How You and Your New Puppy Can Help Canine Science

Can you help Generation Pup get to 10,000 puppies?

Photo: Lunja/Shutterstock

Guest post by James Oxley

Generation Pup is a longitudinal study, run by Dogs Trust, started in 2016. In 2023 the study recruited its 7,500th puppy onto the project. However, although the study has been a great success, we still require more puppies and their owners to take part in order for us to reach our 10,000-puppy target. Can you help?

The data gathered from this work will be fundamental in understanding the development of health and behaviour problems in dogs over their lifetime. This is achieved by all our voluntary puppy owners who regularly complete online surveys about all aspects of their dog’s health, welfare and management. 

There are also additional contributions which dedicated owners can decide to provide to the study, including the submission of hair, faecal, urine and buccal swabs from their dogs. This also builds a unique database of dog samples which will help in the understanding of dog health and welfare. 

If you would like to know more please see our methodology research paper here: 'Generation Pup' – protocol for a longitudinal study of dog behaviour and health. You can also keep up to date with our most recent results here: Results | Generation Pup

How do I get involved in the Generation Pup study? There are three criteria you need to meet to be eligible to take part which include:

1. You must currently live in either England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland. 
2. You need to be 16 years of age or older. 
3. You need to own a puppy (any breed, crossbreed or mixed breed) under 16 weeks of age (or 21 weeks if they have gone through quarantine) 

If you meet all of the above criteria, you can sign up to generation pup by visiting the Generation Pup website. 

If you are not eligible, please feel free to share our social media content (see below) and help us reach our target!

Do you have a website or social media? Follow our social media pages:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/generationpup/  
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/generation_pup/ 
• Twitter: (@GenerationPup); https://twitter.com/generationpup 

Do you have a question or want more information? Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions you may have regarding the study. You can email us at generationpup@dogstrust.org.uk or call us on 07434 843460. 

We also have a FAQs section on our website: FAQ for owners | Generation Pup

James Oxley is a Research Officer at Dogs Trust. 

You can see his previous post for Companion Animal Psychology, co-authored with Clare Ellis, here: Are rabbits lagging behind in basic pet care practices?