We love our four-legged friends. It’s estimated about a third of New Zealand households share their home with at least one dog, and two thirds of dog owners consider their furry friends to be family members. Some dogs work, others keep us company, make us laugh, get us walking twice a day, and shower us with unconditional affection….. But are we looking after all their needs? Claire Concannon speaks with a dog welfare expert about the science behind how we know our dogs love us, and what to do to make sure we are looking after them.

Guests:

• Dr Mia Cobb, University of Melbourne
• Ellen Rykers, RNZ

Learn more:

• See more cute dog photos in the article that accompanies this episode.
• Mia coordinated on a Map of the Month project to check if Melbourne is a dog-friendly city.
• Listen to what it takes to train a dog to detect cancer, or train a sheepdog, or how to train a puppy and interpret dog signals.

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Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details