Autism Service Dogs for Children Part 1

From Service Dog Training

While I am a firm believer in the benefits that children can receive from owning a pet dog, I am also just as firmly against the current trends in service dogs for children. This series of blog posts will be specifically talking about service dogs for children with autism or similar disabilities. Certain points will apply to service dogs for children with other disabilities, others will not.

Autism service dogs for children are generally advertised as having several benefits for children. Beyond the obvious benefits of teaching the child compassion towards animals and responsibility, these dogs are said to reduce the risk of the child running away from the parent or caregiver, reduce repetitive behaviors, calm the child or prevent tantrums, prevent escapes from the home, and conduct search and rescue operations if the child runs away. News articles, websites, and organizations that discuss autism service dogs for children spend a lot of time discussing the benefits of having such a dog, but, as with anything, there are risks as well. These risks have largely been overlooked. It is important for the consumer of any medical treatment or device, including service dogs, to be fully aware of both the benefits and the risks of using that method to deal with a particular disability. This post will begin a discussion of the risks and problems that can be associated with placing an autism service dog with a young child. Please be an informed consumer.

The first, and generally primary, benefit usually given for an autism service dog for a child is reducing the risk of the child running away from the parent or caregiver and into some sort of danger (traffic, etc). This benefit is supposedly accomplished by attaching the child to the dog and then having the child's caregiver hold the dog's leash. That way, if the child tries to run off, the dog will hold still or lie down and restrain the child near the caregiver. This initially sounds like a good idea; however it poses several risks to the child and the dog. The first is a strictly practical consideration.

A service dog is usually placed at about 2 years of age, with a child who is generally between the ages of 2-12. Let's take an average 6 year old boy as an example. A 6 year old boy weighs about 45 pounds (per standard growth curves). A 2 year old Labrador Retriever weighs about 70 pounds. At the time of placement, the dog can probably hold the boy in place, though not without a significant amount of strain on the dog. Fast forward 5 years. The dog is now 7 and still 70 pounds. The boy is 11 and anywhere from 85-120 pounds. Assuming the child is in decent physical condition and reasonably determined, there is no way for a 70 pound dog to restrain the boy in a way that is safe for both of them. If we look forward another 3 years, the dog is now 10 and nearing the end of its working life, and the boy is 14, weighing 130-180 pounds. The dog can no longer be expected to restrain the child, safely or otherwise. It should be apparent from this example that a child using a service dog for restraint will likely outgrow the dog's safe working limits well before the dog reaches the end of its working potential.

In addition to the above problem the risk to the dog must be considered. The typical working gear used on an autism service dog has two leashes connected to a soft body harness. One leash is held by the dog's handler, usually a parent, the other leash is fastened to a belt or harness worn by the child. Assuming the dog is maintaining a proper heel position by the handler, there should be no tension on the first leash. The second leash may have intermittent or consistent tension in any direction depending on the movement of the child. Most harnesses are designed to withstand tension safely in one direction at a time. For instance, a sled dog's harness is designed to be tensioned from the back of the dog, where a sled would be. A sled dog's harness lines up the dog properly so the tension on the harness is aligned in an anatomically correct fashion and minimizes the stress on the dog's joints. This same harness would be terribly dangerous if it received tension from the side of the dog and could cause serious damage to the dog. The type of harness that is placed on an autism service dog cannot be used to safely control tension that may come from any angle and direction, and where the tension may change abruptly. The study "Observations on Assistance Dog Training and Use"^[1] looks at the forces applied on service dogs from improperly designed and fitted harnesses, and tasks that inappropriately burden the dog physically. The use of a service dog to restrain a small child that is running around and applying a variety of directional forces on the dog could cause significant joint problems that could cause the dog significant pain and shorten the dog's working career. This is particularly true when the service dogs are placed before they reach physical maturity (before 2-3 years of age). Asking a dog to perform tasks that stress the bones and joints before they have finished growing can cause substantial and irreversible damage to the dog's physical development.

There are also risks to the child. If the child is fastened to the dog, and bolts away suddenly, hitting the end of the tether could cause a fall resulting in anything from minor scrapes and bruises to head injuries and broken bones. If the dog bolted, which even the best trained dog may on rare occasion, the child could fall or be pulled along by the dog. If the parent is not tightly holding the leash or has the leash yanked from them, the bolting dog could drag the child into traffic or other dangerous situations. In addition, if the dog should break his training (and it does happen) and go with the child when the child runs off, both the dog and the child could be hurt or killed. A child and dog taking off in unison could also present a risk to the dog's handler who might be knocked over or drug by a large dog and/or an older child. At least one instance of such behavior has been recorded in scientific literature:

"I turned my back for one second…and I had [service dog] in the "stay" position. I turn around and the next thing I know [the dog] takes off after [another] dog. Well, [my autistic child] is attached (to the dog), so [autistic child] was running for a little bit and… couldn’t keep up. He just dropped, and he got dragged right across the track, right across the grass with the dog." ^[2]

Had this dog bolted into traffic, or into another dangerous situation, the child could have been seriously injured or killed. It is important to consider all possible situations when deciding if a service dog is the appropriate tool for a particular person with a disability.

--To Be Continued--

References

1. ↑ Coppinger, R., Coppinger, L., & Skillings, E. (1998). Observations on Assistance Dog Training and Use. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science , 133-144.
2. ↑ Burrows, K. E., Adams, C. L., & Millman, S. T. (2008). Factors Affecting Behavior and Welfare of Service Dogs for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science , 42-62.

--Tiffany Huggard-Lee 11:28, 26 September 2009 (CDT)