therapy dogs anyone?

[cchrissyy]

I'm curious about getting a dog, with a big part of that being that it might help my kid. (specific Qs below!)

DS is 7, autistic but pretty verbal and bright. His big challenges are social interaction, self-care skills in daily life such as getting dressed and going potty, and significant emotional volitility/tantrums.

My impression is that he's not impaired enough to need a full-on service dog, but it seems that there's a level below that called "therapy dog" or "assistance dog" or whatever, where the dog is trained to give help and emotional support.



Anyway, does anybody have a service or therapy dog and can share what tasks the dogs assist with?

Or, does anybody have a family pet who is trained to do special needs jobs?

Also, any advice re: getting the child to bond with the dog? My boy is distractable and oblivious to other kids. he sees something interesting happening for a moment then abruptly wanders away from it - how do I get him to pay attention to the dog long enough to bond with it and benefit from the social/emotional support relationship?

thanks!

[2boyzmama]

We have pet dogs, not especially trained in anything. But there is a service dog agency near here, I always see the dogs at the mall. Once every few months I'll see the dogs out with their new owners, which is always SO great to see! I've always seen kids, so I wonder if this place only trains dogs for kids. One of the times I saw them, I stopped to let my kids pet the dog (we asked permission first of course since the dog was working) and the parent noticed me signing to Connor. She said that one of the kids in the group was Deaf, and got a dog assigned to her that was trained specifically for that. So it appears that this agency trains for a variety of needs. The dog we were petting was an Autism dog, trained to stop a child from running away, trained to help a child in social situations, etc.

Anyway...if you're interested in more info, I can find this agency's webpage and send it along to you. I can't answer any of your questions, but I'm sure they can, even if you don't live anywhere near here

[Eyelet]

We've seriously considered (and would love) a therapy dog for Jovan, and even found an agency that specializes in dogs for autism (http://autismservicedogsofamerica.com) ...But the fee for one is sadly astronomical: $13,500!?!
So, instead we're into alternatives where we possibly adopt a young dog and have him trained at home with a trainer who specializes in assistance dogs.

[Lollybrat]

As 2 boysmama wrote, there is an agency here in the Dayton, OH area that trains services dogs for a variety of disabilities. They train and place a lot of autism service dogs. They have two levels of service dogs: one to assist in community settings and one to assist only in the home. Dogs who are certified to assist in the community have to be allowed to go anywhere their human goes (although sometimes there is an issue with schools). Dogs who are certified for the home may not accompany their human to places where dogs are generally not allowed. However, dogs certified in the home are still considered service anaimals and must be accommodated by landlords who might otherwise not allow pets. Also they are trained for tasks like stopping/tracking a child who wanders away from home (a problem for many children with ASD) and dealing with behavior problems.

This is the organization's website:
http://www.4pawsforability.org/

Here's the information on the "In Home Companion Dogs"
http://www.4pawsforability.org/inhomecompaniondogs.html

[Linda on the move]

Originally Posted by cchrissyy

how do I get him to pay attention to the dog long enough to bond with it and benefit from the social/emotional support relationship?

We just have pet dogs, not specially trained dogs.

I don't think that you have to get a child, even a special needs child, to pay attention to the dog for very long. They bond because they are together day after day, not because they spend tons of straight time together. Dogs are GREAT for kids. They are totally accepting, friendly, playful, and just give love.

We have a golden and a sheltie (and a cat), and both dogsw are great with the kids but the golden is better.

My DD has PDD-NOS and is fantansitic with the animals. She's always been the one who get them to take meds and such.

[2boyzmama]

Originally Posted by Lollybrat

As 2 boysmama wrote, there is an agency here in the Dayton, OH area that trains services dogs for a variety of disabilities. They train and place a lot of autism service dogs. They have two levels of service dogs: one to assist in community settings and one to assist only in the home. Dogs who are certified to assist in the community have to be allowed to go anywhere their human goes (although sometimes there is an issue with schools). Dogs who are certified for the home may not accompany their human to places where dogs are generally not allowed. However, dogs certified in the home are still considered service anaimals and must be accommodated by landlords who might otherwise not allow pets. Also they are trained for tasks like stopping/tracking a child who wanders away from home (a problem for many children with ASD) and dealing with behavior problems.

This is the organization's website:
http://www.4pawsforability.org/

Here's the information on the "In Home Companion Dogs"
http://www.4pawsforability.org/inhomecompaniondogs.html

Thanks for posting the link, I couldn't remember the name of the agency.

I looked through their webpage, they have multi-service dogs, and one of the examples given was Apraxia! They also have hearing impaired dogs, although Connor's hearing impairment isn't bad enough to need those services.

It's not anything I'd seriously consider for Connor, but it is interesting to me. When our current dogs are gone, I might consider fostering puppies for an agency like this.

[pimms]

greast post! I've been doing some dog research too, but didn't even occur to me that there would be service dogs for sn! I was looking b/c of my son's focus/impulsive/attention issues, I had seen where dogs are used to help kids read. My DS (almost 7) seems to have a great way with animals, he shown how he can be responsible with a pet and I really want to get our family a dog. I think it would be a great way for him to show some independence around the house and have an animal to love on him and vice versa.

But back to the dogs assisting kids with reading, if anyone has experience, I'd love to hear it.

[cchrissyy]

thanks a bunch!

I talked with Ds the other day about service animals, and asked him what sorts of things a dog might be able to do that he needs help with in life. We brainstormed lots of good ideas, mainly in terms of self-care things that he finds terribly embarrassing or frustrating -

prompt him to get dressed - show him what step is next - get out the clothes, especially help finding his socks and shoes.

alert DS when his pants are soiled, prompt him to change them

If DS is building a fort and the blankets come loose, pull it tighter or alert DS to the situation (that's his favorite one!)

as DS grows up, it would be great if a support dog could signal him to bathe, take meds, and brush teeth.



I love that DS wants help keeping his forts up but really, if a dog could let him know when he's peed his pants, it would save a world of embaressment several times per day - DS wets often and hates having other people point it out to him. but we have to, because he doesn't notice. I'm just thinking a dog's nose could notice and take him to change discreetly.

[mrsfru]

I'll have to come back later...just got some test results on my son and my mind is elsewhere right now...but

I'm a professional dog trainer and I've helped train a few dogs to be service dogs for a child or an adult, including my best friend. You are actually looking at training a dog to be an assistance dog or service dog, not a therapy dog. Therapy dogs go out into the environment to help others, service dogs perform specific services for a specific person and are trained for that job. They can be anything from emotional support for anxiety all the way to a dog trained to physically assist someone w/specific tasks. And even ones who are trained appropriately for "emotional support" type jobs are covered under the laws for service dogs.

Before you run out and get a dog, you need to know that not "any" dog will do, although it can be a mixed breed, rescued, not pedigreed dog--it must be a dog well chosen and suited to the specific tasks your child needs it to be.

And you need professional help to determine that.

Back later!

mrsfru

[joyluc]

My DS has been dx'ed with depression and anxiety. He has never liked dogs as a group but has liked individual dogs. The first time he was hospitalized I thought about getting a dog to have a being in the house focused on him that he could cuddle with. It took us several months but 3 weeks ago we finally adopted a little black dog from the county pound and it.has.been.great. My DS loves this dog, sleeps with her, when he was suicidal complied with my directions because he didn't want the dog to get hurt. She isn't specially trained just being herself but she has totally enaged him.

I wouldn't worry about your son bonding with the dog, they are always available and always eager to engage. Good luck.

[cchrissyy]

thanks everybody - mrsfru, I'm waiting for more!

[mrsfru]

Anyway, does anybody have a service or therapy dog and can share what tasks the dogs assist with?

Or, does anybody have a family pet who is trained to do special needs jobs?

Also, any advice re: getting the child to bond with the dog? My boy is distractable and oblivious to other kids. he sees something interesting happening for a moment then abruptly wanders away from it - how do I get him to pay attention to the dog long enough to bond with it and benefit from the social/emotional support relationship?

Chrissy,

A properly chosen and trained dog can assist with literally anything your child may need help with....for example, if he struggled w/talking and communication, the dog can be trained to be a therapeutic listening aid--laying still at your son's side to give him a non-judgemental ear and encouragement OR he could be trained to lay still at your son's bedside to give him solid sensory input to help him get to sleep and stay asleep OR he could be trained to be a physical support for your son if he has balance issues OR he can even be trained to know and respond to your son's behavior such as outbursts by nudging and leading your son to an appropriate place/environment where he is more likely to be able to gather himself together (this, in turn, can lead to him learning to maintain more self control). A well chosen and trained dog can do all of those things, and more.

I'm firmly of the belief that the dog must be well chosen first-- in size and temperament--long before you even consider the training. You can teach the right dog almost anything, but you can't redo the basic temperament or rebuild the "wrong" dog.

I think training should be done in conjunction w/a positive methods trainer who has experience training dogs for assistance or therapy purposes, and it certainly can be helpful if that trainer also has a fondness for kids and some knowledge of the disability and needs. It can be difficult to find someone to meet all of that criteria, but if you plan on starting now and doing your homework...you can do it.

If the right dog is chosen, you can begin much of the training process at home, including proper socialization. You just need the right info and how-to straight from the beginning. The website of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers can be a great place to start (www.APDT.com), along w/the books by trainers such as Ian Dunbar, Pat Miller, Trish McConnell, Jean Donaldson, etc.

As for the right dog...and bonding to your son...breeds such as Labs, Goldens, and pit bulls or mixes thereof are often good choices. You want a dog w/a really solid desire to be w/people, who LOVES children (not just likes or tolerates, but really LOVES), does not have wierd fears or phobias of things, has a happy-go-lucky personality, and is not over-reactive to environmental stimuli (can relax in new situations, isn't going to jump up at every noise or sudden change). Being large enough to be a stable physical support, as well as take the rough housing of a child, can be helpful, but isn't always necessary. One of the dogs I worked w/was a tiny pit bull--maybe 40 lbs--she was solid enough to handle children well (not likely to be injured accidentally by a kid), but not so big that she overwhelmed small kids w/her size (perfect for the family she lived with--3 yr old son had some special disabilities, mainly w/communication). She actually was adopted from our local animal shelter at about 1 yr old and was fabulous--so easy to train and work with. Having a desire to retrieve (fetch) can be helpful--even if you don't think your child needs her to pick things up for him--b/c trainers can use that retrieve drive to teach so many skills, plus fetch is a great bonding tool w/kids and easy exercise for all.

Setting the dog up to bond w/your son can be a fairly simple process--you help him learn how to feed the dog and care for the dog, put the dog's crate and main sleeping area in his room, feed her in his room, give her lots of reinforcement and attention for staying close to him, etc.

Hopefully, that all makes sense.....I'm getting test results back on ds1 this week, ds2 and I are sick, and I just learned that I'm pregnant w/dc3....I'm a little scatter brained and up too late! LOL

GL!

mrsfru