# Autism Tether Video and Comments



## ILGHAUS (Nov 25, 2002)

*Tuesday, May 17, 2011*

*Commentary on Autism Tether or Anchor Dog Video *

Quote:
This video is of a dog being trained to work as a tether or anchor dog for a child with autism. The video shows many red flags about this type of training, and sadly none of the adults in the background of the video do anything more than laugh at the child's mounting frustration and nothing to assist the dog.There are several very scary points where I was afraid for the safety of the child and the dog. I will go through what I see by time stamp of when it happens on the video.

Service Dogs: A Way of Life: Commentary on Autism Tether or Anchor Dog Video


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## Doggyfan (May 20, 2011)

ILGHAUS said:


> *Tuesday, May 17, 2011*
> 
> *Commentary on Autism Tether or Anchor Dog Video *
> 
> ...


If you look closely at the video, you can see that the trainer is clutching the remote control for the dog's e-collar, ready to correct the dog if it displays an inappropriate response.


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## ILGHAUS (Nov 25, 2002)

I myself did not notice the collar. Surely not a good idea under the circumstances.


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## elly1210 (Jan 4, 2009)

I am sure this is probably one way the dogs are trained and I am sure there are many other ways they are trained in a positive environment. I am not saying it is right but is it fair to base how these dogs are trained on one video and one service agency? 

One bad apple spoils it for all agencies that train tethered dogs and then it goes viral that these dogs are not treated correctly. 

I am sure we could search and easily find other types of dogs trained for other types of work where the dog's best interest is not being taken into account. example...police dogs, our own pet dogs, search and rescue dogs and more....

I am not sure what the point of posting this video is to show what? To show that all autism service dogs are unhappy because of a child being tethered to them? I don't believe that based on this video.


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## ILGHAUS (Nov 25, 2002)

> I am not sure what the point of posting this video is to show what?


The point of my posting this video link is to open a discussion on a topic that has gone viral. A topic that is very much out there in the SD community. A topic that has not been ruled on yet in a federal court only up to state level. The topic of tethering a child to a dog and the pros and cons. A topic of interest for SD users, trainers, and organizations. If you go back to my first post you will see that I did not make any comments one way or another. 

In my second post I made a statement that I myself did not notice a training collar. I also commented that I did not believe that an e-collar being used in such a circumstance was a good idea. 

So the point is -- to open a discussion. A chance for people to raise questions and a chance possibly to have their questions answered.


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## elly1210 (Jan 4, 2009)

Gotcha!! Well that was my opinion  on the video itself.

I believe if people do more research on their own not only will they see negative article/videos but they will also see positive articles/videos. 
I myself do not have an child that has a disability with a dog that they are tethered so I can only speak through friends I have made that do have autism dogs. The dogs are happy, the children have benefited along with the family as a whole. This has been my experience.


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## Rovingrebel (May 22, 2011)

elly1210 said:


> I am not sure what the point of posting this video is to show what? To show that all autism service dogs are unhappy because of a child being tethered to them? I don't believe that based on this video.


Dear Elly,
My point in posting commentary on this video ( a situation that sadly is not uncommon in the world of service dogs for children with autism) is to show the pieces that are often not brought to the forefront when considering this option. The fact that dogs are dogs no matter how well trained and have their limits and that many of the trainers jumping on this bandwagon no very little if anything about autism or what putting a dog in this kind of situation day in and day out may cause a dog to do. In fact there are studies that show the dogs are not getting what they need and burn out fasti.e. Factors affecting behavior and welfare of service ... [J Appl Anim Welf Sci. 2008 Jan-Mar] - PubMed result. I know autism is a spectrum disorder and what works great for one child (and we are talking about children primarily since most of these programs will not work with a family with a teenager or an adult on the spectrum) will not work for another. Simply put dogs have very few options for dealing with stressful situations in the human world and with tether one of the only benign options to human way of thinking, simply for the dog to move away, is gone. I worry for the day one of these dogs injures their young charge, because both dog and child will suffer dearly. I have seen great placements such as through North Star and Canine Companions for Independence that achieve the same goals for the child and family without forcibly tethering child and dog together and I hope to see more programs willing to put in the long term work with the family, child, and dogs necessary to achieve these situations.
Finally just because a person/child has a disability and could be assisted by a service dog doesn't mean that a service dog is the best choice to assist them. If you did not watch the recent PBS documentary of Canine Assistant in Georgia, I encourage everyone to because it shows how difficult child service dog placements can be, as well as how great when they work. 
I hope I have answered your concern as to why I felt the need to comment on this video.
Thank you for listening.


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## WarrantsWifey (Dec 18, 2010)

Woooooow, I wonder if anybody who has any comment on this thread, or video, has had any PERSONAL experience of a handicap *child* _IN THEIR FAMILY_. Grrrrr...... I'm done.


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## elly1210 (Jan 4, 2009)

Rovingrebel - Understand your comments and why you reviewed this video. 

What I didn't understand is why post the OP didn't add his reason to post it, he just posted it and I am not sure what response he wanted from it just negative? That is why I did state that not all dogs are trained this way as you have in your post here on the board. 

Being any type of service dog can be stressful and how they are trained and then how they are placed is what is most important. Any service dog can be trained negatively and a can be placed into a negative situation. On the flip any service dog can be trained positively and placed in a positive situation.


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## ILGHAUS (Nov 25, 2002)

> Woooooow, I wonder if anybody who has any comment on this thread, or video, has had any PERSONAL experience of a handicap *child* _IN THEIR FAMILY_.


 Are you saying that no one should discuss this video or their views on the topic unless they have a handicap child _IN THEIR FAMILY_? What if they themself are autistic, then is it OK to discuss the use of a dog in this manner? What if they train dogs for autistic people? Going out even further - what if they advocate for autistic people? 



> Grrrrr...... I'm done.


Sorry it upset you that there is an interest on the topic in the SD community.


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## ILGHAUS (Nov 25, 2002)

> What I didn't understand is why post the OP didn't add his reason to post it, he just posted it and I am not sure what response he wanted from it just negative?


Am I the *his/he* that you are questioning why I started this link?

If so to clear up that point I am a her/she. My name is Theresa but to most here I am TJ. 

As to why I posted it I thought that I already covered that. I did so because currently there is a lot of discussion on this topic on many of the larger SD groups and forums. I don't believe I asked for any response either negative or positive. A discussion is a chance for people to voice their opinions - either negative or positive - and exchange their views with others. It is one way to share information on a particular subject matter. 

This topic is one that is finding its way indirectly into more courts around the country and will most likely begin to be noticed in changing on various levels local laws. It will most likely be addressed in future Dept. of Justice regs.

And finally, as Mod of this section one of my duties is to try to keep it active and from time to time put out an item be it a new law passed or something else that is of great interest or concern in the SD community.


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## AbbyK9 (Oct 11, 2005)

I have to admit that I have no problem at all with this type of training or with asking the dog to be, essentially, an "anchor" for the child. However, what I have an issue with is this particular video and trainer. Looking at the video, the dog just looks confused and uncomfortable to me, like he's not understanding what he is being asked to do and like he is very uncomfortable doing it. That's what I got from it.

I am sure there are dogs out there who feel differently about their work and their trainer. I expect that those are dogs whose trainers don't force them into compliance with no regard to how uncomfortable they are. To me, the whole process in this video looks uncomfortable for the dog and forceful from the trainer.

I get that there are points in training when a dog is confused and stressed. Some of the things I ask of my dog make her confused and stressed. But when that happens, it's up to me to evaluate the situation and decide how to proceed. I've found that stepping back and trying to find a way to make the dog understand what I want (and get her back into her comfort zone) is a better way of doing that than simply forcing the dog. I can get results either way, but I prefer a dog that is happy to work with me over a dog that is complying because I "make her".

I didn't see a lot of support given by this trainer ... at least not to the dog. She didn't help him understand. She didn't communicate when he was doing it RIGHT, she only communicated (corrected) when he was doing it WRONG. I don't think that's a very good training relationship.


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## WarrantsWifey (Dec 18, 2010)

ILGHAUS said:


> Are you saying that no one should discuss this video or their views on the topic unless they have a handicap child _IN THEIR FAMILY_?


CLEARLY that's what I said! 

No, my stress and frustration comes from the fact of nothing but NEGATIVE comments about the video of a SD in TRAINING and a HANDICAP child. Nothing is perfect during training, and whoever commented on that video was downright judgmental. Handicap children get frustrated, so do dogs! Thats the point of TRAINING!!! I know from personal experience with handicap children the frustrations of tasks..... All the comments of what the "child" did wrong, who doesn't know any better, is just ridiculous!


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

WarrantsWifey said:


> CLEARLY that's what I said!
> 
> No, my stress and frustration comes from the fact of nothing but NEGATIVE comments about the video of a SD in TRAINING and a HANDICAP child. Nothing is perfect during training, and whoever commented on that video was downright judgmental. Handicap children get frustrated, so do dogs! Thats the point of TRAINING!!! I know from personal experience with handicap children the frustrations of tasks..... All the comments of what the "child" did wrong, who doesn't know any better, is just ridiculous!



I didn't read the comments as being directed at the child. Instead, it was pointed out that at certain points the trainer should have stepped in. Instead of helping the child work WITH the dog, the trainer seemed to be sitting them up as adversaries. 

Also, instead of rewarding good behavior, it was ignored. Other than corrections to the dog, the adults seem to just be standing around watching the frustration build. If someone had stepped in at certain moments, the dog and child would have been better off.

As to the point of training, yes sometimes it can be frustrating for all involved. In this video, however, there doesn't seem to be any attempts to find ways around the frustration just a "they'll figure it out eventually" attitude. Unfortunately, that type of training will often lead the dog (and the child) to give up. For example, the dog doesn't seem to know when it is/not allowed to walk with the boy. Even when finally released to walk, the dog is still nervous and upset. Actually, the dog looks like it is waiting to be corrected at any moment in several spots.


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## ILGHAUS (Nov 25, 2002)

> Instead of helping the child work WITH the dog, the trainer seemed to be sitting them up as adversaries.


:thumbup: This is one of the big problems that is seen by some. Adversaries instead of partners.


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## ILGHAUS (Nov 25, 2002)

The link just below was given by the person who originally posted the video and wrote about it. It is one that I myself have also posted in the past on this same subject. They did so in an instructional manner and not to be *negative* on a parent's concern for their child. 


Factors affecting behavior and welfare of service ... [J Appl Anim Welf Sci. 2008 Jan-Mar] - PubMed result


And here is a link to a thread of articles on this subject.

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/guide-therapy-service-dogs/154226-tethering-sd-child.html


Discussion of a topic or voicing a concern on part of a concept is not the same as negatively tossing the concept out of the window.


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## Rovingrebel (May 22, 2011)

"I know from personal experience with handicap children the frustrations of tasks..... All the comments of what the "child" did wrong, who doesn't know any better, is just ridiculous! "
I,too, know from personal experience how frustrating it is to be a child with a a disability fighting with learning something. I have lived with a disability all myself and cared for others with disabilities including people who were non-verbal. This was not training, imho,training involves help and learning. The adults in the video were laughing at the child's frustration. His frustration to learn something no one was helping with at just three years old was not funny and would not have been repeated pushed to that point if this were truly training.


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## AutismDogGirl (Oct 7, 2010)

I LOVE autism dogs! mine has changed my life and I know how important these dogs are! Now to the video on many levels it makes me sad to watch because from the begining they staed that this dog is working wit TWO boys! there is the first wrong! 2 boys means you need 2 dogs! it isn't fair to the dog. do they teather both kids to him when they go out? Om MY LORED can you IMAGINE THAT???????

and I agree they are setting these 2 as adveseries intead of teathing them to work as a team and to be partners! that I think is the key. the child should be tought that this dog is his best friend and there should be positive reinforement for both. maybe make it into a game. I myslef don't mind teathering in SOME case but it should NEVER be a subtatute for watching the child service dogs are not baby sitters. secound I didn't hear any taks that help the child outside of finding him and being an ancor. this dog could do so much to help him. retrieve items aply deep prssure for over stimulation and during meltdowns redirecting SIB . 

also sidr not the vest was sideways and was really bothering me. i hate sidewas vests and harneses it is why i use haltis most of the time when a harness goes sideways it cant frustrate me to the point of a meltdon


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## elly1210 (Jan 4, 2009)

ILGHAUS said:


> Am I the *his/he* that you are questioning why I started this link?
> 
> If so to clear up that point I am a her/she. My name is Theresa but to most here I am TJ.
> 
> ...


Hi Theresa, yes you cleared it up, I was just saying originally I didn't understand when I said again. I have no problem with discussion but it was the way it was done, just a link with someone else's comments..not your own and since you posted to video it was coming from you too. Everyone perceives things differently and without any explanation of why people will come to their own assumptions.  I am glad you keep this forum active, as a puppy raiser for a service dog organization, I find it very interesting and informative. Thank you.


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## Zoeys mom (Jan 23, 2010)

I believe they said this was the dog's third tethering training session so obviously it's not perfect and sure a lot of work will need to be done to strengthen the bond between dog and child. I hope as much is being done to teach the child not to run off and to respond to verbal commands. A dog may work well now, but in the future additional coping skills are going to become far more important. I have a 6 year old autistic son who thought running off was a great idea. It took years of behavioral therapy to stop the behavior and he still struggles with many other issues. I can't judge the video since I have zero SD knowledge but I do agree that little boy is going to need as much training as the dog for things to really work


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## Freddy (Apr 23, 2009)

WarrantsWifey said:


> Woooooow, I wonder if anybody who has any comment on this thread, or video, has had any PERSONAL experience of a handicap *child* _IN THEIR FAMILY_. Grrrrr...... I'm done.


As the parent of a handicapped child I can see all kinds of problems with this. The environment these kids are in is dynamic. No one has boundaries and you have inappropriate contact very often. A dog in this environment needs to be rock solid. I have a WL GSD that detects seizures before my wife and I can see them and I would not dream of making him a service dog.


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

What I want to know is what happens as the child grows? Do they plan to keep tethering him to the dog? Wouldn't this be potentially harmful to the dog as the child gets heavier and stronger?


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## Hillary_Plog (Apr 3, 2011)

First, as a person with a disability who does disability awareness training and advocacy, as well as training service dogs, I will take this opportunity to provide some education for those of you reading this thread.

Currently, and for the last 10 years or so, the term "handicapped" is considered outdated and derrogatory towards a person with a disability. For instance, you may notice that newer accessible parking spaces don't say "handicapped" anymore, they say "wheelchair", or "accessible" parking, or just have the universal wheelchair symbol on them. 

In the disability community, we equate it to someone calling a person that is African American "colored"...essentially outdated and referring to them in a derrogatory sense. When people use the term handicapped, I understand that they might not be intentionally trying to be rude, but it an old fashioned term that equates with "wheelchair bound" or "crippled", and I am neither. 

I think of it like this...I am a person first, and I happen to have a disability. 

Now....back to the discussion...


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## Hillary_Plog (Apr 3, 2011)

My opinion on tethering: I think it has it's place, but it's a very complicated and involved subject that has too many factors that play a part in the training, placing and maintainence of an autism support dog for me to have any one definitive objection or support of it.

I THINK that if a child, respectively, is higher functioning and verbal, that a tethered SD can do wonders in helping them gain independence, help them focus, and (in cases like Asberger's) can help with social skills. 

When you deal with a child that is lower functioning, that displays high levels of "stimming" behaviors, and is non-verbal, then you get into the delicate details that create controversy: harm to the dog, creating an adversary relationship between child/dog, and questions like, "what is the parents role? i.e. whether they are holding the leash of the dog, or have the child harnessed, etc. with no dog, why try to control both dog and child when you could just control child?.

Great topic!


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