Is My Dog Autistic Quiz
Questions: 15 · 10 minutes
1. When a familiar person warmly invites your dog to interact, how does your dog typically respond?
My dog usually acknowledges the invitation and engages in a comfortable way.
My dog often prefers space but may engage briefly or on their own terms.
My dog rarely acknowledges familiar invitations, even in calm settings.
My dog consistently shuts down, panics, or reacts in a way that puts the dog or person at risk.
2. How does your dog respond to ordinary household sounds such as an appliance starting, dishes moving, or a door closing?
My dog may notice but remains comfortable or settles immediately.
My dog startles or leaves briefly, then recovers without much support.
My dog frequently hides, trembles, vocalizes, or takes a long time to recover.
Ordinary sounds trigger frantic escape, self-injury risk, collapse, or an inability to recover normally.
3. What best describes your dog's need for rituals before eating, resting, going outside, or starting another routine activity?
No particular ritual appears necessary.
My dog has preferences but generally accepts small variations.
Several steps need to happen in a particular way or my dog becomes noticeably distressed.
A disrupted ritual can lead to prolonged distress, refusal of essential activities, or unsafe behavior.
4. When encountering a different but safe walking surface, such as tile, gravel, a mat, or wet grass, how does your dog react?
My dog investigates or crosses it without notable difficulty.
My dog hesitates at some surfaces but proceeds with time or encouragement.
My dog repeatedly refuses multiple ordinary surfaces or shows substantial distress around them.
Surface contact causes extreme panic, immobility, apparent pain, or dangerous attempts to escape.
5. When your dog's familiar walking route changes unexpectedly, what usually happens?
My dog notices the change but continues comfortably.
My dog hesitates or looks back briefly, then adjusts.
My dog becomes distressed and needs substantial encouragement or time to continue.
My dog panics, cannot continue, or behaves in a way that could cause injury.
6. After an exciting or mildly stressful event, how easily does your dog return to their usual state?
My dog settles within a period that seems appropriate for the event.
My dog needs extra time, distance, or a familiar calming routine.
My dog often remains restless, withdrawn, or over-aroused long after the event ends.
My dog cannot recover without major intervention or develops severe physical or unsafe behavioral signs.
7. In a busy environment with several sights, sounds, smells, or people, what best describes your dog's response?
My dog stays regulated or signals a need for space without marked distress.
My dog becomes distracted or tired and does better after moving somewhere quieter.
My dog regularly becomes overwhelmed, shuts down, or remains distressed after leaving.
My dog experiences extreme panic, collapse, uncontrolled escape behavior, or another immediate safety concern.
8. When your dog wants help, access to something, or a break, how clearly do they communicate with familiar caregivers?
My dog uses recognizable signals, and communication usually works both ways.
Signals can be subtle or inconsistent, but caregivers can usually work them out.
My dog often becomes distressed before caregivers can identify what is needed.
Communication breakdowns regularly lead to extreme distress, shutdown, or unsafe behavior.
9. What happens during necessary handling such as brushing, paw wiping, harnessing, or a gentle examination?
My dog accepts it comfortably or communicates ordinary limits without marked distress.
My dog dislikes certain sensations but manages with breaks or gradual handling.
Several routine sensations cause pronounced distress even with patient, low-pressure handling.
Necessary gentle handling causes extreme panic, apparent pain, or behavior that could seriously injure the dog or handler.
10. How does your dog handle calm greetings from familiar people?
My dog approaches, waits, or keeps comfortable distance while remaining relaxed.
My dog is reserved and takes time to approach, then settles.
My dog repeatedly avoids or becomes distressed by familiar greetings even when given space.
Familiar greetings trigger severe fear, freezing, escape attempts, or behavior likely to cause injury.
11. How often does your dog repeat movements such as circling, pacing, spinning, or tail chasing without an obvious immediate purpose?
I have not observed this outside ordinary settling or play.
Occasionally, usually during excitement or anticipation, and it stops easily.
Regularly, and interruption or redirection is sometimes difficult.
Frequently or for long periods, especially when it interferes with rest, eating, or physical safety.
12. In a quiet setting without major distractions, how reliably does your dog respond to familiar social cues such as their name, a gesture, or an invitation to approach?
My dog generally responds in a way consistent with their training and hearing ability.
Responses are somewhat inconsistent, but improve with repetition or motivation.
My dog frequently seems not to register familiar cues despite being able to respond in other situations.
My dog has stopped responding to previously learned cues or appears confused or disconnected.
13. During play with a familiar person or compatible dog, what pattern do you notice?
My dog participates in back-and-forth play and adjusts to pauses or signals.
My dog prefers short or highly specific kinds of play but remains comfortable.
My dog often misses attempts to pause, restart, or change the interaction and becomes distressed.
Play commonly escalates into panic, shutdown, or dangerous conflict despite careful matching and supervision.
14. Suppose a familiar household routine happens later than usual. How does your dog respond?
My dog waits or shifts to another activity without visible distress.
My dog becomes mildly restless but settles with a cue or distraction.
My dog remains agitated, vocal, or unable to settle for an extended period.
My dog has an extreme reaction, such as frantic escape behavior, destructive panic, or self-injury.
15. Does your dog become unusually absorbed in a particular object, reflection, shadow, movement, or activity?
No persistent fixation stands out to me.
My dog occasionally focuses on one, but disengages readily.
The fixation recurs and often requires active redirection.
The fixation is extremely difficult to interrupt or disrupts eating, sleeping, movement, or safety.