Family dogs’ ADHD-like traits are linked to learning and self-control

In two newly published studies, researchers at the Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University (Hungary) investigated how family dogs’ ADHD-like traits relate to their learning and self-control. Dogs resemble humans in many ways — even traits similar to human Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) can naturally appear in them and can be assessed through validated questionnaires developed by the research group. Their recent findings not only highlight parallels between dog and human behaviour but also offer practical insights for dog training.

The first study, published in the journal Animals, built on the well-known observation that humans with ADHD often struggle with cognitive flexibility — the ability to adapt to changing rules or reward patterns. The researchers wanted to see if dogs show a similar tendency.

Imagine a simple game: you choose between two cups, one of which hides a treat. After a few rounds, you learn that the treat is always under the left cup. Then, unexpectedly, the treat switches to the right cup. How long would it take you to abandon your old habit and start choosing correctly? This was essentially the task the dogs faced (with a dog-friendly treat instead of candy).

“Dogs with stronger ADHD-like traits were slower to learn the new treat location, mirroring the lower cognitive flexibility observed in humans with ADHD”, says Tímea Kovács, lead author of the study. Co-lead author Vivien Reicher adds, “Because sleep is known to improve learning, we retested the dogs after a one-hour nap to see how sleep would affect their performance.” Using sleep EEG (a method similar to that used in infants), the team precisely measured how much time the dogs actually spent asleep.

The repetition brought striking results: the ADHD-related differences disappeared. In fact, dogs with stronger ADHD-like traits improved even more if they slept for at least 25 minutes.

“It seems that task repetition and sufficient sleep can help mitigate the cognitive flexibility impairments linked to ADHD traits in dogs”,

explains Márta Gácsi, senior author and senior research fellow at the HUN-REN–ELTE Comparative Ethology Research Group. The findings suggest that cognitive training and sufficient sleep may support dogs showing ADHD-like behaviours.

The second study, published in The Veterinary Journal, investigated the relationship between ADHD-like traits and self-control in dogs. Here, the researchers adapted the famous Marshmallow Test. The dogs could either eat a piece of dry biscuit immediately or wait a few seconds to receive a tastier sausage. Dogs with lower ADHD scores showed greater self-control and waited longer for the better reward.

“We wanted to understand what drives this difference”, says Kovács. “So we examined the three components of ADHD — inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity — separately.” The researchers found that the link to self-control was driven by inattention and hyperactivity, but not impulsivity. They explain that impulsivity varies by context and that the ADHD questionnaire captures a different type of impulsivity than the behavioural test.

Gácsi emphasises a crucial point: “Many studies overlook how a dog’s training experience affects test performance. Our results highlight this factor;

among highly trained dogs, there was no link between ADHD scores and self-control.”

The team stresses that future studies should consider training level, and that intensive training might help reduce ADHD-related self-control difficulties.