Can dogs have ADHD?

[INDYANDSAGE]

My dog runs wild, and is very hyper. She gets PLENTY of excerise, yet has a short intention span, and is EASILY distracted.
My dog is: female
                28 pounds
                a Shiba Inu
                2 and a half years of age

[jensal1964]

Train her to do something.  She sounds great but bored.  I have a boxer exactly like that.  We started with something simple.  Just small treats and had her "boop" our finger with her nose.  Then we got a clicker stick and did the same thing frequently during the day.  Then we got a bell and hung it on the door and taught her to boop the bell when she has to go out.  Then we got a tunnel and taught her to run through it.  You get the idea. Sounds like a great dog just needs some structure and something to get her thinking.

[ginger899]

She does sound like a healthy happy dog.
And it sounds like she gets plenty of opportunity to run and burn that energy! All fit healthy dogs need some of that!

But she may need some structure. When do you notice she concentrates best? Is it when you say certain words to her? When you are offering food to her? The sound of your voice at all? Dogs do love to be talked to. They like to hear the sound of our voices, even if they don't understand every word we say. Our voice is communication and attention for them. However if she hears TOO much of that, she will get a bit de-sensitized. Then when you need her attention, she might ignore a command.

You could try training her attention by using food treats (something very small and healthy please!) That usually gets dogs to focus their concentration to a fine point! So call her name, get her to sit, watch you, pay full attention to you, then "good girl" and give her the treat. Slowly expand this so she will focus her concentration say -to obey a command (then give her the small treat)

Another thing is having some leash-walking time, where she will have to focus on what you want her to do. I started training my dog not to pull with a phrase I always use for my dog if she pulled on the leash. I used to just whisper "hey hey hey" in a certain gentle but firm tone of voice, and she would listen to that and come back to heel. I didn't have to jerk hard on the leash or anything. She had got accustomed to the code phrase. (you could use your own code-words and always reward her when you see she has focussed and listened to what you want her to do, and has obeyed)

Running free, burning up that energy, having some doggy joy and fun is essential. But it could be balanced with more structured work too.

[skydnsr]

Dogs don't have ADHD.  For some dogs, this behavior is just normal.  Two and a half is still young.  She probably will settle down some as she gets older.  By the time she is five, you should see a big difference.  Obedience training helps, also.  Glad you are getting her plenty of exercise, because that is very important.  Sounds like she is healthy.