Autism Service Dog Program

From Service Dog Training

Autism service dogs for adults are currently very rare. Argos Working Dogs hopes to help fill this gap by training high quality service dogs for adults with autism and other similar disabilities. Because these dogs are still uncommon, the benefit of using these dogs has not been established beyond a few isolated examples. However, at Argos Working Dogs we feel that there are a lot of things a service dog can do to assist a person with autism.

Autism service dogs can be trained to perform a variety of tasks depending on the needs of the handler. The dog may be trained to do tasks including alerting to repetitive behaviors that the handler is not aware of, alert to key sounds for a handler with auditory processing difficulties, assist in navigation and traffic awareness for a handler with visual processing difficulties or help the handler find a path through a crowd if the handler becomes overwhelmed. The list of possible tasks is almost endless.

Argos Working Dogs places autism service dogs with adults who are able to independently direct and control a service dog in public places. We feel that a service dog is able to help a person with autism become more independent, but it is never appropriate for the responsibility of handling the dog to be passed off to someone other than the person benefiting from the dog. Autism service dogs from Argos Working Dogs are not trained to restrain their handler or to perform search and rescue tasks, and should never be used for these purposes.

To receive an autism service dog from Argos Working Dogs, the prospective handler must meet these qualifications:

• At least 18 years of age.
• Able to independently handle a service dog in public.
• Active in the community through work, school, volunteerism or other activities.
• Comfortable around medium to large dogs, with no history of aggression towards animals.
• Have experience around animals through pet ownership, volunteering with humane societies or animal rescues or other equivalent experience.
• Be able to financially support a dog for the life of the dog.
• Be able to meet the physical and emotional needs of the dog.
• Willing to make the necessary lifestyle adjustments that come with using a service dog.
• Willing to take the needed time away from school, work or other activities to train with the service dog.