Attention Deficit in Dogs
Attention Deficit in Dogs is real. It might have it’s own fancy name, but dogs can display many of the same symptoms as a human can. Of course there is hyperactivity and that can be as much down to boredom and lack of exercise as anything, but attention deficit is not just about hyperactivity. Mum loves Pebbles dearly, but some of her behaviours cannot be managed simply through training and exercise. I’m not going to go through all the little things today, but let me give you just a couple of examples.
Novelty
Pebbles does not cope with novelty. Now, I know that a poorly socialised dog may not cope with things it has not experienced, like crowds, men with hats, traffic – you know the sort of thing, but I don’t mean that. I mean she can’t cope with any little difference. If Mum puts on different shoes then Pebbles spends half a day biting them. If Mum wears different trousers the same thing happens. Normally, Mum wears sleeveless tops. If she puts on something with long sleeves then she will have at least half a day of Pebbles grab-biting her arms. It isn’t about the clothing being loose and flapping. It can be skin tight. It is solely about the difference.
Resting
Pebbles does not know how to rest. I kid you not. She will sleep (we assume) in her crate at night, but from when she gets up in the morning to when she goes to bed at night, Pebbles does not sleep. She does not lie down to rest. In fact she doesn’t so much as chill out. In the car she watches the whole time. When she’s in the house she simply will not sit down at all unless she has a chew. The only wat Mum can have indoor time with her is to feed her chews, and frozen Kongs one after the other. If Mum stops then Pebbles either starts to run off with things she isn’t supposed to have or body slams Mum from one side and then goes round and repeats from the other side.
She can’t even sit still long enough to enjoy a normal cuddle. None of this is simply regular hyperactivity or training. It is driving us all nuts but we still love her.
Love and licks
Wilma
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