Nearly 90% of dog owners would like to learn more about what their dog is thinking and feeling, according to a survey by UK charity Dogs for Good.
Only 28% of respondents felt that their dog always understood them while many said their dog only understood them sometimes (70%) and 71% of respondents said they would like advice on recognising common behavioural traits displayed by their dog.
Dogs for Good is a UK-wide charity that creates life-changing differences for people living with a wide range of disabilities and conditions.
The survey sought to find out what advice and support the nation’s 12 million dog owners would find most helpful and the results support the launch of the charity’s new ‘Take the Lead’ campaign.
The also survey revealed that:
* 86% of respondents said they would like to learn more about what their dog was thinking and feeling while only 14% said they didn’t feel the need for this
* 58% said they woud like to receive advice about how to improve communication with their dog
* 53% said they would like advice on how to train their dog
* 60% said they would be encouraged to engage in more training sessions if they had access to good training advice
* 54% wanted to know what activities to do with their dog
* 49% said they would like advice about the health and welfare of their dog.
Chris Muldoon, operations manager at Dogs for Good, is responsible for developing the charity’s breeding programme, puppy socialisation and dog training. He explained that building a strong bond with a dog can bring untold benefits but it crucially starts with really getting to know and understand the dog’s needs.
Chris, who is based at the charity’s national training centre in Banbury, Oxfordshire but lives in Glasgow, said: “It’s refreshing to see how honest people have been with their answers and they’ve been willing to say they don’t feel they have enough information about the training and welfare of their dogs.
HEALTH AND WELFARE
“It’s also encouraging that so many respondents said their dog’s health and welfare is a priority and they recognise that it’s not their dog that has the issue – they need to build their own knowledge and skills to better meet their dog’s needs.
“Nobody wants a badly behaved or unhappy dog and people will strive to get positive results because they want their dog to be happy. This in turn makes dog owners happier because it’s upsetting when their dog is unhappy or unwell.”
He added: “The results from this survey will allow us to respond to the issues that have been raised by dog owners and help them to start the process of understanding their dog better.”
Through Take the Lead, dog owners will be able to access advice and information to help support them to build a rewarding relationship with their dog and ensure they have a happy, healthy four-legged friend.
Take the Lead includes good advice on subjects such as dog behaviour, psychology and wellbeing – all topics that survey respondents said they’d like to know more about. All the advice is available on the Dogs for Good website at www.dogsforgood.org/good-advice.
The charity has a Family Dog service which offers training, guidance and ongoing support to parents of children on the autism spectrum enabling the whole family to benefit from the unique support a well-trained dog can bring.
