Dogs Trust has welcomed the 6,000th puppy enrolled into its innovative research study, Generation Pup, the first-ever study of its kind to follow dogs of all breeds throughout their lives.

The latest recruit is a nine-week-old female Golden Retriever, Maddie, whose owner Jan Kiley found out about the Generation Pup study through Dogs Trust’s social media.

The Generation Pup study, which launched in 2016, tracks puppies under 16 weeks of age through to adulthood, to learn how their early experiences, environment, diet and exercise affects their health and behaviour later in life. 

Dr Jane Murray, research manager for Generation Pup, at Dogs Trust, said Generation Pup will enable researchers to gain pioneering new insights into canine companions to improve dog welfare for future generations.

Dr Murray said: “We are so pleased we have recruited 6,000 pups into the study so far and we are so grateful to all of the owners who give up their time to help with the study. 

“Our aim is to reach 10,000 puppy participants, so if you would like to find out more, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. The more puppies we have signed up to the study, the greater potential we have to understand more about our dogs and how to further help them in the future.”