Dogs can be trained: This is how their behavior influences their age!

Dogs can be trained: This is how their behavior influences their age!

A groundbreaking research team from the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna has published remarkable findings about the health of aging dogs. In their current study, which appears in the journal PLOS One, the scientists show that the trainability of dogs is directly linked to changes in telomeres, the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes. The more trainable a dog is, the slower these telomeres shorten, which could potentially significantly improve the quality of life for older animals. According to Julia Weixlbraun, the first author of the study, it turns out that aging-related influencing factors such as gender or nutrition play a smaller role compared to trainability.

Research results that raise questions

The study, which focuses on behavioral and cognitive changes in domestic dogs, reveals that greater trainability can positively influence the negative aging process at a cellular level. This is particularly evident when considering the dogs' teleomere length, which was measured in test situations assessing the attention and speed of dogs' work. Surprisingly, trainability remains constant into old age, suggesting that social characteristics in dogs have a stronger influence on telomere dynamics than age itself. As already reported by science.apa.at reports, there are gaps in existing research on telomeres and cognitive ability in animals, and these findings provide new and important insights into the health and well-being of our four-legged friends.

A previous 2020 study conducted by the same team found that no positive effects from diet or lifelong training were observed when it came to the general behavior and cognitive performance of aging dogs. This represents a clear contrast to current results suggesting a direct link between trainability and telomere dynamics. The new findings could not only revolutionize the training and care of dogs in the future, but also change the way we look at the quality of life of older animals holistically, according to researchers at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna.