My dog has ADD bad. Any advice??

[Venetia]

I'd like some advice on what I should do about my dog's ADD problem from fellow dog owners.

(Note: I'm not saying she's diagnosed with ADD. I'm saying she acts like a kid with severe attention deficit disorder.)


My dog isn't dumb by any means ... she's a boss at puzzles, learns tricks like no one's business, and can figure nearly anything out after watching someone do something.

but god DAMN she acts like the dopiest moron that ever lived the moment we step past the front porch of our house.

just like ULTRA-ADD. The puppy training classes helped somewhat. I make a real effort now on our walks to stop, and tell her to look at me and sit (so she pays attention to what I'm doing). And she'll do it, so long as there aren't any strangers or animals or shiny loud things moving around within eyeshot. The minute a motorcycle drives by or a kid goes "*gasp* a doggy!" from across the street, and she's DONE. I won't be able to get her attention back for a whiiiile.

Spoiler: Today's ADD example

Today I tried to take her out to a relatively deserted little field to play fetch. She's a boss at it at home -- she gets it, brings it back, and even places it in my hand. But outside?

So today I threw the ball. She ran after it and got it. Then she started running back, but then noticed SOMETHING behind me, and kept flying past me off to a tree, dropping the ball somewhere near me.

This happened a few more times. Then, she went to get the ball, missed mid-run, and bit some grass. Then she stopped cold, chewed it, and started grazing as if she'd just discovered the tastiest meal she'd ever eaten.

So I go get the ball myself, get her attention again, and throw it. She runs to the ball, stops, and starts eating grass.

I go, "COME ON! BACK TO ME!!!", and she returns without the ball. So I go, "What?! Get the ball! Go get it!"

She makes an expression like "Oh, yeah!" and runs back to the ball. Starts to pick it up. But then drops it and eats more grass. I yell again.

She comes back, no ball. I tell her to get it. This time, she stares at me for a second, as if contemplating. Then she goes back to the ball, looks me dead in the face, mimes picking it up (her mouth opened as if she was going to get it), but then deftly she moves to munch grass directly BEHIND the ball, where she thinks I can't see it.

I'm like, "Are you fucking with me?! Look, you love fetch, just play fetch!"

She starts to pick up the ball.

A motorcycle drives by.

She goes "8O!!!!!!!!!!!! OHHHHHHHHH OMGOMGOMGOMG" and sprints, full tilt, after it. (It's not until I scream "RRRIIIIIPPLEEEEEYYYYYYY" at top-volume, while running, that she stops.)


@_@

Do any other dog owners out there have any advice?

I try to walk her everyday (I don't get to walk her very long on some days, when work runs late). She loves people and is very nice towards them -- the problem is that she always goes HOLY SHIT ALL I WANT FOREVER IS TO MEET THAT PERSON (to everyone). The trainer from the class recommended I always carry her favorite treats (pepperoni) on walks to get her attention, but when there's an un-sniffed passerby or new shiny thing anywhere in range, she doesn't give even half a shit about treats -- even if I pull her in and put a pepperoni right on her lips.

I know quite well that I'm the "alpha" in our relationship -- she obeys VERY well (without distractions), and never carries her tail high. But it's so embarrassing when I gush to people about how well she's trained, and then when they first meet her she acts like a toddler on cocaine in a toy factory.


Maybe I'm over-worried about it. I guess she's only 7 months old--still a puppy (a 50-lb puppy ...). I've never owned or trained a herding breed before (unless you count a daschund ... which I don't), so I'm not sure of when I should be expecting her ADD to calm down a little. I can't sign her up for shepherding lessons until she's 1yr, so I'm not sure what more I can do in the meantime to just get her to pay attention a little in public

(And yes, I realize how first world problems this thread is. And how stupid it is to worry over a hyper dog. But I want her to compete in obstacle courses someday, and I can't if she's never going to be able to obey a command outside the house.)


And anyway, if you don't have any advice, maybe you can just post a story about your own crazy dog, IDC.

 

[Glitchfinder]

Well, it's not a dog, but I have an ADHD cat. Well, more than that, she's just plain uncoordinated too. You can't keep her attention for any period of time, with anything. Nothing can. On top of that, she is ALWAYS running around the house, regardless of what else is going on. Further, she loves getting into trouble and/or being chased (Or better, both at the same time!). The weirdest part is that she's the only cat I've seen that runs full tilt into pretty much anything. She gets along better with our dog than our other two cats, and if my brother is in the same room as her, she'll do EVERYTHING you've ever told her not to do, often attempting several bad things at once. I just don't get it. She's incredibly cute and sweet, but I've never seen a cat that behaves anything like she does.

 

[Venetia]

My cat Onyx (age 17-18) used to be SO MUCH like that, until somewhere around age 12+, when he just magically turned into a crotchety old man overnight, and set in with the all-the-time sleeping and wandering into rooms just to complain. (Probably due to kitty arthritis, poor little guy.) Amusingly, he still gets along better with my dog than the other cats.

 

[dadevvtsvre]

I'm far from a dog expert, but my family owns a 5 year old Lhasa Apso, and... it sounds like your dog is just being a dog.

She is still a puppy. Again - not a dog expert - but from my own experiences, this is not abnormal behaviour. It will take a while for her to calm down. Has she been spayed yet?

I guess you should continue training her and ensuring that she's focused on you during your walks or outside, and that she needs to stay focused on you unless you allow her to do otherwise. If she even so much as glances at that toddler across the street when you're telling her to stay focused on you, regain control and let her know that it's not okay.

Getting a puppy's attention is a really hard thing to do. Keeping her attention is even harder. I might be worried if she were a couple of years older, but right now I don't think you should think too much about it. Keep training her, making sure that you have her full and undivided attention.

 

[Fusty]

While I don't know much about dogs either, it seems to me that your dog could benefit from more walks. From what I can gather you walk her once a day? Turn that up to three times a day and she'll be able to lose all of that extra energy. If you don't have time to walk her yourself then maybe you can let someone else walk her for you when you're not home yourself? (Again, I know next to nothing about dogs so idk if I'm talking bullshit here.. ;p)


Or just call The Dog Whisperer :dog:

 

[Jason]

Or just call The Dog Whisperer :dog:

Hey fuck you! Don't call me, I'm busy!

...And I don't like dogs, and I think I'm secretly gay

Seriously though, I've had 4 dogs in my life, and they've all been really giddy and stuff at a young age, but then calmed down after the first 2-3 years, except one, Sasha, she was SO hyper even up until the age of 7, and we ended up giving her away, not sure why (Well... maybe because she was hyper?)... but whatever.

You're asking for advice as if your dog is too old to be acting like that, she's less than a year old, ofcourse she's going to be all derpy and stuff...

 

[Venetia]

Yeah, I'm probably over-worried about it. I knew I was getting into having a hyper breed when I picked an Aussie/Border Collie mix ...

And yeah, I SHOULD walk her more. She does seem a little better about paying attention when the extra energy is spent. I wish there were some dog parks within <10mi, so I didn't have to drive to them. Most walks just find us derping down a stretch near a rather-frequented road, which isn't terribly fun.

 

[Brewmeister]

She's rebelling because you labeled her.

 

[united washcloth express]

She an independent woman who don't need no man

 

[Tindy]

Ven, I'm reading a book right now on the psychology of dogs (really interesting!), and at one point it says that dogs are not wolves and do not form packs, so trying to be an alpha is just scaring them into submission. I'm gonna say she (she?) 's just a puppy and like any baby is just excited about everything ("OOOOOOOOOOoooooooh look at the dangly keys! DANGLY DANGLY DANGLY!")

 

[rosareven]

I don't have any advice but my boyfriend's dog has the exact same ADD. She can't even fetch at home.

 

[Ellie]

Ignore anything Caesar Milan. In fact that's the one and only time I advocate book burning.

 

[Glitchfinder]

Ven, I'm reading a book right now on the psychology of dogs (really interesting!), and at one point it says that dogs are not wolves and do not form packs, so trying to be an alpha is just scaring them into submission. I'm gonna say she (she?) 's just a puppy and like any baby is just excited about everything ("OOOOOOOOOOoooooooh look at the dangly keys! DANGLY DANGLY DANGLY!")

Whoever wrote that book has obviously never seen a pack of feral dogs. Which are definitely a thing, and can actually be quite dangerous in certain situations.