Dogs Behaving Badly An A-To-Z Guide to Understanding and Curing Behavioral Problems in Dogs

By now almost everyone has heard of the syndrome of medical hyperactivity that is supposed to affect so many schoolchildren. These children have difficulty concentrating, are not good at following directions, fidget constantly, find it hard to sit still, and are easily bored. Another name for this nebulous constellation of signs is attention deficient hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD for short. In girls, the hyperactivity component is often lacking, giving rise to a purer attention deficit disorder, just plain ADD, whereas in boys, the hyperactivity component is more common and the syndrome is often associated with aggression. Although it used to be thought that ADHD was confined to childhood years, it has come to light recently that the disorder persists throughout life, though it often goes unrecognized and undiagnosed. Typical signs of ADHD in adults include difficulty in getting started on projects, forgetfulness, procrastination, and a constant need for stimulation that manifests as thrill-seeking behavior. The question is, could dogs possibly be affected with a similar syndrome? Some say yes, and some say no. The termhyperactivityhas vernacular implications as well as being a possible medical diagnosis. It is common for owners and trainers to refer to a particular dog as hyperactive, meaning that it runs around a lot and won't listen. According to this rather loose definition, almost all puppies are hyperactive; observation tells us that puppyhood and hyperactivity are virtually synonymous. But do all puppies grow up to be forgetful procrastinators? I don't think so. On the other hand, if we always interpret restlessness, limited attention span, and a high activity level in dogs as normal behavior, or a variation on a theme of normalcy, we will never diagnose hyperactivity. Behaviorists' views on the existence of hyperactivity in dogs are equivocal, with opinions ranging from one extreme to the other. The head of the behavior clinic at the Veterinary Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Karen Overall, says that she has yet to diagnose a case of hyperactivity in dogs. On the other hand, Dr. Walter Burghart, a veterinary practitioner in Texas with a special interest in animal behavior, believes that hyperactivity is the driving force behind many of the behavior problems that we see in domestic dogs. The case can be argued both ways, depending on your point of view. In support of Dr. Overall's position, I, too, have had precious few, if any, dogs that I have confirmed as hyperactive according to the strict medical definition of the word. In support of Dr. Burghart's view, though, I have seen many dogs that could reasonably be described as overactive or hyperactive that present with a variety of behavior problems apparently secondary to this underlying disturbance. Some might say that the proof of this pudding lies in the response to stimulants, such as Ritalin and amphetamine. The paradoxical response of hyperactive schoolchildren to treatment with the stimulant Ritalin is almost legend. I have even heard parents and schoolteachers say, "Oh, that kid's hyperactive. He should be put on Ritalin." Now, Ritalin would make a normal child tear around like a turkey with its head cut off, but for some reason it has a calming effect on hyperactive children, enabling them to pay attention and focus on the job at hand. In fact, in their bookDriven to Destruction,psychiatrists David Hallowell and John Ratey liken the effect of Ritalin on a hyperactive child to that of putting a pair of specDodman, Nicholas H. is the author of 'Dogs Behaving Badly An A-To-Z Guide to Understanding and Curing Behavioral Problems in Dogs' with ISBN 9780553379686 and ISBN 0553379682.