Puppies needed for ground-breaking research in the South West.

West Devon dog owners of puppies under 16 weeks old are being asked to sign up to the research study called Generation Pup – claimed to be the most comprehensive study into UK dog health and welfare of a generation.

The ongoing research already has findings to help with dog health and behaviour.

Residents in West Devon who have recently bought or adopted a puppy are being asked to sign up to the first-ever study to follow dogs of all breeds throughout their lives to find the contributing factors to dogs’ health and behaviour.

Generation Pup is close to recruiting 10,000 puppies and needs a final few hundred pooches under 16 weeks to join up.

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

Researchers can investigate whether environment, social interaction, diet, exercise or daily routine are important in the range of health and behaviour conditions which affect dogs’ welfare.

The latest findings from the project found the highest proportion of dogs showing undesirable behaviours was for the 12-month-old dogs, with barking, recall issues, pulling on the lead and jumping up the most frequently reported behaviour, signalling that this is the ‘sassy teenager’ age.

Jane Murray, of the Dogs Trust said: “This important research study aims to deepen our understanding of how early life experiences influence the health and behaviour of dogs throughout their lives. Your participation will make a valuable contribution to improving the welfare of dogs now and in the future.”

Dogs Trust is the UK’s largest dog welfare charity, caring for thousands of dogs at 21 rehoming centres in the UK and researching dog behaviour to help reduce dogs being abandoned.

To sign up to the research please visit www.generationpup.ac.uk