Can Dogs Have ADHD?
Can Dogs Have ADHD?
Many years ago, when I was in my early years as an applied behaviorist, a dog came to me that I couldn’t quite figure out. It was an adolescent Old English sheepdog, let’s call him “Bear,” who was driving his humans crazy by biting on the leash and increasingly, their legs or hands on walks. At first, it felt like a standard young dog with no impulse control and too little to do. But as we worked together, it began to feel like something else was going on. He’d learn a new cue speedily, but then seem to “forget” it soon after, no matter the reinforcement. Getting his attention was easy, but keeping it was almost impossible. Even early in my career, I had the sense that “something was off” about this dog.
At the same time, I was greedily reading everything I could about canine behavior, and ran across an article by two Illinois veterinarians who claimed they’d diagnosed, and successfully treated, dogs for ADHD with Ritilan. For the life of me, I can’t remember or find the names of these vets, far ahead of their time (anyone, a married couple perhaps?) but two things happened after I read the article: First, I talked to the clients and their vet about the article, and we all agreed that it was an experiment that was worth trying. Of course, Ritilan is a stimulant, so it could make the dog worse. Neither was there any information on the safety of the medicine in dogs. But the clients were desperate, the dog seemed out of control and becoming dangerous, so we took the risk.(Note, Ritilan is no longer suggested for dogs with ADHD-like symptoms.)
My clients picked up the drug at their pharmacy and came to my office, where we gave it to Bear. We were told that the effect of the drug would be relatively rapid, within 20 to 30 minutes. The results were no less than astounding. All three of us said: “It’s like he’s a different dog.” It was as though, previously, he’d been lit from within by a high frequency buzz of electricity, and was finally able to relax. He could focus. He could concentrate. I remember him exhaling a long, expressive sigh, and the woman of the couple starting to cry in relief.
That was then (early 90’s I’m guessing), and this is now, and if you type Dogs and ADHD in your search bar you’ll find dozens of articles on ADHD in dogs. I mentioned it in a previous post on whether dogs could be on the autism spectrum. I was reminded of all this when I reached out to Kristina Spaulding, the author of the must-have book, The Stress Factor in Dogs. I was on her podcast, Research Bites awhile ago, when I asked Dr. Spaulding if she would let me interview her about recent research in canine cognition. I’ve been in the “novel tunnel” for so long, I was hoping she could give me an update. She started by mentioning some new work coming out of Europe about dogs and ADHD, and my ears went up like a dog seeing a squirrel.
For example, Adam Miklosi’s lab in Hungary has been doing work on ADHD in dogs for over twenty years. In 2006 they published a study that found a questionnaire used to diagnose ADHD in children that could be used (the questions modified for obvious reasons) to suggest the same in dogs. The study focused on impulsivity, attention issues, hyperactivity, and/or aggression. Currently it appears to be accepted in most scientific circles that dogs do indeed exhibit ADHD behavior.
Currently, ADHD, often thought of as “hyper-activity,” is actually more closely associated with difficulty maintaining focus and attention, and being able to manage impulses and emotions. Recently, research is coming to light that individuals with ADHA are often more reactive to pain than others, and in humans, to autoimmune diseases, long covid, anxiety, and “disordered eating.”
It’s important, if you think your dog might have ADHA, to understand that dogs who have boundless energy are not necessarily candidates for ADHA. It’s not so much about energy, as it is about impulse control. Ask yourself if your dog can focus or be attentive for what seems to be a reasonable period of time for their age. Does your dog get easily frustrated and act out if he can’t move forward or do what it wants. Does she have a cue down pat, and then seem to be truly nonplussed when you ask for it again in a similar context? Many of these questions require knowing what “normal” is (a fleeting concept if there ever was one), and are the reason you might be wise to connect with a professional. This article from NIH is the best I could find on diagnosing ADHD in dogs, the neurophysiology behind it, and how to treat it. I highly recommend it.
Remember that I mentioned I had two reactions after reading an early article on ADHD in dogs a long time ago? The first was–I think Bear might have it! The second was–uh, I appeared to be reading about myself. OMG, I thought, “that’s why X and Z!” (Ex: That’s why I can’t think if my desk is messy!) And then, because I have ADHD, I forgot I had it. Seriously. I am not making that up. It’s a thing. I literally cruised through life, with endless To Do lists, forgetting where I put EVERYTHING, and expending untold energy not interrupting people. And then it came up again and I got a tad more serious about dealing with it. But, here’s the thing: ADHD also gives you super powers to focus in certain conditions. That’s how I wrote my books, that’s how I could work with clients as if nothing else was happening in the world. Lots of people have ADHD (see Melissa McCue-McGrath’s great new book, Misadventures of the World’s Okayest Dog Trainer--she has it too.) I’ll bet a lot of you reading do too–let us know! If you remember.
MEANWHILE, back on the farm: I’m just back from a trip to So Cal to celebrate my sister Liza’s 80th birthday (only 7 months late). Sooo special!
I also savored a visit with niece Emily and family (I’m talking to you Clark and Calvin and Davey!), and squeeze in a talk about Away To Me at a (gorgeous) Barnes and Noble in Thousand Oaks, CA. Emily was my conversation partner, and, of course, she was fabulous. Thank you Emily! In the photo below I got silly with two members of the audience–you can always count on dog trainers!!
It was a great trip except for one thing. The weather reports from back home last Wednesday and Thursday were dire. “Severe thunderstorms, high winds, possible tornadoes and 2 inch hail.” I was worried sick on Wednesday, thinking of Jim huddled in the bathroom (safest) with the dogs, having told to take shelter, there being a high likelihood of serious damage. I’d much rather have been there than away, I HATED not being there, but we were lucky. Mostly. No direct tornado, never lost power, but the 70 mph winds resulted in some blown out windows (garage only, whew) and seven–count them–serious down falls.
The most noticeable is the weeping willow in the front yard. As I write, Jim is on day three of chain sawing and taking limbs up the hill with the four-wheeler.
Maggie is dwarfed by a dead tree that came down in our woods.
Walking our woods trail to survey the damage was challenging. Maggie and Skip are on the trail in the photo below, except there was no visible trail and no easy way to move forward. Maggie and I scrambled up, through and over as best we could, but Skip was flumoxed. Seriously. He was like a puppy who’d never seen a stair. I eventually told him that if I could do it, then he could figure it out. He did, but I swear he’d have preferred me picking him up and carrying him.
I could include dozens of photos of the damage–we counted seven serious downfalls that need attention, but I’ll end this section with the photo below: A downed trunk that doesn’t look at that bad, except, it is. They call this kind of chain saw challenge a “widow maker,” because it can, and does, result in serious injury or death. (Here is where I have to take a breath for my dear friend Chris, whose husband died from a falling branch while chain sawing a year or so back. It happens.)
Jim, thankfully, agreed to shop out some of the dicier challenges.
I’ll end with a happier photo from the farm–a harvest from our tiny veggie/fruit garden. A day’s berries (I made short cakes on Saturday, yum.) and some crispy lettuce;
And there you have life in a nutshell: Dangers, fears, challenges, along with sweet berries on homemade shortcakes with vanilla ice cream. May you have more berries than wind storms in the weeks to come.
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About the Author
Patricia B. McConnell, PhD, CAAB Emeritus is an applied animal behaviorist who has been working with, studying, and writing about dogs for over twenty-five years. She encourages your participation, believing that your voice adds greatly to its value. She enjoys reading every comment, and adds her own responses when she can.
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Patricia is known the world over for her clear and engaging books and DVDs on dog training and canine behavior problems. You can also “meet” Patricia in person on her seminar DVDs, from The Art & Science of Canine Behavior to Treating Dog-Dog Reactivity.
I think that we have to be a little careful about labelling dogs with clinical conditions based on questionnaires. It is very difficult to avoid confirmation bias for one thing. Àdám Miklósi was one of the authors of a 2013 paper Wan M et al (2013) DRD4 and TH gene polymorphisms are associated with activity, impulsivity and inattention in Siberian Husky dogs, Animal Genetics, V44, pp 717 – 727, https://doi.org/10.1111/age.12058 that does suggest a genetic basis for some Sibes.
At the time that I read this paper, I owned a Sibe. He was the training challenge that led to me becoming a professional behaviourist and trainer (and also because I got fed up of being told that I he was untrainable). Suffice to say that the paper’s conclusions were no surprise! He had a boredom threshold of approximately 1 nanosecond. The old adage that you can get a husky to do anything – once – held good, but boy did we have a lot of good “onces” .My Sibe was a blood donor, Pets As Therapy dog (both organisations recognised him in national awards), we competed in agility, gun dog scurries (yes, really), conformation showing and were placed obedience and many other pursuits.
I worry, both in humans and other animals, that we over-pathologise. I too think that I would probably now be diagnosed with ADHD and possibly autism. I’m not sure that it would help me other than in recognising my style of learning and behaviour. On the other hand, my blatant dyscalculia has always been dismissed either as deliberate intransigence or the result of poor teaching.
The most important thing is what we do with this information. It is vital that we do not create victims by labelling or use it as an excuse for under-achievement or just not trying to train such dogs. I now specialise in working with basal breed dogs. The training techniques are of course identical to other dogs and but they need to be applied a little differently.
I agree Charlotte about your cautions! Like so many things, diagnoses are a mixed bag. I was personally relieved when I figured out that I had ADHD, and it made my life better. But yes, we can use such things as excuses, and we can pathologize normal behavior. Thanks for weighing in!
Fascinating post! I have just started my relatively new rescue chi mix on Prozac for similar behaviors as ‘Bear’ was exhibiting. The behaviorist I’m working with, and I were starting to consider rehoming. Too soon to say if it will help in her ability to cope. I wasn’t able to find much medication information for behavioral issues out there in the virtual world. It’s no surprise to me that our companion animals are exhibiting the same mental symptoms as we humans … the speed of change and increase of pace in our world must be a daily jolt to the nervous systems of all of us. I retreated from social media a few years ago and have just reverted back to a ‘dumb’ flip phone. I had no idea how distracting my phone continued to be with no Instagram, etc. But, I digress … may we all find peace of mind in any way possible … …
Great points, Angie, about how our complicated lives must also be affecting our dogs. How could they not? Especially since dogs have so little agency now…good luck with your “Bear,” keep us posted.
Hi Angie, I thought you might like the articles provided by Insightful Animals about behavior medication, written by Dr. Kelly Ballantyne.
https://insightfulanimals.substack.com/p/is-medication-right-for-your-pets
https://insightfulanimals.substack.com/p/is-medication-actually-helping-your
Hello Patricia
You talk about ADHD in dogs I think my female rescue terrier, Penny, has PTSD. She’s my first not a Border Collie. How is PTSD diagnosed and what might be helpful for her? My vet doesn’t seem to think it’s PTSD.
I’ve read your book AWAY TO ME 3 times. I love it. Thank you for writing it. I’ve also read every one of your posts for as long as I can remember.
Sorry to hear about your terrier, Carol. I highly recommend you talk to a certified vet behaviorist or trainer who is skilled at dealing with anxiety and stress issues. My go to expert is Kristina Spaulding, a CAAB and lovely and skilled woman. Her website is https://sciencemattersllc.com/about, although I’m not 100% sure she is seeing clients. Thank you for the book “review”–I hate to ask, but if you liked it I’d be grateful if you’d leave a review from where you got it!
Thank you for Kristina Spaulding.
I’d be more than happy to write a review on Amazon for your book. It will be my very first review, your book is that great.
Take good care of
Carol 🐾
Thank you Carol!
Not ADHD, but convinced one of my dogs – a border collie – is on the autism spectrum, “confirmed” by a couple different vets (granted NOT behaviorist) as well as some human behavior types. Only notable thing about it is that once it was mentioned to me and I did my homework, our relationship changed. Once I realized that I probably couldn’t change certain of her behaviors, I adapted to her.
Love her to death but would not want another like that! I am convinced dogs can have adhd, autism and many other behaviors humans have.
Joan, I agree, as do many others. See my post: https://www.patriciamcconnell.com/theotherendoftheleash/autism-in-dogs for more info. And your BC is lucky to have you!
Thank you for this! I just watched her webinars on AITA about the book and will be reading it immediately!
Our dear Lab mix, Phoebe, was on many spectrums, none of them official. She had a hard time focusing (a trick I teach all our dogs) and certain things that worked like a charm on most other dogs, she didn’t even notice (for example, being a tree on walks to stop her pulling was totally ineffective, she really didn’t notice; you had to first get her attention and then do it in an exaggerated fashion). Teaching a wide variety of tricks worked really well to get and mostly keep her attention. I remember one time she and I were playing fetch, and I threw the ball, she started to run and stopped mid-stride to watch a cottonwood seed float down from the sky. Once it landed, she looked at me as if to say, “What did you want now?”
As far as PTSD is concerned, Olive had it and was “diagnosed” by a vet behaviorist. Noises, certain touches, any unfamiliar objects, and going near her butt would cause trauma. Gradually, most of these triggers were allayed (not sure they ever go away) and a few she carried up front her entire life.
We often called our husky Spot our ADHD dog, or as a friend said, he was a dog without filters. He could concentrate, he could learn, but in some environments he could not be reached. He did not pull on the leash, he charge-jumped into it. He landed several times on his head in a ditch because he would forget he was on a leash. It was really hard, since he was best in class at puppy training, to convince our dog trainer we had a problem. New environments, things that moved, smells of deer. Really difficult for him. Then he developed auto immune inflammation of the gut, we started him on medication for that but also tried to reduce his stress levels because it influenced his gut badly. Rather desperate, I started him on a supplement with herbs, magnesium and L tryptophan and it really made difference, both in the ability to ‘keep in touch’ with him and the gut problems. I stopped it three times, and every time I saw a worsening in behaviour and an improvement when I started it again. So then I just continued it for the rest of his life, unfortunately he died age 9 of a kidney tumor. Since one week we have a new household member, a 2 year you husky cross that has been vastly understimulated, so she is hyper in some situations but it feels really different. Yes, there are situations when we are in a no-contact zone, but early days yet (we have only had her for a week) but it just feels so different. Hard to explain. (Our new girls name is Lykke, which is Norwegian for happiness and that is such and apt name. After a very tough year, of loosing our dog Shadow and my mother, she is just a ray of sunshine)
Trisha, it was sooooooooooooo good to see you and chat a bit at the book signing event recently. I enjoyed myself so much and love your sense of humor!! I also loved meeting some of your family members.
I hope I didn’t take up too much of your time, but it was just so great to have the opportunity to talk and ask questions. I had intended to tell you that I’d taken your advice and bought “Misadventures . . . . ” Haven’t read it yet, have piles of books waiting to be read!!!
I was sorry to hear of all the damage at your place but thankful no one was hurt.
This ADHD post was fascinating! I’ve just started working with a mixed breed [mostly Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever] who is VERY high energy. I don’t think it’s ADHD because he’s only eleven months old was learning, and remembering, so quickly. Great dog and totally committed guardians!!
Stay well,
Edie
This is so interesting and timely as, in one organization I’m in, I constantly hear one lady go off, and then on forever, about her young dog. It sounds very like this. I usually give her a wide berth as she already knows everything, but anything to help a dog!
My son has a dog that he and his vet have discussed being like a human on the spectrum. I’ve never seen another dog like her, but we all accept her as she is and she’s lovely.
Thanks for continuing to be curious and ask questions; you help us all.