Dr Jacqueline Boyd | Neurodivergent Dogs? A dive into a delicate discussion

SYNPOSIS:

As the roles and expectations of dogs in society changes, there in increased awareness and appreciation for their individual differences, including those at the cognitive level. Unsurprisingly, as the discussion of neurodiversity in the human population becomes more mainstream, questions are being raised about the potential for diverse neurotypes in the animals that also share the planet with us.

Because dogs demonstrate convergent evolutionary patterns with humans and share our environment, there is already evidence of similarities and mutual connections. This, combined with generations of selective breeding of dogs for specific skills and characteristics, it would be unusual not to observe variation in neurobiology in the same way as physical and behavioural variability exists.

In this online seminar, the delicate discussion of potential neurodivergence in dogs will be explored from an applied and theoretical perspective. While it is not currently possible to diagnose dogs as being neurodivergent, many canine…