Dogs Trust and SBOHVM study on the lookout for littermate puppies for research
Published: 17 August 2025
Owners and breeders of puppies who sign up to Dogs Trust’s Generation Pup study are being asked to take part in a groundbreaking project run in collaboration with our School.
Owners and breeders of puppies who sign up to Dogs Trust’s Generation Pup study are being asked to take part in a groundbreaking project run in collaboration with the University of Glasgow. You’re welcome to sign up multiple puppies, but even registering just one is appreciated and enough to take part in the University of Glasgow part of the study.
Generation Pup, funded and operated by Dogs Trust, which has rehoming centres in Glasgow and West Calder, has almost reached the milestone of recruiting 10,000 puppies and is on the hunt for puppies from the same litter to take part. The University of Glasgow study will explore how early social life environments – such as staying with littermates, joining multi-dog households or moving into single dog homes may shape puppies’ development.
Chih Hsin Kuo from University of Glasgow said, “The first year of a dog’s life is critical for development and learning. Experiences during this period have the potential to shape a dog’s behaviour, stress resilience and wellbeing. Working in collaboration with Generation Pup over the course of dogs’ first year of life, we hope to understand whether being raised with other dogs influences the activity of the stress response systems and aspects of behaviour. Through this research, we aim to provide evidence-based recommendations for breeding, training and caring for puppies, ultimately improving our understanding of and promoting dog welfare.”
By collecting information about puppies such as their environment, family, health, behaviour and experiences, the charity can build a picture of a whole generation of dogs across the UK and Republic of Ireland. This means that researchers can investigate whether aspects such as environment, social interaction, diet, exercise or daily routine may be important in the development of a range of health and behaviour conditions which impact on the welfare of our dogs.
Jane Murray, Welfare Project and Grants Deputy Head of Research at Dogs Trust said, “Generation Pup is important research which aims to deepen our understanding of how early life experiences influence the health and behaviour of dogs throughout their lives. Your participation will make a valuable contribution to improving the welfare of dogs now and in the future.”
For more information and to sign up please visit www.generationpup.ac.uk
ENDS
For more information contact the Dogs Trust press office on 020 3985 8634 or email pressoffice@dogstrust.org.uk
About Dogs Trust
Dogs Trust is the UK’s largest dog welfare charity and cares for over 11,000 dogs every year across its network of 21 rehoming centres in the UK and one in Dublin. Dogs Trust has a non-destruction policy and will never put a healthy dog to sleep. The charity also focuses its efforts on understanding dogs and sharing that knowledge with the wider public to prevent problem behaviours that can result in relinquishment or abandonment. We are working towards the day when all dogs can enjoy a happy life, free from the threat of unnecessary destruction.
First published: 17 August 2025
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