Interesting behaviour from my puppy?

[mimi]

Okay, We got a mini schnauzer puppy for Christmas. Actually we have had her for a few weeks now and things are going pretty well with her. Some issues with nipping at my youngest son but the house is laid out well so they both have there own space when issues come up. My question is that she behaves differently with my 13 year old son than she does with everyone else. He has never been alone with her and does not give her much attention but when he rubs and scratches her to her she immediately puts her bum to the ground or lays down ears back. I would almost think she is afraid of him but her tail is wagging the whole time and she follows him after for more attention. Also, My son has high functioning Autism.

So, do you think she is afraid of him or is this a reaction to him acting differently then us towards her.

"He thinks it is because she knows he is such a good person."

 

[lives4dogshows]

I'm not too familar with the behaviors autism causes but is your son really hyper? Is that what the "high Functioning" means or does that mean that your son's autism is simply more pronounced then some?

I'm sorry I don't have any concret advice but I would think that the dog acts differently around him because she probably senses that he has different needs.

I knew a dog that would always calm way down when in the presence of a severely moderately mentally handicapped kid in our neighborhood. She would still act wiggly, like dogs do when they are getting attention but she would never jump up on him or do anything really pushy.

Not sure if that helped much, but I tried!

 

[mimi]

My sons behavior is somewhat aloof towards her. He tends to walk around a lot in his own little world. High functioning mean he talks and has high intelligence but has issues socially and with being open to education. Doesn't make great eye contact. Stuff like that. Great kid. Just acts different than alot of people.
She does behave alot like you describe with the person you know with the issues you described. Almost crawls around wagging and being very gentle with him. He has always been very gentle towards her.

 

[lives4dogshows]

That could be it, she just senses that he has different needs. Hopefully someone will reply who knows more than me lol! Thank you I learned something about autism!

 

[milos_mommy]

I would say she recognizes your son is different, plus he's probably smaller than most adults, which dogs often treat differently than children. She may be slightly nervous, but it's more like she's trying to be extra gentle around your son and she really likes and respects him.

 

[mimi]

It's too funny. I have a 2 year old boy and an 11 year old daughter and she jumps up and nips at times with them. Generally acts more hyper but with him she is so gentle. Very interesting how she acts so different with him. She is a great girl.

 

[~Tucker&Me~]

I think you have a very special dog .

And I agree with everyone else .

~Tucker