Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31500203›Full record

ReviewAnimals : an open access journal from MDPI2019

Improving the Welfare of Companion Dogs-Is Owner Education the Solution?

Izzie Philpotts, Justin Dillon, Nicola Rooney

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Animals : an open access journal from MDPI, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 38 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
38citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

38 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. A Comparative Analysis of International Dog Owner Education Programmes.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026
    Review
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Review
  11. What Are the Most Prevalent Welfare Issues for Pet Small Mammals?Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2025
    Article
  12. Article
  13. Review
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Article
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Izzie PhilpottsAnimal Behaviour and Welfare Group, Bristol Veterinary School, University of Bristol, Dolberry Building, Langford BS40 5DU, UK. izzie.philpotts@bristol.ac.uk.
Justin DillonGraduate School of Education, University of Exeter, St Luke's Campus, Heavitree Road, Exeter EX1 2LU, UK. Nicola.Rooney@bristol.ac.uk.
Nicola RooneyAnimal Behaviour and Welfare Group, Bristol Veterinary School, University of Bristol, Dolberry Building, Langford BS40 5DU, UK. J.S.Dillon@exeter.ac.uk.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Vets, animal welfare charities, and researchers have frequently cited educating owners as a necessity for improving the welfare of companion dogs. The assumption that improving an owner's knowledge through an education intervention subsequently results in improvements in the welfare of the dog appears reasonable. However, the complexity of dog welfare and dog ownership and the context in which these relationships occur is rapidly changing. Psychology has demonstrated that humans are complex, with values, attitudes, and beliefs influencing our behaviours as much as knowledge and understanding. Equally, the context in which we individuals and our dogs live is rapidly changing and responding to evolving societal and cultural norms. Therefore, we seek to understand education's effectiveness as an approach to improving welfare through exploring and understanding these complexities, in conjunction with the relevant research from the disciplines of science education and communication. We argue that well designed and rigorously evaluated education interventions can play a part in the challenge of improving welfare, but that these may have limited scope, and welfare scientists could further consider extending cross-disciplinary, cross-boundary working, and research in order to improve the welfare of companion dogs.

Indexed as

dogeducationownerownership practiceswelfare

Identifiers

PMID31500203
PMCPMC6770859

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.