Dog for little autistic boy

[theDudesmummy]

Hello doggie people! I wonder if anyone has any ideas in this. We are thinking of getting a dog (puppy) for our little boy, he is nearly 6 and is autistic. He is non-verbal but bright and very affectionate and interactive. The factors I want to consider are:

Needs to be small, we do not really have the room for a big dog, and I would rather have a small or even very small dog, and it would be nice to be able to pick it up, take it everywhere etc.

Needs to be good with kids (obviously), friendly and loving, not aggressive or snappy, able to tolerate a rather excitable and huggy child.

Trainable and biddable but with a personality.

Not masses of hair and upkeep.

Is there any dog like that???

Have a look at the PAWS programme run by Dogs for the Disabled - its a series of workshops and follow up support for families who want a dog that is family pet who is also a companion for a child on the spectrum rather than a full assistance dog (v hard to get - they cost £10-20,000 to train!). I am thinking of doing it - am on waiting list to do the course. (dd1 has ASD and ADHD) Looks fab!

Don't get a collie! I have an Aspergers DD age 8 & a collie. It works for us, but only because we live in a rural island location. It would be a nightmare anywhere in suburbia. :(

I love collies but unless you live in a rural location there will be breeds out there better suited to what you need.

I would definitely recommend the PAWS workshops, they were really informative, friendly and so useful. Especially it helped me to see things from the dogs point of view, to read their body language.
I went on the course before getting our dog Molly, she is a shih tzu, bichon, poodle mix and we got her at 8 weeks old and our son was 6 years.
It was difficult for a long time as my son could not deal with her licking or even sniffing him at first, they were very closely supervised.
He was also worried about her touching his trains - somehow she never has chewed a train but she did chewed a few tracks.
We've had her a year now and it's only been the last two months that I feel there is the beginnings of trust and friendship between them. They are both still a bit wary of each other, but we can see improvements all the time.
Molly is a much loved member of our family and have never regretted getting her.

This widespread misinformation on the poor collie makes me so

So many languishing in kennels, no doubt because of this silly belief they need hours of exercise per day, hours of mental stimulation per day plus agility a few times a week which puts some of them in there in the first place after they become hyper alert, anxious and on edge and stops the rest ever coming out due to people thinking they are too much of a handful.

Plenty of people have border collies in the city who are very happy and balanced.
I have one, and she is better behaved, more grounded and bombproof than most other dogs I know.

The key is not to overstimulate/over exercise them and teach them how to relax.
No need for this harmful myth that they aren't family or non farm dogs and so many die for it.

I agree with that about the collies: my parents have many (six or seven I think) of them and while they don't live in a flat, they have just a quarter acre garden, not a farm, and all the collies are very fine and happy.

We have decided to wait a bit before deciding on/getting a dog, I have recently had ankle surgery so am not fully mobile at present, so will certainly wait until i am better

I've just seen this thread and thought I would add that I was speaking to a friend last week who teaches at a school for children with SEN and is thinking of getting a "cavapoo" (cavalier poodle cross I assume) as they are supposed to be brilliant for children with autism. My friend is hoping to take the dog into school with him.