Pet Dogs

: A study of owner acquisition practices and early-life management using longitudinal data

Abstract

This work covers research carried out over eight years (2016-2024) focusing on a prospective investigation of dog owner acquisition practices and early-life management that can impact the current and future welfare of dogs. The data came from dog owners living in the United Kingdom (UK) and the Republic of Ireland (ROI) who were participating in a longitudinal study of dog health and behaviour. The study is called ‘Generation Pup’ and is run by the Research Team within Dogs Trust – a large UK dog welfare charity.

Six papers are submitted to support this application for the award of PhD by publication. The section ‘List of papers for consideration’ provides details of each paper and indicates the order in which the papers will be discussed and how they will be referred to (e.g. Paper 1, Paper 2 etc). The six papers were published between 2020 and 2024 whilst I have been employed by Dogs Trust. One manuscript was solely led by me, four were jointly led by myself and other members of the Research Team, and one was led by a colleague and I was a co-author. The latter publication is highly relevant to the work as it provides an overview of the methodology, and tables from it are referred to in this thesis. The publications demonstrate a variety of analytical approaches, as appropriate to the research questions within each publication. Considered together, these publications represent a significant contribution to our understanding of dog acquisition and early-life management.

Chapter One introduces the relationship between dogs and humans and the responsibilities of dog owners. Existing research around dog owner acquisition and early-life management practices is discussed, along with how these management choices can impact dogs. Chapters Two to Seven introduce the six publications. Paper 1 (Chapter Two) focuses on the methodology of the ‘Generation Pup’ study and aimed to provide a detailed protocol, as well as providing a summary of the owner- and dog-characteristics of the cohort. Paper 2 (Chapter Three) examined factors associated with dog owners acquiring a puppy under eight weeks (56 days) of age and/or without seeing the mother. Paper 3 (Chapter Four) used mixed methods analysis to investigate owners’ approaches to introducing a puppy to an existing household cat(s). Additionally, puppy behaviour following introduction and factors associated with owner reported desirable puppy behaviour were examined. Paper 4 (Chapter Five) summarised the types of socialisation experiences that owners provided their puppies and how this changed in relation to puppy age and the COVID-19 lockdown. Furthermore, how recently 6-month-old puppies had met unfamiliar people and unfamiliar/familiar dogs was investigated, along with how this was affected by lockdown. Paper 5 (Chapter Six) summarised the walking practices of owners of young dogs (16 weeks, 9 months, and 15 months of age), and explored if, and how, walk frequency and duration, as well as time on lead, changed as the dogs aged. Paper 6 (Chapter Seven) detailed the neuter status of dogs aged 7, 9, 12 and 15 months of age in the ‘Generation Pup’ cohort. Also, factors associated with neuter status at 15 months and factors associated with intention to neuter were quantified using multivariable logistic regression. Chapter Eight discusses the impact and limitations of the research undertaken and suggests future research that could further our understanding of how owner management choices affect later life outcomes in dogs.

Date of Award	17 Jun 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bristol
Supervisor	Michael T Mendl (Supervisor) & Jane Murray (Supervisor)