25 Jun 2024
Pet owners are being urged to sign up now to help the Dogs Trust-led scheme achieve its goal by the end of this year.
Allister Webb
Job Title
Digby, the 9,000th member of Generation Pup.
Puppy owners are being urged to enrol their pets in a long-running study of factors that influence their health, behaviour and welfare through life.
More than 9,000 dogs have joined the Dogs Trust’s Generation Pup project since its launch in 2016, and officials hope the total will reach 10,000 by the end of this year.
Jane Murray, the charity’s deputy head of research, welfare projects and grants, said the organisation was “very proud” of the latest milestone, which was achieved with the enrolment of a golden retriever named Digby.
She said: “The more puppies enrolled into this study, the more likely we are to have a better understanding of our canine friends.”
The study is open to all puppies aged below 16 weeks across the UK and Republic of Ireland, and covers all breeds and crossbreeds.
Officials say the collected data is used to support improvements to canine welfare, and owners can decide the extent of their involvement in the project for themselves.
Research officer Rachel Kinsman, who led a study examining the effect of lockdowns on puppy socialisation, said: “We found that lockdown had a smaller impact on socialisation experiences than expected, but the quantity and quality of these experiences may have been affected.
“Future research will explore whether these early-life experiences relate to adult behaviour as the dogs in the study grow older.”
More information about the Generation Pup project is available here.
