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Signs of the Hyperkinetic Dog

from: Kyle Besser

Anyone who has worked extensively with dogs has occasionally been confronted by an overactive, sometimes raging, vicious kind of dog, the handling of which has required a heavy duty tranquilizer and several helpers. In many cases, such behavior cannot be explained by improper handling or cruelty and neglect by their owners. When it seems that nothing can be done to correct the dog behavior problems, the dog is written off and relegated to the end of a chain outside or destroyed.

Since the early 1970s, such excitable and mean behavior has been identified in some dogs as hyperkinesis. Hyperkinesis is a behavioral condition that is described as "a hyper behavior that is treatable with stimulants." by Bonnie V. Beaver, in The Veterinarian's Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior.

Lack of accurate information from dog owners remains regarding the hyperkinesis condition, partly because hyperkinesis has recently been given a new label, which is "attention deficit disorder (ADD)." While ADD may describe certain aspects of the readily observable behavior of a hyperkinetic dog, ADD lacks the physiologic symptoms which can be described and measured.

Signs associated with hyperkinesis in dogs are usually displayed when the dog is stressed by close confinement and/or social isolation. These signs include rapid heart rate and respiration, excessive salivation, a high metabolic rate, and reduced urine output.

The major difficulty in identifying the hyperkinesis syndrome is that there is no apparent cause. Clinical signs may be evident in dogs that are normal in other circumstances. In addition, dogs identified as hyperkinetic do not always exhibit the same behavior patterns or physical symptoms.

Initial symptoms of hyperkinesis falls into the following categories:

* The dog cannot sit still, even for a minute.

* The dog never becomes accustomed to everyday situations.

* The dog cannot be taught anything and is often an obedience training failure.

* The dog salivates constantly and always seems very excited or very nervous.

Many experienced, gentle dog owners have been bitten by hyperkinetic dogs. Some hyperkinetic dogs will viciously attack other dogs without hesitation, even friendly and docile dogs. In studies designed to evaluate responses to stress, some hyperkinetic dogs did not respond to positive reinforcement, and tranquilization was tried but did not work.

Typically, such hyperkinetic dogs would be eliminated from the study, but because the researchers were interested in the interaction of genetics and psychological environment, they were curious about dogs that appeared unwilling to be studied. Eventually the researchers decided they were dealing with the equivalent of hyperkinetic children.