Veterinary Health Organizations Advocate for Health-Focused Dog Breeding

Recently the country of Norway amended its existing Animal Welfare Act to emphasize the importance of breeding healthy and fit purebred dogs. They have declared that breeders who violate healthy breeding standards may be held liable. This includes breeding for extreme physical conformations and not screening out genetic health conditions that cause suffering, for example, …

Study Finds Dogs Understand and Respond to an Average of 89 Words

A research study published in Applied Animal Behavior Science found that the average dog will respond to around 89 words, half of them being commands. The researchers identified the most frequently understood words, as well as the factors that may play a role in a dog’s comprehension, such as breed and level of training. Here’s …

Top Dog Names and Breeds for 2021

The pet insurance company Trupanion has surveyed its database of over 600,000 US pets to find the most popular pet dog names and breeds of the year. The most popular dog names of 2021 are: Bella Luna Charlie Lucy Max Daisy Bailey Cooper Molly Lola Here are the most popular dog breeds for 2021: Labrador …

New York Passes Two New Animal Welfare Laws

New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed an animal welfare legislative package into law recently. The first law is S.4254/A.4075, which prohibits insurance companies from refusing to issue or renew, cancel, or charge or impose an increased premium for certain homeowners’ insurance policies based solely on the breed of dog owned by customers. The second is …

Dogs and ADHD: Researchers Identify Dogs Most Prone to ADHD Behaviors

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a condition most closely associated with humans, but some dogs can show similar types of hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattention seen in humans with ADHD. A study published in the journal Translational Psychiatry found that dogs can have ADHD-like behaviors. What dogs are most at risk? The researchers found that a …