Getting focus from ADHD dog

[TwyfordM]

Am trying to train my little greyhound lady. She's like a Jack Russell on speed 99% of the time and although incredibly smart for a greyhound (too smart ..) and picks up things almost instantly, her mind wanders frequently during even a 5 mins training session with no distractions, and then because she gets excited at the fact you are doing something with her shes then bouncing off the walls for the next however long because it wss SO much fun ... it doesn't matter how much exercise she gets she's still the same. She needs so much mental stimulation, cuddles constantly... I've never known anything like it and when she gets herself excited its like having a firework in the house!

Any tips? She's entertaining to say the least but would rather find a way to put that energy to good use (thinking agility/flyball) but need to get reliable basic commands in first

 

[Equi]

Keep things really short and sweet if that means one min every other hour then that's all. When she gets excited stop and ignore her or leave the room so it's really not fun to get wound up. She'll soon learn that if she focuses on you the fun will go on longer.

 

[CorvusCorax]

I had a dog like this. Super smart in some ways yet completely daffy and untrainable in others. So I genuinely have no idea. But then sometimes I think they reflect their owners.....LOOK A SQUIRREL!

 

[TwyfordM]

Keep things really short and sweet if that means one min every other hour then that's all. When she gets excited stop and ignore her or leave the room so it's really not fun to get wound up. She'll soon learn that if she focuses on you the fun will go on longer.

That makes a lot of sense, thanks!

I had a dog like this. Super smart in some ways yet completely daffy and untrainable in others. So I genuinely have no idea. But then sometimes I think they reflect their owners.....LOOK A SQUIRREL!

This is her to a T. Her prey drive is much much stronger than previous boys (he never raced) and he would give you the 'i really cant be asked with this ..." look when trying to train and was as thick as two short planks. Took him years to learn to sit ... so its a complete opposite. He also, when he finally learnt paw (took until he was about 6 before lightbulb moment) would give you a hitler salute paw every time you asked him to sit because he couldn't work out paw and sit could come individually ...

She's very switched on compared to him but seems to be making it equally difficult in the opposite way!

 

[Alec Swan]

I'm wondering OP what it is that your trying to achieve …….. training obviously, but to what end and exactly 'what' are you attempting to teach her?

Greyhounds never fail to surprise me; the odd one exists which is perhaps a bit dim but the bulk of them are really quite cute, they're certainly aware of their world and how to extract the best out of it. The fact is that lurchers when they're half-bred, get their manipulative stance from the greyhound side of the deal, I'm convinced. When it's to their own benefit, or we catch them right, then they often pick something up once and it's rarely if ever forgotten, and that includes when they take offence or lose trust.

Personally, I wouldn't allow any training to become a game. If by 'training' you want to impose your will upon a dog such as yours, and I'm only now going from what you say, then she has to acquiesce to your will, rather than having her consider herself your equal. If you intend doing some sort of speed/agility work, and if you can get inside her head, I suspect that she'd be ideal dependent upon her height, then I suspect that you will need to install discipline first, not in a harsh way, and then once (if ever!) you have control, then release the breaks a little whilst maintaining control.

Whatever …. Good Luck, it'll be interesting to see if you make any realistic progress …. it won't be easy, but you already know that!

Alec.