'Running with the pack' good for dogs, children not so much: study
CTV
New research determines the most important factors in a healthy, happy dog lifestyle.
New research shows the best way to keep dogs happy and healthy as they age with their human companions is by surrounding them with other dogs.
Researchers conducted the largest survey of its kind on more than 21,000 dog owners. Published on May 13 in the journal Evolution, Medicine & Public Health, the study shows what health factors are important to keep canines aging alongside their humans.
"People love their dogs," Noah Snyder-Mackler, assistant professor of life sciences at Arizona State University, said in a press release. "But what people may not know, is that this love and care, combined with their relatively shorter lifespans, make our companion dogs a great model for studying how and when aspects of the social and physical environment may alter aging, health and survival."
Research was conducted by the Dog Aging Project, a collective, ongoing study with some universities in the U.S.,that aims to understand how genes, lifestyle and environmental factors play into a dog's life. More than 45,000 dogs are enrolled to participate.
The latest study led by Snyder-Mackler, PhD student Bri McCoy, and master's student Layla Brassington, analyzed a survey of dog owners.
It attempted to find key social aspects of healthy dog lifestyles to understand the science behind how our beloved canines age.
Questions posed to owners included the dog's physical activity, environment, behaviour, diet, medications and owner demographics among others.
