And then I wondered: Can dogs even have ADHD?

So, of course, I dug into the question and in this article, I’ll break down some key definitions, look at considerations, and discuss the inherent problems with the existing research. But, before we dig in, two notes:

1. Do not give your dog stimulants. If you or your kid takes ADHD meds, don’t give them to your dog. Ever. Consult with your vet for a diagnosis and plan.
2. I am not a vet. This post is for informational purposes only.

So, let’s dig into the big question: Do dogs get ADHD?

First, some definitions:

Before we get into the nitty-gritty about ADHD, it’s important to remember that ADHD is simply one neurotype, and there are many, many neurotypes. So, three things we need to understand before we dig into our dogs’ neurotypes:

• Neurotype: Everyone has a specific neurotype. It’s the way your individual brain processes information, sensory input, and communication. Neurotypes exist on a spectrum. On one end is what is considered “neurotypical,” which simply means that it’s a brain with typical neurological development and the ability to align with societal and cultural expectations. The rest of the spectrum is what’s considered “neurodivergent,” which just means anything different from that neurotypical brain. Nearly everyone falls outside the typical range, some more than others.
• Neurodiversity: Simply put, this means the huge spectrum of different brains. It encompasses all the ways each unique brain interacts with, understands, processes, and learns about the world. No two brains (human or canine!) operate in the exact same way.
• ADHD: “ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder, which means it shapes how the brain develops and functions. It affects the parts of the brain responsible for executive function: the ability to plan, organize, and carry out tasks. This includes being able to maintain focus and attention and being able to manage impulses and emotions.” source ADHD is a distinct neurotype with symptoms that impact daily life, and while many of those symptoms are the same in people with this neurotypes, no two ADHDers are alike.
• Autistm: Another neurotypes. “Autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), refers to a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication.” source 

Why am I including autism in this discussion? Many signs of ADHD and ASD overlap. Many co-occur. In humans, sometimes it’s tough to pull the threads to determine which condition (or both) a person has. I imagine the same would be true with our dogs, even though their frontal lobes are smaller relative to their brain size compared to humans. So, I think it’s important to not only ask about ADHD but also ASD.

Your neurotype–and your dog’s neurotype–is unique to you. Even if you’re a neurotypical person, you still have learning differences or sensory differences from other neurotypical people.

Maybe the bigger question should be: Are dogs neurodivergent? So…

Can dogs be neurodivergent?

Neurodiversity has been considered part of the human condition, rarely (never?) considered for our animal friends. But do you think all dogs have the same brain?

Of course not.

In fact, I’d argue that it’s pretty audacious to even imply that all dogs’ brains work the same. It stands to reason, then, that no two dogs have the same neurotype.

In our human landscape, neuro-affirming policies and accommodations are becoming more accessible. Think: noise-cancelling headphones, medication, fidgets, different types of chairs, quiet spaces in public areas, occupational therapy, and so on. I wish these accommodations were more widely accepted or understood, but we are making forward progress.

(Quick aside to anyone who thinks none of this applies to them: I don’t think I’ve ever met a single person who doesn’t have texture preferences with food. Or type of socks. Or overhead versus table lamp. I don’t think I’ve ever known anyone who doesn’t have a strength for learning via listening over reading or vice versa. There are so many facets and so many sensory systems that most of us never learned about that I sincerely doubt anyone can honestly come into the comments and say, “NOT ME.”)

If you’ve loved multiple dogs, you know intuitively that none of them think the same or process their environment the same. Even if you adopt your dogs at the same time, even if they’re from the same litter, they will have different brains with unique operations. While we can’t give them assessments, we can observe their behavior and their interactions with the environment and draw conclusions.

The conclusion that I’ve drawn is that, yes, there is neurodiversity within the canine kingdom.

To me that seems obvious, but I have spent the last almost decade learning about this stuff through the human members of my family, so I do not take it for granted that this isn’t obvious to everyone. All brains are good brains, and all brains are different.

What do the studies show?

These big questions always have to come back to the research.

What does the data show about dogs and neurodiversity?

One study showed that dogs who have anxiety have measurable differences in their brains compared to non-anxious dogs.

Another study showed a potential genetic connection to autism in beagles: “For example, some beagle dogs have a mutation in a gene called Shank3, which is linked with autism in humans and often characterised by difficulties in social interactions. Beagles with the Shank3 mutation also exhibit low desire to interact with people. It turns out that they have reduced cell to cell signalling in regions of the brain linked with attention.” source

There are dozens of other studies that show analogous behaviors, genetic markers, and more–but no comprehensive or conclusive study to create a diagnostic path for ADHD, autism, or similar. And, it’s important to remember that our pet dogs might have life experiences like abuse or neglect that contribute to behaviors that could also be attributed to a non-typical neurotype. Just like humans.

So, can dogs have ADHD?

Recently studies on the neuroscience of dogs do show that, yes, there is neurodiversity among our pups (I mean, to no one’s shock, really…), but we’re far from diagnosing our pups with ADHD or autism. It’s worth a quick note that, while veterinary behaviorists can diagnose true clinical hyperactivity (called hyperkinesis), it’s incredibly rare.

Regardless.

No two brains are the same. We know this. Rather than focusing on a diagnosis, the bigger, more important question should be: How can we be neuro-affirming for our dogs? (This applies to humans, too. The world needs to affirm more diversity. This could be an entirely other post…) Where to start:

1. First, rule out any medical issues. Always start with the vet and a comprehensive exam.
2. Then, consider behavioral challenges like boredom and under-stimulation. (A few tips on this at the bottom of this post).
3. Finally, address environmental factors that can accommodate your dog’s specific needs.

Does it matter if dogs are autistic or if dogs have ADHD?

Not really, not if we can figure out our own pet dog’s sensory needs, anxiety profile, exercise requirements, and more–all to help our dogs be happier and healthier overall. Whether Stola actually needs a doggy stimulant or just a better sensory outlet, what matters is figuring out what our pets need and finding ways to deliver on that. For our kids and our human friends and family, we find ways to provide the things they need, whether it’s fidgets or low lighting or less food dye or sensory breaks or exercise. We owe our dogs the same, in my opinion!

If you have a dog who struggles to stay regulated, here are a few of my favorite sensory and engagement tools and resources that help keep a busy brain (like Stola’s!) focused:

• These are the absolute best for playing sniffing games or active fun like weaves and jumps.
• A touch stick really helps keep a dog focused in all kinds of contexts.
• This post from back during the social distancing days links to resources with more than 30 ideas to keep your dog from being bored.
• For the over-stimulated dog, window cling to block distractions.
• For the under-stimulated dog, an automatic bouncing and rolling ball. I do not have this… yet. It is at the TOP of my Stola wish list!

So, what do you think? Have you considered this before, perhaps if you have a dog who seems to be wired a little differently? Or, if you’ve never thought about neurodiversity with your dog, has this sparked any thoughts, ideas, or questions? Please share in the comments–I’d love to learn from you!

If you enjoyed this post, you’ll LOVE my book For the Love of Dog, available on Amazon, Bookshop.org, or anywhere you prefer to buy books!

A disclaimer: Not all books are for all readers. I selected a wide array so that you can hopefully find one that sounds good to you. I also included two links to find these titles online, but I always suggest visiting your local bookstore first, especially for the books that are pre-orders! Shop local where possible!

Let’s get started, shall we?

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 

Ulysses S. Cat and Other Animals I Have Known by Scott Simon

Yep, that Scott Simon, and if you’re an NPR listener, I promise you will find yourself reading this book with his voice in your head.

This narrative is a memoir of sorts. We learn about Scott, his family, and his work through the animals who have entered and exited his life. It’s told in short bursts. Most of the chapters are micro-essays, running only a few pages and sometimes only a paragraph. This makes it easy to dip in and out, but it doesn’t lessen the emotional resonance or the connection you’ll feel to someone who loves animals as much as he clearly does. Even though on the surface the stories are centered around the animals, it’s also an examination of Scott’s family life and his professional life. The Sarajevo essays are particularly poignant.

Who is this for? Heartfelt, sometimes joyful and sometimes sad, these essays are a must-read for anyone who loves their animals with a side of whimsy. Parents, especially adoptive parents like me: Come to this book with a few tissues tucked in your pocket.

Available on Bookshop.org and Amazon.

Poking the Squid by Perrin Roosevelt Ireland

This book. Where do I begin? As you likely know by now, I am a HUGE animal behavior nerd. This is my favorite book in the bunch.

Graphic nonfiction is such an underappreciated genre, in my opinion. This one, in particular, shines. It’s filled with an incredible depth of information about the biodiversity of how animals form relationships, mate, and more. I never knew how interested I would become in albatross or prairie voles, among many others. Poking the Squid delivers a delightful, quirky, and illuminating look at animal diversity through vivid comics and deeply-researched details. (I reviewed the ARC, which is in black and white, but I believe the final hard copy will be in full color, which is very exciting!)

Who is this for? I’d LOVE to say everyone, but I think this book is for anyone who is fascinated by the natural world and who wants to learn about the latest discoveries in this newer scientific field.

Available on Bookshop.org and Amazon.

10 Spiritual Lessons You Can Learn from Your Dog and 10 Spiritual Lessons You Can Learn from Your Cat by Joanna Sandsmark

Two different but similar books round out these recommendations. Both of these pretty, small hardcovers deliver life advice from the dog’s and cat’s perspective. Rather than a religious spirituality, these delightfully-illustrated books weave together quotes and lessons designed to help the reader feel more dog- or cat-like. They’re easy to flip through and glean some insight or idea unique to our beloved pets.

Who are these for? If you’re looking for a perfect gift for the dog or cat lover in your life, look no further. (hint, hint for any Father’s Day gifts for pet-loving dads) Or, if you’d like something small you can tuck into a bag or to accompany your journaling, these are it.

Dog book available on Amazon and Bookshop.org.

Cat book available on Amazon and Bookshop.org.

The Dogwalkers’ Detective Agency by Michael Hogan

Surprisingly, the only new novel on this list!

When a dog walker’s canine charges discover a dead body, the police are called in, but something’s not adding up. So, a motley mix of dog walkers put their heads together to solve the crime as more mysteries mount. This is the type of summer novel that you can toss into a beach bag for a day at the pool or on the sand; it’s long enough to keep you occupied, but light enough that you can dip in and out.

Who is this for? Fans of funny thrillers, cozy mysteries with an edge of darkness, and–of course–canine shenanigans. Must love puns and word play.

Available on Amazon and Bookshop.org.

Unleashed: How to Bring Out the Best in Your Dog by Jaime Goodrich

Summer is the perfect season to squeeze in extra dog training time. If you’re hoping to dig into some training this summer with your pup, pick this one up.

Unleashed establishes a beginner-friendly foundation for dog training rooted in best practice. It covers everything from polite walking and house training to separation anxiety and aggressive behavior. Little sketches throughout illustrate the concepts, and worksheets in the back of the book help you apply the learning immediately.

Who is this for? First-time dog owners would benefit tremendously from this. Also, anyone who loves to read more dog training perspectives and tips to round out existing knowledge, this one’s for you. An excellent, accessible reference to have on hand.

Available on Amazon and Bookshop.org.

King the Wonder Dog and Other Stories by Eleanor Lerman

Short stories are the perfect thing for summer: You can dip in and out while pushing a swing or supervising the pool. When you have pockets of time, you can read a short story and experience the entire arc of the narrative–even if you’re sitting in your car in the summer camp pickup line.

These stories feature older protagonists and their relationships with dogs. Most center around themes of healing, being seen and understood, and the restorative power of the human-dog bond. You’ll likely need a few tissues on hand for several of the stories.

Who is this for? Set in contemporary New York and featuring older adults, this collection is perfect for literary readers who appreciate reflective stories about people and their dogs. Highly recommend!

Available on Amazon and Bookshop.org.

The 7 best animal books of summer 2026…

At least, for now! I didn’t get any YA or picture books this time around, which is a big gap. I’m on the hunt for what’s coming next for younger readers, so stay tuned here or on Instagram for what I find.

In the meantime, I’d love to know: What’s on your TBR for this summer? Please share in the comments along with which of these seven you’d like to read!

I’d be remiss in a book post not to include a little call-out for my own book.

If you’re looking to deepen your bond with your dog, my book For the Love of Dog explores the science and heart behind how we connect with our best friends with stories about me and my dogs Emmett, Lucas, and Cooper.

Click here to grab your copy on Amazon or here for Bookshop.org.

It’s also available on audio if you prefer to read with your ears!

The Things I Lost*

A fear of spiders: as long as the room is well-lit and there is a cup nearby to place on top of the spider and a postcard or junk mail to slide underneath the cup so I can carry it outside to release it far, far away from me. 

My blankie: mine from the day I was born, tucked on a shelf in my closet since college, and then my daughter turned five and became scared of the dark and asked for it to comfort her.

The memory of why I came into this room. 

One sofa, two seatbelts, seven pairs of glasses, a fiber optic internet line, all my nice pens, three library books, and a talking, singing, dancing, light-up stuffed bear: I’m not too mad about that last one, but this puppy is a nightmare.

The recipe for the ranch-flavored baked pretzels I used to make every weekend: somehow the ingredients of that snack have disappeared from my memory, but the lyrics to every song I listened to on the radio in the 90s are still intact. 

A dozen pairs of heels: along with any desire to wear them. The shoe closet from twenty years ago has morphed into a shoe bucket, stuffed with one pair of sneakers, rubber rain boots, hiking boots, and two pairs of sandals–both bearing the puppy’s teethmarks. 

One zebra print rug purchased from the Urban Outfitters in Georgetown: misplaced in a move from DC to Indiana, or maybe it was Indiana to Louisiana. It wouldn’t really go with our house anymore anyway. 

My attention span: forfeit to endless tasks, demands, distractions, scrolling. 

The name of the girl from my sophomore poetry course who borrowed my copy of Firekeeper and left little notes throughout: I’m rereading this collection now, all these years later, and her sharp, funny margin notes make me wish that was a friendship I hung onto. 

The perfect black raincoat: left on a subway during the early spring when the cherry blossoms bloom and leave a faint vanilla scent hanging in the air until the hard rain falls and scatters the pale pink flowers along the sidewalk. I carried that perfect raincoat onto the train, settled in with my book, and–arriving at my stop mid-page–walked off the train with my nose in the book and the raincoat left behind on the seat. 

Forbearance: for a lousy government, for inattentive teachers, for people who are rude to the waitstaff, for anyone who cuts in line or drops litter in public. My patience in midlife is reserved for puppies, children, and my husband.

There’s no room left for more.

* Recently, I joined the Indiana Writers Center’s creative nonfiction group. The leader provides a prompt, and we all respond. The March prompt was to read this list essay featured in The Best of Brevity and write our own version. Here’s mine, which I’m sharing because it’s sort of about Stola (and maybe, also, about aging).

If you enjoyed this and want to read even more of my work–always for free–check out my Substack. Click on the image from my latest post below to head straight there:

“I love animals, but I can’t stand people.”

“I like every single dog and maybe three people.”

“I’ve never met a cat I didn’t like, but there are tons of people I detest.”

I’ve definitely said that I like dogs more than people on many occasions, usually in response to an animal abuse or welfare situation. And, truth be told, I’d much rather spend my time at home with my dogs and cats than out in a crowd of people.

But here is the reality, the hard truth of the matter: You cannot care about animals without caring about people, too.

We simply can’t have animal welfare without human welfare.

With assistance programs being gutted across the US on a near-daily basis, gas prices skyrocketing, grocery bills soaring, housing becoming unattainable, and so on… people are finding themselves in difficult situations.

Imagine the choices:

If you can’t afford to feed your kids, what are you going to do with your dog? If you don’t speak English well and your vet no longer provides a translator, or you can’t afford your car and can’t take your cat to the vet on the bus, or the spay-neuter assistance program you relied on got cut, or you get laid off and need to pay rent and your cat becomes sick, and on and on… put yourself in the shoes of someone facing these situations. (Read this post and the comments section to really get a sense of the realities here.)

How do we definite “welfare”?

Welfare, to me, means health, happiness, and well being. It means we are all well.

There are supposed to be safety nets in place to provide for the well being of people and pets. But those are disappearing rapidly, and–at least here in the US–the people who rely on them are being vilified.

By saying human welfare must come first, I am not suggesting animal welfare should be sidelined until all human problems are solved. What I am saying is that the failing social safety nets will fail people first… and that will trickle down to fail our animals.

There’s the age-old argument: Why should we care about animals when people are starving?

Can’t we care about both? We absolutely can, and we absolutely should. And, also, we can’t deny that the humans are the responsible party when it comes to animal welfare. We make the decisions and provide the care for our animals. So, again, people need to be cared for so that we can care for our animals.

Poverty is not a crime.

Experiencing hardship is not a moral failing.

If we gatekeep pet ownership only for those with perfect financial stability, how many millions of animals would be euthanized tomorrow for lack of a home?

Without human welfare, animal welfare suffers.

“You shouldn’t have a pet if you can’t afford to keep one.”

Okay, sure, but what if you lose your job or fall seriously ill or get into an accident or any number of other things that can befall a human living in late-stage capitalism.

The social systems that help people keep their pets are being gutted. So, how about, instead of vilifying people who fall on hard times, we champion elected officials who understand the importance of social services? How about we donate our time and money to clinics and shelters that make pet care accessible? How about we turn our attention to the human end of the leash with as much care, compassion, and empathy as the canine end?

Recently, someone on my local Nextdoor app posted that she was devastated to have to re-home her dog. She explained that she lost her home and her job back to back and found a new job and apartment in another town. She would be working long hours, taking the bus, and simply couldn’t afford to maintain her pet in the way he deserved. There were more than 80 comments blasting her for this.

“I would sleep in my car before I gave up my dog.”

They assume everyone has a car to sleep in, or that “sleeping in a car” is a stable, safe environment for a dog (or a person). And that there’s somewhere legal to park that car.

Again, imagine if we had as much empathy for this woman making a devastating choice as we do for her dog? We all want what is best for the dog. Sometimes, the most pro-dog thing a person can do is recognize they can no longer provide the safety that the dog deserves.

Sure, deteriorating social systems do not absolve us from personal responsibility. But, in a broken system, animals deserve to be cared for–even if that means re-homing your dog is the hardest but best option. We worry about the dog’s sadness without considering the cycles that led to the person becoming broken in the first place.

Focusing on the human side of the leash IS the best way to help the canine end.

On the flip side

If animal welfare can fail even when human welfare is secured, is human welfare truly the foundation, or is it just one of many variables?

Obviously there’s so much to take into account, and there are lots of people who are financially secure, healthy, and well-housed who still neglect their animals, just like there are people who are none of those things but still treat their animals like royalty. Obviously there’s nuance.

But, I guess my plea today is a call for compassion. For empathy.

We are all struggling in one way or another, even on a good day but most especially right now.

How can you extend some compassion or understanding to those around you? How can you help support animals in your community? And, maybe most importantly, how can you work to ensure that you vote for people who care about people?

What do you think? I’d love to know your thoughts on these big topics in the comments below.

If you’re looking to deepen your bond with your dog, my book For the Love of Dog explores the science and heart behind how we connect with our best friends with stories about me and my dogs Emmett, Lucas, and Cooper.

Click here to grab your copy on Amazon or here for Bookshop.org.

It’s also available on audio if you prefer to read with your ears!