shepherd. They have a brilliant (and sometimes mis represented) temperament for children.

Have a look at this

www.dogsforautism.org/

[lisad123]

If your in herts, happy to bring mine to meet you.
I have found having him from pup has been good as he has grown with the girls, so not a big scarcy dog straight off.

[googlenut]

That's a lovely offer but we are oop north

[googlenut]

Sorry but don't like labradoodles Quite a few people have mentioned the temperament of greyhounds to me so keep watching them when I see them out and about.

[googlenut]

Meant labradoodles as our dog, we r happy to have any dogs round for a visit. We have a lovely border collie who visits but he feels just a bit too jumpy and nervous for our house.

[EdlessAllenPoe]

i think individual dog over breed every time.. (though i also agree the comments about cross breeds if you were set on a puppy, which you aren't...)

had you considered re-homing an adult dog of known temperament?

best way would to be speak to a rescue, or the breed rescue rep for your chosen breed/area ...

My vote goes for greyhound, lovely sleepy dogs.

[AnEcumenicalMatter]

"A Labrador is the obvious choice, although apparently they can be not quite so intelligent in terms of training for what a child with asd needs. "

Nonsense. There's a reason that Guide Dogs for th Blind use predominently Labs in their breeding programme...plus Goldens and Flat Coat Retrievers - all gundogs...extremely intelligent and physically and mentally up to the job. They are also generally reliable of temperament and good with people and other dogs.

As I said upthread, my friend has provided Lab puppies to several families for training as assistance dogs for children with autism and all have become very valued members of those families.

I can recommend some reputable Lab rescue organisations if you are interested in finding an older dog.