Anyone who has worked extensively with dogs has occasionally been confronted by an over-active, 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 problem, then he is written off as “just a plain vicious dog” and relegated to the end of a chain or destroyed as a menace to the neighborhood. 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 exists regarding this condition, probably because it has recently been given a new label which is “attention deficit disorder.” While ADD, as it is termed, may describe certain aspects of the readily observable behavior of a hyperkinetic dog, it 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. Signs include rapid heart rate and respiration, excessive salivation, a high metabolic rate, and reduced urine output. The major difficulty in identifying the syndrome, however, 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 this problem falls into the following categories: the dog cannot sit still, even for a minute; he never becomes accustomed to everyday situations; he cannot be taught anything (often an obedience school failure); and he salivates constantly and always seems very excited or very nervous. Many experienced, gentle dog owners were bitten, and some of these dogs will viciously attacked other dogs without hesitation, even friendly and docile animals.

In studies designed to evaluate responses to stress, some dogs did not respond to positive reinforcement, and tranquilization were all tried, but did not work.

Typically, such 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.

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A psychosis is defined as a mental disturbance of such degree that there is personality disintegration and loss of contact with reality. The line between neurotic and psychotic behavior is not well defined, even by psychiatrists and psychologists. Two prevailing criteria can be added to the definition of a neurotic dog to describe, for this purpose, a psychotic behavior. These involve circumstances in which the dog’s behavior is dangerous to himself or to the safety of others, and in which the dog appears to be unaware of the behavior during and/or very shortly thereafter his actions.

If only the first criterion were to be applied to biting or self-mutilating dogs, then they would incorrectly be considered psychotic. In fact, many people believe that any biting dog should be labeled as a “psycho” and destroyed immediately, regardless of the circumstances. On the other hand, if the second element applies, and the dog is unaware of his behavior, it would seem reasonable to apply the psychotic label. The dog that appears to have withdrawn from reality or suffers episodes of withdrawal could be either psychotic or physically ill. If the behavior fits the basic neurotic model and is also in some way harmful to life or well-being, then the animal may be psychotic, if otherwise healthy.

Dogs that are defined as psychotic have included the following symptoms: Dogs that suffer “avalanches” of rage for no clinical reasons and do not respond to external stimuli; manic-depressive animals that vacillate between depression and wild activity; and depressed dogs that fail to respond even to powerful stimuli, such as hunger, as when dogs starve to death in the presence of food. These cases have been seen in pet dogs as well as laboratory animals. The rage and manic-depressive states occur mainly in excitable types, whereas depression usually occurs in those with inhibitive tendencies. Some notable factors in the medical histories of apparently psychotic pet dogs are listed below.

* Early distemper (before 3 months of age).
* Serious parasitic infection (before 6 months of age).
* Severe beatings.
* Accidental injury, especially to the spine and/or head.
* Accidental drug overdose.
* Prolonged corticosteroid or other drug therapy.
* Diabetes
* Extreme psychic trauma.

The underlying physical problems are rarely, if ever, investigated with the same dedication applied to humans with similar conditions. As a result, the dogs are generally destroyed, which solves the owner’s immediate problem, but offers no progress toward understanding of the problem’s causes.

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Over excitability is the term used to describe most of the problem dogs we see, especially when they are stressed by new surroundings, strangers, other dogs, social isolation, physical restraint, stimulation, and sudden loud noises. At the other end of the spectrum of behavioral reactivity, we see highly inhibited animals that react to stress by total inaction or slow, stiff movements, and apparent depression, seeming to lose contact with environmental stimuli. The problem usually occurs while the owners sleep at night, or when the dogs are left alone, especially for a long period of time. The stress of being ignored, even if the owners are there, stimulates the mother to introverted behavior (self-mutilation) and stimulates the extremely excitable son toward extroverted over-activity.

Both excitability and inhibition can be heightened by many herbs and synthetic drugs, as well as those extracted from living tissues. The fact that such drugs do not affect all individuals (dogs or people) in the same way supports the belief that the balance among internal neurochemicals may be the primary factor influencing the behavioral expression of excitability or inhibition.

The individual body chemistry of animals develops and fluctuates throughout life. Hormonal imbalances produce not only structural and physiologic, but behavioral changes as well. Among the body’s hormone-producing glands and controlling organs, the emotional centers of the brain’s limbic system appear to exert considerable influence. Certain drugs not only influence the balance among these factors, but mild or extreme psychological stress can produce subtle and gross neurochemical imbalances.

The fact that seemingly mildly stressful experiences induce these reactions may help explain a good deal of what is generally described as “spontaneous aggression” or the popularly labeled “Springer rage syndrome”. In this case, the nervous processes responsible for defensive behavior, such as a dog’s biting, can be sensitized but not fully activated by mildly threatening stimuli. However, depending on the particular dog’s nervous system makeup, repeated stimulation can push the dog over the brink and into a full-blown “rage avalanche,” where up to several minutes of furious behavior are necessary to exhaust the imbalance and restore equilibrium. The dog then often resumes its usual gregarious personality or appear contrite, confused.

Most dogs that are highly excitable usually exhibit a behavior problem for which the owners have applied various degrees and types of punishment. These included scolding (a stimulus that can facilitate a snapping response), muzzle-clamping with the hands, shaking by the scruff or jowls, physical take-downs, and mild to severe hitting with the hands or objects such as rolled up newspapers.

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