ADHD in Dogs

Hyperactivity, otherwise known as “hyperkinesis,” can be defined as dogs who display frenetic activity, abnormally short attention spans, and high impulsiveness. They can also demonstrate overbearing attention-seeking behaviour. It is truly a canine form of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), while Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is similar to Separation Anxiety as per what we have discussed on our previous blog.

Below is a video, What I did with my Border Collie, Hershey, at the time of the video, she was barely 1 year old. Being a hyperactive BC, she moves around non stop and barely see her at rest.

However, I have put in a free shaping paradigm to achieve her at rest with good Reinforcement. She loves to stay at that Relax position to gain her rewards.

Just like a human, we do have very active people and we do have a hyperactive puppy. Regardless of the species, we need to put in a plan to address the ADHD issues.

What are the options available for resolving hyperactivity in a dog?