To ask the best dog breed for a child with autism

[Caterpillarx1]

Looked in to getting a service/therapy dog for my son whos almost 5, non-verbal, Can’t be left unsupervised for a second, without going in to too much detail he goes to a special school and is “low funtioning” all the waiting lists are too long and not taking on anymore applicants. And the price of £6k we were quoted just isn’t affordable for us.

I was thinking of getting a dog ourselves and doing some training courses.
Whilst we’re out he gets very happy is he sees a dog. I feel like it would offer him some emotional and practical support and really encourage him/ bring him out of his shell.

Has anyone else got a dog for their child with autism? I was thinking labradoodle? Or golden Labrador? I did hear vizsla’s are good but after doing some research I’m unsure now. I’m a stay at home mum btw so it wouldn’t be left at home alone. AIBU to want to get him one or am I going to have a dog pooping around the house and making my life even harder?

PS dog walking wouldn’t be a Problem. I was just wondering if I’d get him one thinking I was helping out and in fact have a dog come home and destroy the house/ poo everywhere. Do they all do this? Or has anyone’s dog came well behaved

Greyhounds are very calm and docile.

Maybe consider the balance - you say you can't take your eyes off your son for a moment, so you'll need to make that work with a dog that will need to be taken out of the house for a pee multiple times a day, picking up their poo outside etc.

Add in the large amount of time you'll need to spend on behavioural training, especially recall, dealing with teething issues, crate training if you go that way, house training, entertainment etc.

It is a lot to take on in addition to your boys extra needs. Have you had a dog before?

Labradoodles are a mongrel and are quite unpredictable, depending on what parts of each breed they take on.

Golden Retrievers are lovely but hairy and need to be consistently trained.

Most dogs will poo in the house until properly trained and destroy things if bored and untrained.

Another one wanting to know if you've ever had a dog before. I can see why you want one for your ds but a therapy animal is still very much an animal first and foremost.

I think it’s more the training of the dog that makes it an assistance dog iyswim?

Can the organisation you spoke to give you any advice on the training aspect of it?

Black labs are very gentle and docile. As are Staffordshire bull terriers who are very perceptive and although it sounds odd, empathetic dogs.

Write down the list of traits that you want.

Work out the practical side, including the early puppy stage and the teen stage of the dog. Then cost of feeding/caring for a large breed about a small one. Do you have time to hoover and groom daily? Do you need a dog that can be left for so many hours?

That's how to start.

I agree about a labradoodle, they are essentially a mongrel and can have the worst of not easy breeds, they are mixed from. Labradors aren't easy dogs, they can be easy to train because they are food orientated.

A retired greyhound might work.
golden retrievers are lovely and chilled as adults, but a real nightmare as puppies.

I would avoid any terriers, and even labradoodles, they are unpredictable.

Staffs are lovely. But they are bouncy when young and if your Son can't dodge a headbutt, they can injure.

Dogs dont come well behaved, you have to teach them everything.
Even if you take on an older dog that is house trained, it wont know where its toilet spot is at your house. They wont know the layout of your home.

Dont get a high energy working breed such as a Vizsla, whoever gave you that advice doesn't know what they are doing.
Find a local dog trainer and work with them. Dogs are a lot of hard work in the early stages of training, and its a specific skill set.

What I really mean is , to what extent can your son be taught to be dog savvy?

You could try 'borrowmydoggy' first, and through that, get a feel for the different breeds before deciding on one.
Ideally you would bypass the puppy stage completely; it was honestly one of the hardest things I have ever done (worth it now though ), and get a more mature dog, but I can understand why you'd want one from puppyhood.
For what it's worth, I have never met a bad natured Cockerpoo. My neighbour has one which is used as a therapy dog. They are not a breed, obviously, but a hybrid. Expect to pay pedigree prices though!

And bigger breeds tend to be calmer and not as yappy as smaller ones.

I have SO much love for Staffies.
They are the best and most empathic dogs.

I would be wary of getting a puppy as you would have to do all the training yourself and puppies of any breed are bitey, jumpy monsters for a while. It might be worth looking at rescues for an older dog and seeing how they relate to your child.

You could also look at the Guide Dogs for the Blind website as they have ‘failed’ guide dogs available for about £500. They will have been through basic training but failed because they don’t meet the very high standards necessary to guide a blind person, or because of some health issue. The benefits of this is that the pups are largely produced by the Charities own breeding program so are well suited to supporting people with additional needs in a way that ‘normal’ dogs won’t be.

@Birdsgottafly ours is 6 now so I’d forgotten about the bouncing that said, our 3 are autistic and actually our cat was the one who helped DS1 verbalise his feelings (he used to talk to him and let it all out).

One aside, when our cat died DS1 was distraught, for months. I mean absolutely devastated, I’ve never seen anyone so upset.

So lifespan of the breed is important too.

Its one thing getting a dog for the benefit of your son, but you have to consider if it's fair on the dog too.
A friend has a young son with a similar level of autism and to put it bluntly I wouldn't not let him near even the calmest of my three. He's non verbal but screeches and Dogs have sensitive hearing. I also don't trust him not to be inadvertently rough (but the id think that of many NT children the same age TBH.
If you do still want a dog I'd go for an adult rescue dog because by that point you have a better idea of whether they have a suitable temperament - puppy personalities are not 100% predictable. Even dogs that are in specific breeding programmes such as Guide Dogs can end up being unsuitable.

DO NOT GET A DOODLE or ANY poodle mix. The coat maintenance is crazy (at least 30-60 minutea a day of full brushing and combing) and will cost you £35-60 every 6 weeks for a full groom.

I say this as a dog groomer... PLEASE DON'T.

I’d say Labrador. I would also suggest Saint Bernard but they take a lot of training and can be stubborn... they also don’t live as long and are prone to various things. I’d definitely go with Labrador

I would be vary wary doing this without going through an approved company. The dogs need to be trained which can cost thousands anyway. What about applying for grants to cover the costs.

Don’t get a puppy OP. Get an older dog or retired greyhound.

I have two sons with autism and a daughter. My daughter wanted a dog so when she was 4 I bought a black lab puppy. Within two weeks she was clean and within a month she had naturally attached herself to my 15 year old autistic son lying under his computer desk with her head on his foot for hours. With her help he left the house for the first time to walk her and over the years she has been a wonderful companion to him and increased his confidence.
However I did not predict this at all. I deliberately chose the least boisterous puppy in the litter and she is kind, gentle and sweet. I have had dogs before and I knew how to toilet train etc. So it can be done but you need to think carefully whether you have the skills and knowledge to train a dog.

Get a cat. If he likes them.

A huge commitment. Talk to experts in his condition, people who train "helping dogs " and dont rush in to it

There was an episode on Secret Life of Puppies where they had a family of a boy with ASD who brought a Lab from a family who's child also had ASD. Therefore the puppies got used to being handled etc. Perhaps try and find out about them.

However, don't underestimate the work required to raise a dog to a comfortable level. It take about 2 years of hard work to get a dog reliably trained to a domestic level. If you wanted more it would be alot more work. The first few months of having s puppy can be exhusting.