GSD and Autistic Child

marbeen · 01-11-2012, 09:26 AM

I know that there have been threads about autistic service dogs, but this is not one of the them.

My son is a 7 year old autistic child and we just received our new (9 week old) GSD. We have noticed changes within our son that seems to indicate that the transition is not going well within him. The dog is doing well (he is a puppy and a landshark at this time), so that is not the concern.

The concern is the changes within my son. He has become more biligerent (he is usually the most laid back autistic child I have seen). He has gotten more upset at things that have never bothered him before. We, and the school, have seen these changes and we are very concerned.

Does anyone else have any experience with this? If so, how did you help your child through this major change?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hillary_Plog · 01-11-2012, 09:50 AM

Hello and welcome to the forum!

I train service dogs and I am also an elementary school teacher and have a self-contained Autism class that comes to me for art instruction.

I can tell you that I typically see IMPROVEMENTS in my students' or clients' behavior when around or placed with a dog, as I'm sure you probably expected when you first got your puppy.

That being said though, Autism has such a large spectrum and it is hard to accurately predict how each individual child will process and react to change in his or her environment.

Without knowing you, your household "routine", or your child, it is hard to say that these changes are definitively a result of the puppy itself. Perhaps your son is reacting to the change of routine that results from raising a puppy, as I know most children with autism thrive with consistency and routine.

I would try to keep things as normal and consistent for him as possible, while keeping his interactions with the puppy positive, but limited, for the time being.

For example, I wouldn't let him run around and play with the puppy when the puppy is in high play or toy drive, as this might contribute to your son's excitability. Maybe he can be in charge of feeding, and can hold the leash during potty breaks and walks, and can practice little obedience exercises like "sit" and "down" and "come" and give the puppy treats?

Also, is the puppy's crate near the bedrooms? Is the pup waking up and crying at night causing you to get up and walk him? Not sure if this is disturbing your son's sleep patterns which in turn may be affecting his behavior? Just a thought.

Hope some of that helps!

marbeen · 01-11-2012, 10:27 AM

Hillary,

Thanks for the quick reply. You are definitely the type of person I wished would respond, since you have extensive experience with our special children.

The puppy's crate is on the first floor and my son sleeps on the second floor. However, he can hear when the puppy wimpers in the middle of the night and I get up to walk him. I hadn't thought of that.

Also, he hears when we speak harshly (firmly actually) to the puppy to correct for potty accidents and it could remind him of when we were toilet training him (it took a very long time - over two years and very frustrating for him and us).

Yeah, the puppy tries to chase my son when he is in very active play mode (tries to nip at my son's heels to get him to play). We have been struggling with ways to have positive interaction, so maybe having my son roll the ball for the puppy would be a good idea. I'll also try the feeding so he can feel part of the new puppy's routine.

Training begins on the 28th and it was highly recommended that my son attends with Maxie so he can learn how to interact safetly and bond with the puppy. I think that is a very good idea and we will certainly do that.

Thanks for the advice. It can get very frustrating, but in the long run it is very worth it.

Hillary_Plog · 01-11-2012, 10:55 AM

Fantastic! I'm glad that I could help.

Maybe you could move the puppy's crate to the furthest point in the house and just set your alarm so that you can wake up and potty him during the night. That might stop some of the whining that happens at night. Also be sure to put up his food and water around 7. This makes it easier for them to get through the night.

Try not to harshly correct the puppy for potty accidents. Remember that if a puppy has an accident it is OUR fault, as it is our job to show them that pottying outside is the appropriate place to go. Make sure that the puppy does not have free run of the house and is either contained within a specific area, in his crate or being watched or tethered to you with a leash on. This way you ALWAYS know what he is doing.

A 9 week old puppy can only hold his bladder for about two hours. Less if he has free access to water. When I am potty training a dog they are routinely taken out on the hour and given a treat for going potty. Make sure that outside is not for playing, only for pottying. He will learn faster.

Taking away those harsh corrections and modifying your management of the puppy will help your son see this puppy-stuff as fun and motivating and positive.

Have fun at training classes! Those should be a great outlet for both son and puppy!

RebelGSD · 01-11-2012, 11:11 AM

I would guess that a calm, laid-back adult would have made a better therapy dog for your son. I hope it goes well, GSD puppies are a handful. A friend of mine had a disabled child and the son and the puppy brought the worst out in each other. She ended up rehoming the puppy with me.

marbeen · 01-13-2012, 11:13 AM

Well, it turns out to be several items:

1) kid on the bus that stirs him up (other child is autistic too - special needs bus). Nice boy, but has some problems. Bus attendent is going to separate them

2) Changes at school - construction (he is sensitive to noise) and the moving of his room has caused him some confusion

3) The puppy - new routine, house breaking, etc. Tried the feeding and my son loves it. Now just training Maxie not to jump on my son when he is walking with the food.

4) Housebreaking stress - wife has gotten very frustrated, and it comes out. Very similar to how potty training went with both of my children. Very frustrating and stress come out in not so good format. Told her my feelings, and she is getting better about it.

All in all, my son has been less stressful the past two days so maybe we have turned a corner. We will be monitoring much more closely.

Thanks for the advice and comments.

01-11-2012, 09:26 AM	#1 (permalink)
marbeen Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Burke, Virginia Posts: 25	GSD and Autistic Child I know that there have been threads about autistic service dogs, but this is not one of the them. My son is a 7 year old autistic child and we just received our new (9 week old) GSD. We have noticed changes within our son that seems to indicate that the transition is not going well within him. The dog is doing well (he is a puppy and a landshark at this time), so that is not the concern. The concern is the changes within my son. He has become more biligerent (he is usually the most laid back autistic child I have seen). He has gotten more upset at things that have never bothered him before. We, and the school, have seen these changes and we are very concerned. Does anyone else have any experience with this? If so, how did you help your child through this major change? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

01-11-2012, 09:50 AM	#2 (permalink)
Hillary_Plog Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Rock Island, IL Posts: 379	Hello and welcome to the forum! I train service dogs and I am also an elementary school teacher and have a self-contained Autism class that comes to me for art instruction. I can tell you that I typically see IMPROVEMENTS in my students' or clients' behavior when around or placed with a dog, as I'm sure you probably expected when you first got your puppy. That being said though, Autism has such a large spectrum and it is hard to accurately predict how each individual child will process and react to change in his or her environment. Without knowing you, your household "routine", or your child, it is hard to say that these changes are definitively a result of the puppy itself. Perhaps your son is reacting to the change of routine that results from raising a puppy, as I know most children with autism thrive with consistency and routine. I would try to keep things as normal and consistent for him as possible, while keeping his interactions with the puppy positive, but limited, for the time being. For example, I wouldn't let him run around and play with the puppy when the puppy is in high play or toy drive, as this might contribute to your son's excitability. Maybe he can be in charge of feeding, and can hold the leash during potty breaks and walks, and can practice little obedience exercises like "sit" and "down" and "come" and give the puppy treats? Also, is the puppy's crate near the bedrooms? Is the pup waking up and crying at night causing you to get up and walk him? Not sure if this is disturbing your son's sleep patterns which in turn may be affecting his behavior? Just a thought. Hope some of that helps!

01-11-2012, 10:27 AM	#3 (permalink)
marbeen Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Burke, Virginia Posts: 25	Hillary, Thanks for the quick reply. You are definitely the type of person I wished would respond, since you have extensive experience with our special children. The puppy's crate is on the first floor and my son sleeps on the second floor. However, he can hear when the puppy wimpers in the middle of the night and I get up to walk him. I hadn't thought of that. Also, he hears when we speak harshly (firmly actually) to the puppy to correct for potty accidents and it could remind him of when we were toilet training him (it took a very long time - over two years and very frustrating for him and us). Yeah, the puppy tries to chase my son when he is in very active play mode (tries to nip at my son's heels to get him to play). We have been struggling with ways to have positive interaction, so maybe having my son roll the ball for the puppy would be a good idea. I'll also try the feeding so he can feel part of the new puppy's routine. Training begins on the 28th and it was highly recommended that my son attends with Maxie so he can learn how to interact safetly and bond with the puppy. I think that is a very good idea and we will certainly do that. Thanks for the advice. It can get very frustrating, but in the long run it is very worth it.

01-11-2012, 10:55 AM	#4 (permalink)
Hillary_Plog Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Rock Island, IL Posts: 379	Fantastic! I'm glad that I could help. Maybe you could move the puppy's crate to the furthest point in the house and just set your alarm so that you can wake up and potty him during the night. That might stop some of the whining that happens at night. Also be sure to put up his food and water around 7. This makes it easier for them to get through the night. Try not to harshly correct the puppy for potty accidents. Remember that if a puppy has an accident it is OUR fault, as it is our job to show them that pottying outside is the appropriate place to go. Make sure that the puppy does not have free run of the house and is either contained within a specific area, in his crate or being watched or tethered to you with a leash on. This way you ALWAYS know what he is doing. A 9 week old puppy can only hold his bladder for about two hours. Less if he has free access to water. When I am potty training a dog they are routinely taken out on the hour and given a treat for going potty. Make sure that outside is not for playing, only for pottying. He will learn faster. Taking away those harsh corrections and modifying your management of the puppy will help your son see this puppy-stuff as fun and motivating and positive. Have fun at training classes! Those should be a great outlet for both son and puppy!

01-11-2012, 11:11 AM	#5 (permalink)
RebelGSD Crowned Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 3,706	I would guess that a calm, laid-back adult would have made a better therapy dog for your son. I hope it goes well, GSD puppies are a handful. A friend of mine had a disabled child and the son and the puppy brought the worst out in each other. She ended up rehoming the puppy with me.

01-13-2012, 11:13 AM	#6 (permalink)
marbeen Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Burke, Virginia Posts: 25	Well, it turns out to be several items: 1) kid on the bus that stirs him up (other child is autistic too - special needs bus). Nice boy, but has some problems. Bus attendent is going to separate them 2) Changes at school - construction (he is sensitive to noise) and the moving of his room has caused him some confusion 3) The puppy - new routine, house breaking, etc. Tried the feeding and my son loves it. Now just training Maxie not to jump on my son when he is walking with the food. 4) Housebreaking stress - wife has gotten very frustrated, and it comes out. Very similar to how potty training went with both of my children. Very frustrating and stress come out in not so good format. Told her my feelings, and she is getting better about it. All in all, my son has been less stressful the past two days so maybe we have turned a corner. We will be monitoring much more closely. Thanks for the advice and comments.

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