Researchers to follow puppies through their lives

Dogs Trust said it has almost reached its aim of recruiting 10,000 puppies, but is still looking for more to join the project

A dogs charity is urging owners of puppies from across Devon and Cornwall to sign up for a research study to better understand their health and behaviour.

The Dogs Trust needs puppies under 16 weeks old to join its Generation Pup study, the first ever to follow dogs of all breeds for their whole lives.

Jane Murray, welfare project and grants deputy head of research at the Dogs Trust said the study hopes to better understand "how early life experiences influence the health and behaviour of dogs throughout their lives".

The charity said by collecting information about puppies such as their environment, family, health, behaviour and experiences, it can build a picture of a whole generation of dogs.

The charity added that it has almost reached its milestone of recruiting 10,000 puppies, but is still looking for a few hundred more to join the project.

Researchers could investigate whether aspects such as environment, social interaction, diet, exercise or daily routine may be important in the development of a range of health and behaviour conditions which impact on the welfare of our dogs.

Recent data submitted by owners when their dogs were six, nine, 12, 15 and 18 months old, found that the highest proportion of dogs showing one or more undesirable behaviours was for the 12-month-old dogs, with barking, recall issues, pulling on the lead and jumping up the most frequently reported behaviours.