Does anyone have a dog?
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Does anyone have a dog?
| Thu, 02-28-2008 - 10:04am |
We are thinking of getting a dog - DH and I both grew up with dogs, and we know the kids would love one. I was wondering if any of you with Aspies have dogs and if so, do you have any pointers, advice or experience for me? We are looking at golden retrievers and cavalier king charles spaniels at the moment, as they keep coming top of all the 'what dog to get' questionnaire I fill in (needs to be family friendly, low shedding because DS1 as asthma - although to our knowledge not triggered by the dogs he's met so far -, medium exercise, obedient etc)
I don't think Euan (9, Asperger's) will have much of a problem with a dog - he definately wants one *in theory* - but any insight from experienced dog owners and parents of

Hi.
Our son Bryce is 2yo, tentative dx of PDD-NOS. Our situation is a little different since the dogs were here LONG before Bryce was.
We have two large dogs, when we are home they are indoors. Golden Ret, Cami, 11 yo. Wolf/Lab mix, Archie, 13yo. The only one Bryce interacts with much is Cami. Archie just stays away from his as much as possible. Bryce does like having Cami around, he takes notice of her, and occasionally wants to pet her...but often get's upset because Cami invades his personal space. He doesn't really have a problem with anyone
We had a dog, Pembroke Welsh Corgi(who has since passed on), and she and Tom (5, PDD-NOS) got along well.
I wrote a HUGE long reply this morning, and I could swear it posted, but it is nowhere to be found.
We adopted an adult dog from a shelter a few years ago. I chose this route, as it is easier to guage the temperment of an adult dog. The shelter I used has a special area where you can spend time with your "candidate" dogs, and I ran several through a series of tests, like giving them food and then taking it away, to see if I still had a hand left. Also throwing a ball to see if the dog was obsessed with it versus liking a good game of catch (didn't need an Aspie dog. I spend enough time redirecting the kids!).
I was looking for a dog who was secure in himself, not too aggressive, but not shy or submissive, either, who had no sign of a mean streak. I rejected a few very sweet dogs because they were too submissive or "nervy", as those guys can get snappy if they feel threatened. The dog I chose in the end was bigger and sheddier than I had planned, but he was confident and laid-back, playful and -as he was part Boxer, I figured he would never jump on kids (and he never has -although he mauls adults).
I hope this helps some. Good luck with your decision. Getting a dog is a big step, but a great one. I personally think that it is good for kids to grow up with a dog -if it is possible, obviously. Oftentimes it isn't
-Paula
-Paula
www.onesickmother.com
visit my blog at www.onesickmother.com
Well, we aren't yet diagnosed
We have 2 lab mix doggies and they are awesome with our kids.
We had the older one (Baloo) before the kids. He is 15 now and a lab/ german shep mix. He has never even growled at the kids. Even now as old as he is though they are kind to him now.
We got the second one, cause well we love animals and my oldest Aspie's obsession area is animals. Gracie is a Golden Retriever/Aussie shep mix and she sheds like NO TOMORROW but she is a big goofy lovable dog. She also is VERY protective of her kids but has the patience of Job with the kids. Once or twice she has barked at them if they step on her by accident but that is about it. However, if we horseplay with the kids or yell at them she gets quite upset. It is very funny. She is such a little mother. It is the aussie in her.
The herding type are great with kids but you have to watch out for the nippyness. Aussie shepards, border collies, those type are great with kids but when they are young they tend to herd them and will nip at their heels if the kids are running around. We did have that issue with Grace for a while but trained her to stop. However, with very little ones it can be an issue when they start running in the yard. They also need A LOT of exercise.
Labs are fantastic with kids but they chew on everything. If you get a lab get a crate for when you are gone and lots and lots of chew toys. It is NOT cruel to crate a dog. Most dog training will tell you to do it and if you are a puppy raiser for disability dogs they make you do it. Dogs tend to prefer it because they feel safe like in a cave. It keeps them safe from chewing something that may hurt them and helps with housebreaking them.
After we learned that our kids had AS and that dogs were good for kids with AS, we ran out and got a dog (2nd generation Labradoodle, so she's 3/4 poodle {standard sized} which is great for allergies). It turns out she has major separation anxieties (she's on anxiety meds) and ate everything in sight for the first year or so, but she's gotten better with that over time.
The kids had been begging for a dog for years, so I really thought they'd be excited about the dog. They were at first, but now they just mostly accept that she exists in the house. I'm not sure how much of that is because the dog is attached to me and not them, and how much it's just 'cus like every other toy they've ever had, they lose interest in it as soon as they actually get the toy.
I'm still mostly glad we have the dog, though. She loves the kids like crazy, and she's gentle as can be. She's also a good watch dog if I have to leave the kids unattended (she wouldn't hurt a fly, but she'll bark like crazy and scare people off).
Also, even though the kids haven't been great care providers for her or learned much empathy from her, they HAVE learned to not be afraid of big animals which they used to be. My 13yo dd was at a friend's house recently and didn't bat an eye at their rambunctious dog who was jumping all over her. Friends of ours have an extremely aggressive husky mix, but my kids don't show any fear in his presence (that might be a dangerous thing, too, but people who show fear around him get bit, so my kids are safe).
I can also use our dog as an excuse to make the kids get out and go for a walk when they seem to need it (make them walk the dog). Occasionally when the kids are having a meltdown, I can get the dog to come attack the kids with kisses until they calm down, but she won't do that as much anymore. Sometimes I can use the dog to temporarily get the kids to be empathetic (awww, look how sad she is that you won't play with her, poor Bella), and they'll occasionally respond to the dog.
Another reason I'm glad we ended up with our poodle-mix dog is 'cus she doesn't shed. When I take her to the dog park and see the other dogs who have fur coming off in fistfuls, I don't think I could keep up with one more thing to clean in the house!
Before we got our dog, I'd googled "dogs good with kids" and got a great site from DogBreedInfo. There's also a link on that site to which dogs are good for allergies. I really, really liked those sites and thought they were quite educational and informative.
Hi Kirsty!
We adopted our Heidi a little over a year ago and it turned out to be one of the best decisions we made for all of us.
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Christine
Hello! I saw your post and thought I could give you a link that might help you out. This organization is called 4 Paws for Ability. They are wonderful! They train service dogs for people with disabilities, including Autism Assistance Dogs! Please take a few minutes to look at their site! We are currently in this program!
www.4pawsforability.org