Dogs News

January 4, 2025

Top Headlines

Fossil Predator Is the Oldest Known Animal With 'Saber Teeth'

Dec. 17, 2024 — Scientists have discovered the oldest known animal with saber teeth: a predator that lived 270 million years ago. This animal, from before the age of the dinosaurs, was a dog-like creature that was related to the ancestors of ...

Dogs Trained to Sniff out Spotted Lanternflies Could Help Reduce Spread

Jan. 2, 2025 — Growers and conservationists have a new weapon to detect invasive spotted lanternflies early and limit their spread: dogs trained to sniff out egg masses that overwinter in vineyards and ...

Well-Meaning Dogs Led Astray by Rule-Defying Owners

Dec. 11, 2024 — While good dogs never mean harm, they are often directed to remain on-lead in nature reserves to protect wildlife. Research has found that whether dog owners follow this rule is mostly driven by social ...

Dogs Use Two-Word Button Combos to Communicate

Dec. 9, 2024 — A new study shows that dogs trained to use soundboards to 'talk' are capable of making two-word button combinations that go beyond random behavior or simple imitation of their ...

Latest Headlines

updated 11:15pm EST

How Did Humans and Dogs Become Friends? Connections in the Americas Began 12,000 Years Ago

Dec. 4, 2024 — A new study sheds light on how long humans in the Americas have had relationships with the ancestors of today's dogs -- and asks an 'existential ...

Backyard Chickens Are Here to Stay

Dec. 3, 2024 — Chickens have been a mainstay in Australian backyards for generations. New research reveals that owners see their chickens as a blend between pet and livestock as well as a trustworthy source of ...

Enterococcus Helps E. Coli 'Armor Up' in Dog, Poultry Co-Infections

Dec. 2, 2024 — A new study finds that two subtypes of pathogenic Escherichia coli (E. coli) produce five to 16 times more protective capsular 'slime' when Enterococcus faecalis (EF) is present. The finding could ...

Sweet Tooth Ethiopian Wolves Seen Feeding on Nectar

Nov. 20, 2024 — For the first time, Ethiopian wolves have been documented feeding on the nectar of Ethiopian red hot poker flowers. This is the first large carnivore species ever to be documented feeding on nectar. ...

International Canine Gene Research Database Accelerates Biomedical Research

Nov. 11, 2024 — A new database covering over 100 different canine tissues can significantly enhance our understanding of hereditary diseases and provide valuable information for health research in both dogs and ...

AI Algorithm Accurately Detects Heart Disease in Dogs

Oct. 28, 2024 — Researchers have developed a machine learning algorithm to accurately detect heart murmurs in dogs, one of the main indicators of cardiac disease, which affects a large proportion of some smaller ...

Geometric Mechanics Shape the Dog's Nose

Oct. 22, 2024 — The noses of many mammals, such as dogs, ferrets and cows, feature grooves forming a multitude of polygons. A team has analyzed in detail how these patterns form in the embryo using 3D imaging ...

Dogs Contaminate Ponds With Parasite Medications

Oct. 8, 2024 — Most dog owners didn't know that flea and tick treatments are dangerous to aquatic life, suggesting more awareness could ease the ...

Do Coyotes Have Puppy Dog Eyes? New Study Reveals Wild Canines Share Dog's Famous Expression

Oct. 2, 2024 — A new study challenges the hypothesis that 'puppy dog eyes' evolved exclusively in dogs as a result of ...

'Who's a Good Boy?' Humans Use Dog-Specific Voices for Better Canine Comprehension

Oct. 1, 2024 — Humans slow their own speech when talking to their dogs, and this slower tempo matches their pets' receptive abilities, allowing the dogs to better ...

Dog-Owner Interaction Is Reflected in Heart Rate Variability

Nov. 8, 2024 — A recent study showed that the heart rate variability of a dog and its owner adapt to each other during interaction. High heart rate variability is associated with relaxation, while low heart rate ...

High Survival Rates Explain 20 Years of Rapid Expansion of Wolves in Germany

Oct. 31, 2024 — Since wolves returned to Germany 20 years ago, they have spread quickly in many parts of the country. The rapid increase in the number of wolves was due to high survival and reproduction rates in ...

New Tool Can Assess Elderly Dogs' Frailty

Sep. 30, 2024 — Researchers have developed a tool that can aid owners and veterinarians in assessing an elderly dog's frailty. The tool -- when coupled with simple assessments of body and muscle condition by ...

Bacterial 'Flipping' Allows Genes to Assume Different Forms

Sep. 25, 2024 — Imagine being one cartwheel away from changing your appearance. One flip, and your brunette locks are platinum blond. That's not too far from what happens in some prokaryotes, or single-cell ...

Genetic Tracing at the Huanan Seafood Market Further Supports COVID Animal Origins

Sep. 19, 2024 — A new study provides a list of the wildlife species present at the market from which SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, most likely arose in late 2019. The study is based on ...

Early Dingoes Are Related to Dogs from New Guinea and East Asia

Sep. 18, 2024 — New archaeological research has discovered for the first time clear links between fossils of the iconic Australian dingo, and dogs from East Asia and New ...

Therapy Dog Program Works as Needed Mood-Booster for Health Care Workers, Study Shows

Sep. 16, 2024 — A new study shows the mood-boosting benefits of Buckeye Paws, a therapy dog program that many health care workers say helps reduce emotional exhaustion and improve work ...

Genomics Reveals Sled Dogs' Siberian Lineage

Sep. 16, 2024 — New research examines thousands of years of Arctic sled dog ancestry and reveals when and how Siberian and Alaskan sled dogs' DNA ...

Grim Statistics on Koala Survival Odds

Sep. 9, 2024 — Records of koala admissions to veterinary hospitals in South East Queensland shows euthanasia was the most common ...

Both Cats and Dogs Often Enjoy Playing Fetch With Their Owners

Sep. 4, 2024 — Although more common in dogs, 4 in 10 pet cats also choose to play fetch with their owners, researchers ...

Researchers Give Adult Zebra Finches Back Their Ability to Learn New Songs

Sep. 3, 2024 — We all know the adage, 'You can't teach an old dog new tricks.' As we age, our ability to learn new skills, like mastering a foreign language or picking up a musical instrument, seems ...

Dogs Understand Words from Soundboard Buttons

Aug. 28, 2024 — A new study reveals that dogs trained with soundboard buttons can indeed comprehend specific words, producing contextually appropriate ...

From Pets to Pests: How Domestic Rabbits Survive the Wilderness

Aug. 22, 2024 — How do rabbits go from fluffy pets to marauding invaders? Rabbits have colonized countries worldwide, often with dire economic and ecological consequences, but their secret has until now been a ...

Ancient DNA Reveals Indigenous Dog Lineages Found at Jamestown, Virginia

Aug. 16, 2024 — Previous scientific studies have indicated that North American dog lineages were replaced with European ones between 1492 and the present day. To better understand the timing of this replacement, ...

Studying How Serotonin Alters Locust's Sense of Smell

Aug. 7, 2024 — Researchers study the role of serotonin in altering odor driven behavioral and neural responses in ...

When Mammoths Roamed Vancouver Island

Aug. 7, 2024 — Mammoths, the massive pre-historic ice age cousins of the modern-day elephant, have always been understood to have inhabited parts of British Columbia, but the question of when has always been a bit ...

How an Emerging Disease in Dogs Is Shedding Light on Cystic Fibrosis

July 29, 2024 — A canine gallbladder disease that involves the accumulation of abnormal mucus similar to that seen in human cystic fibrosis (CF) patients is caused by improper expression of the gene associated with ...

Researchers Leveraging AI to Train (Robotic) Dogs to Respond to Their Masters

July 23, 2024 — An international collaboration seeks to innovate the future of how a mechanical man's best friend interacts with its owner, using a combination of AI and edge computing called edge intelligence. ...

Smell of Human Stress Affects Dogs' Emotions Leading Them to Make More Pessimistic Choices

July 22, 2024 — Dogs experience emotional contagion from the smell of human stress, leading them to make more 'pessimistic' choices, new research finds. Researchers tested how human stress odors affect ...

New Genetic Test Will Eliminate a Form of Inherited Blindness in Dogs

July 22, 2024 — Scientists have identified the genetic mutation that causes progressive retinal atrophy in English Shepherd Dogs, which results in incurable blindness, and developed a genetic test to help eliminate ...