Variation in activity levels amongst dogs of different breeds: results of a large online survey of dog owners from the UK

Pickup, Emily; German, Alexander J.; Blackwell, Emily; Evans, Mark; Westgarth, Carri

doi:10.1017/jns.2017.7

Cited by 28 publications

(27 citation statements)

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“…That owners of mixed breed and ‘companion/toy’ breeds, as well as dog owners in younger age groups, had mildly increased risks for hypertension and dyslipidaemia are in line with our previous study regarding higher risk of myocardial infarction and stroke in this group 3. The level of dog walking might be lower in the smaller companion/toy dogs and mixed-breed dogs as compared with the ‘active dog breeds’ group, which consists of dog breeds originally bred for hunting 32. This was also supported by data from TwinGene where 69.9% of active dog breeds’ breed owners reported a high level of physical activity versus 52.3% in non-dog owners and 58.6% for mixed-breed dog owners 32.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

“…The level of dog walking might be lower in the smaller companion/toy dogs and mixed-breed dogs as compared with the ‘active dog breeds’ group, which consists of dog breeds originally bred for hunting 32. This was also supported by data from TwinGene where 69.9% of active dog breeds’ breed owners reported a high level of physical activity versus 52.3% in non-dog owners and 58.6% for mixed-breed dog owners 32. We chose to analyse these four ‘active dog breeds’ together (terriers, pointing, scent hounds and retrievers) to explore the association with CVD risk factors as they were all associated with lower risk of incident CVD events in our previous study,3 but should not be viewed as the only active breed groups in the study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Dog ownership and cardiovascular risk factors: a nationwide prospective register-based cohort study

et al. 2019

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ObjectiveTo study the association between dog ownership and cardiovascular risk factors.DesignA nationwide register–based cohort study and a cross-sectional study in a subset.SettingA cohort of 2 026 865 participants was identified from the Register of the Total Population and linked to national registers for information on dog ownership, prescribed medication, hospital admissions, education level, income and country of birth. Participants were followed from 1 October, 2006, to the end of the study on 31 December, 2012, assessing medication for a cardiovascular risk factor, emigration and death. Cross-sectional associations were further assessed in 10 110 individuals from the TwinGene study with additional adjustment for professional level, employment status, Charlson comorbidity index, disability and tobacco use.ParticipantsAll Swedish residents aged 45–80 years on 1 October, 2006.Main outcome measuresInitiation of medication for hypertension, dyslipidaemia and diabetes mellitus.ResultsAfter adjustment for confounders, the results indicated slightly higher likelihood of initiating antihypertensive (HR, 1.02; 95% CI, 1.01 to 1.03) and lipid-lowering treatment (HR, 1.02; 95% CI, 1.01 to 1.04) in dog owners than in non-owners, particularly among those aged 45–60 years and in those owning mixed breed or companion/toy breed dogs. No association of dog ownership with initiation of treatment for diabetes was found in the overall analysis (HR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.95 to 1.01). Sensitivity analyses in the TwinGene cohort indicated confounding of the association between dog ownership and prevalent treatment for hypertension, dyslipidaemia and diabetes mellitus, respectively, from factors not available in the national cohort, such as employment status and non cardiovascularchronic disease status.ConclusionsIn this large cohort study, dog ownership was associated with a minimally higher risk of initiation of treatment for hypertension and dyslipidaemia implying that the previously reported lower risk of cardiovascular mortality among dog owners in this cohort is not explained by reduced hypertension and dyslipidaemia. These observations may suffer from residual confounding despite access to multiple important covariates, and future studies may add valuable information.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dog ownership and cardiovascular risk factors: a nationwide prospective register-based cohort study

et al. 2019

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“…no reference to a formal body condition scoring system). The main questions considered in the present study were those relating to undesirable behaviours, whereas the questions involving activity are reported in two associated studies ( 10 , 11 ) .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Overweight dogs are more likely to display undesirable behaviours: results of a large online survey of dog owners in the UK

et al. 2017

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Much of the global canine population is now overweight, and this can adversely affect health, lifespan and quality of life. Undesirable behaviours are also common in pet dogs, and these can adversely affect welfare, as well as being stressful to owners. However, links between obesity and behavioural disorders have never previously been explored. An online survey was conducted between June and August in 2014, coinciding with the broadcast of a National UK television programme, exploring dog health, welfare and behaviour. Information gathered included signalment, overweight status and the prevalence of a range of undesirable behaviours. Fisher's exact test and OR were used to determine associations between overweight status and owner-reported behaviours. A total of 17 028 responses were received. After data verification, the final dataset comprised 11 154 dogs, 1801 (16·1 %) of which were reported by owners to be overweight. Owners of overweight dogs were more likely to see them as ‘a baby’ (P < 0·0001) and allow them to sleep on their bed (P < 0·0001). Overweight dogs were also more likely to guard food (P < 0·0001) and steal food (P < 0·0001). Other undesirable behaviours more commonly reported in overweight dogs included barking, growling or snapping at strangers (P = 0·0011) and other dogs (P = 0·0015), being fearful of outdoors (P < 0·0001), and not always coming back when called (P = 0·0011). Finally, owners were more likely to report that unsociable behaviours adversely affected their dog's health (P < 0·0001). Overweight status is associated with a number of undesirable behaviours in dogs. Further studies are now required to explore the reasons for these associations.

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“…For exercise duration, the question asked was ‘Each time you exercise your dog how long is it for?’ and respondents could select: ‘over an hour’, ‘30 minutes to an hour’, ‘11–30 minutes’ and ‘0–10 minutes’. The same data on exercise were also used for a separate study examining activity patterns amongst different dog breeds ( 13 ) , whilst the questions relating to behaviour are reported elsewhere ( 14 ) .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Overweight dogs exercise less frequently and for shorter periods: results of a large online survey of dog owners from the UK

et al. 2017

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Canine obesity is now the number one health concern in dogs worldwide. Regular physical activity can improve health, and owners are advised to exercise their dogs on a regular basis. However, limited information exists about associations between overweight status of dogs and walking activity. An online survey was conducted between June and August in 2014, coinciding with the broadcast of a national UK television programme, exploring dog behaviour. Information gathered included signalment, overweight status, and owner-reported information on duration and frequency of dog walking. The University of Liverpool Ethics Committee approved the project, and owners consented to data use. Simple and multiple logistic regression analyses were used to determine associations between overweight status and dog walking activity. Data were available from 11 154 adult dogs, and 1801 (16·1 %) of these were reported as overweight by their owners. Dogs reported to be overweight dogs were more likely to be neutered (P < 0·0001) and older (P < 0·0001). Various breeds were over-represented including beagle, Cavalier King Charles spaniel, golden retriever, Labrador retriever and pug (P < 0·0001 for all). Both frequency and duration of walking were negatively associated with overweight status (P < 0·0001 for both). On multiple regression analysis, duration and frequency were independently and negatively associated with the odds of being overweight, along with a range of other factors including age, neuter status and breed. This study has identified associations between overweight status and exercise. In the future, studies should determine the reason for this association, and whether changes in walking activity can influence weight status.

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Variation in activity levels amongst dogs of different breeds: results of a large online survey of dog owners from the UK

Cited by 28 publications

References 9 publications

Dog ownership and cardiovascular risk factors: a nationwide prospective register-based cohort study

Dog ownership and cardiovascular risk factors: a nationwide prospective register-based cohort study

Overweight dogs are more likely to display undesirable behaviours: results of a large online survey of dog owners in the UK

Overweight dogs exercise less frequently and for shorter periods: results of a large online survey of dog owners from the UK

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