Brought to you from our furry friends at at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.klooff.com/">Klooff</a>.<img src="https://fb-strapi.s3.amazonaws.com/Fit_Bark_dog_internet_trends_2014_4c0548b8f7.jpeg" alt="A map of trending pets in 2014" srcset="https://fb-strapi.s3.amazonaws.com/thumbnail_Fit_Bark_dog_internet_trends_2014_4c0548b8f7.jpeg 204w,https://fb-strapi.s3.amazonaws.com/small_Fit_Bark_dog_internet_trends_2014_4c0548b8f7.jpeg 500w,https://fb-strapi.s3.amazonaws.com/medium_Fit_Bark_dog_internet_trends_2014_4c0548b8f7.jpeg 750w,https://fb-strapi.s3.amazonaws.com/large_Fit_Bark_dog_internet_trends_2014_4c0548b8f7.jpeg 1000w," sizes="100vw">

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Research

Who's The Top Dog In Your Country?

blog-articles

When you think of relaxing music, what's the first thing that comes to mind? Is it classical? We've been told time and time again, that classical music is relaxing. But do our dogs find it relaxing, too?&nbsp;It turns out that classic music is only the third most relaxing genre of those tested by Betway using the FitBark. Out of the genres that were tested, Bestway found that Folk and and Jazz were the most relaxing tunes for our pooches, with heavy metal being the worst for relaxation.Bestway didn't just test out music though, they also tested to see which tv programs allow our pooches to Netflix and chill. It turns out our pups just can't keep their chill when The Witcher is on, but Friends and Bridgerton help keep them in place.&nbsp;Check out the full results here: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://blog.betway.com/casino/the-dog-relaxation-experiment/">https://blog.betway.com/casino/the-dog-relaxation-experiment/</a>

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What Tunes Relax Your Pup the Most?

The study investigated cognitive differences between different dog breeds, including learning ability, memory, problem-solving, social cognition, and inhibitory control. The researchers tested 13 different breeds of dogs, including Golden Retrievers, Labradors, and German Shepherds, and found significant differences in their cognitive abilities.The study found that breeds differed in their ability to understand human gestures, solve spatial problems, and show inhibitory control in a cylinder test. Some breeds also showed more persistence and directed behavior towards humans in an unsolvable task. Additionally, breeds differed in their behavior towards unfamiliar people, activity level, and exploration of a new environment. However, no significant differences were found in memory or logical reasoning ability.Overall, the results suggest that breed differences mainly emerge in tasks measuring social cognition, problem-solving, and inhibitory control, and these traits may have come under diversifying artificial selection in different breeds. In other words, different breeds of dogs have been bred to have different traits, and these differences are reflected in their cognitive abilities.The study highlights the importance of considering individual dog breeds rather than grouping them together based on function or genetic relatedness when studying cognitive abilities. The findings could help us better understand how dogs think and behave, and may also have implications for understanding the heritability of cognitive traits in other animals, including humans.You can check out the full study <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-26991-5#Abs1">here</a>

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How Different are Fido and Rover's Learning abilities?

Do you have a puzzle feeder or another reward based feeding system for your dog and have wondered if your cat may like the same set up? Well, think again. According to research done by the University of California School of Veterinary Medicine, your cat does not want to have sing for their supper.<img src="https://fb-strapi.s3.amazonaws.com/Fit_Bark_cat_eating_grey_35cf8d34e2.jpg" alt="A grey cat eating out of a bowl" srcset="https://fb-strapi.s3.amazonaws.com/thumbnail_Fit_Bark_cat_eating_grey_35cf8d34e2.jpg 104w,https://fb-strapi.s3.amazonaws.com/small_Fit_Bark_cat_eating_grey_35cf8d34e2.jpg 332w,https://fb-strapi.s3.amazonaws.com/medium_Fit_Bark_cat_eating_grey_35cf8d34e2.jpg 498w,https://fb-strapi.s3.amazonaws.com/large_Fit_Bark_cat_eating_grey_35cf8d34e2.jpg 664w," sizes="100vw">The researchers studied seventeen indoor cats and their eating habits to test their hypothesis that cats in a domestic environment would be more likely to contrafreeload (contrafreeloading is the willingness of animals to work for food when equivalent food is freely available) and that more active cats would also be more likely to contrafreeload.<img src="https://fb-strapi.s3.amazonaws.com/Fit_Bark_cat_eating_licking_970d6e738e.jpg" alt="A cat eating and licking its lips" srcset="https://fb-strapi.s3.amazonaws.com/thumbnail_Fit_Bark_cat_eating_licking_970d6e738e.jpg 208w,https://fb-strapi.s3.amazonaws.com/small_Fit_Bark_cat_eating_licking_970d6e738e.jpg 500w,https://fb-strapi.s3.amazonaws.com/medium_Fit_Bark_cat_eating_licking_970d6e738e.jpg 750w,https://fb-strapi.s3.amazonaws.com/large_Fit_Bark_cat_eating_licking_970d6e738e.jpg 1000w," sizes="100vw">For the study, the cats wore a FitBark to monitor their activity throughout the day and to measure their activity in relation to their willingness to contrafreeload. Through their research, they found that “There was no relationship between activity and contrafreeloading, and there was no effect of sex, age, or previous food puzzle experience on contrafreeloading”. This interesting data however only explains one portion of the puzzle and more research is needed to determine exactly&nbsp;why&nbsp;cats are not like their animal counterparts in terms of wanting to work for their food.If you'd like to read more about this study, the original paper is available to read at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10071-021-01530-3">Springer Link.</a>

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Researchers Have Discovered Exactly How Your Cat Likes To Be Fed

Accelerometers track changes in physical activity which can indicate health and welfare concerns in dogs. The FitBark 2 (FitBark) is an accelerometer for use with dogs; however, no studies have externally validated this tool. The objective of this study was to evaluate FitBark criterion validity by correlating FitBark activity data to dog step count. Dogs (n = 26) were fitted with a collar-mounted FitBark and individually recorded for 30 min using a three-phase approach: (1) off-leash room explore; (2) human-dog interaction; and (3) on-leash walk. Video analysis was used to count the number of times the front right paw touched the ground (step count). Dog step count and FitBark activity were moderately correlated across all phases (r = 0.65, p &lt; 0.001). High correlations between step count and FitBark activity were observed during phases 1 (r = 0.795, p &lt; 0.001) and 2 (r = 0.758, p &lt; 0.001), and a low correlation was observed during phase 3 (r = 0.498, p &lt; 0.001). In conclusion, the FitBark is a valid tool for tracking physical activity in off-leash dogs; however, more work should be done to identify the best method of tracking on-leash activity.See the whole study at: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7999242/">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7999242/</a>

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Evaluation of the FitBark Activity Monitor for Measuring Physical Activity in Dogs

We are thrilled to announce our collaboration with Elanco, a global leader focused on developing and marketing innovative solutions that enhance companion animal health. Our collaboration brings together FitBark and Galliprant (grapiprant tablets) within select veterinary clinics across the U.S.<img src="https://fb-strapi.s3.amazonaws.com/Fit_Bark_Elanco_Logo_350x176_171e058195.png" alt="Elanco logo" srcset="https://fb-strapi.s3.amazonaws.com/thumbnail_Fit_Bark_Elanco_Logo_350x176_171e058195.png 245w," sizes="100vw">Since 1954, Elanco has been working to empower veterinarians, food producers, and all those concerned with animal health with the tools needed to help animals live healthy lives. Elanco makes an ideal partner for FitBark to foster healthier pets, healthier humans and a healthier environment.In the words of Kayci Spandau, Marketing Associate at Elanco:<img src="https://fb-strapi.s3.amazonaws.com/Fit_Bark_Elanco_Kayci_Spandau_350x263_061aa98a8b.jpeg" alt="Kayci Spandau" srcset="https://fb-strapi.s3.amazonaws.com/thumbnail_Fit_Bark_Elanco_Kayci_Spandau_350x263_061aa98a8b.jpeg 208w," sizes="100vw">“Pet owners know their dog better than anyone, but it is often difficult to notice subtle changes in pet’s behavior and movement that could be a sign of a physical condition like osteoarthritis, which afflicts one in five dogs1. Elanco’s commitment to helping pets, their owners and veterinarians fits in perfectly with FitBark’s mission of allowing pet owners to not only be active with their dog, but to also monitor behavior throughout the day. With the help of your veterinarian, you may be able to notice critical patterns that you may otherwise miss. To learn more about canine osteoarthritis and Galliprant, please visit <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.galliprantfordogs.com/">Galliprantfordogs.com</a>”We are proud to share our One Health vision with Elanco. Look for FitBark at thousands of veterinary clinics nationwide!<hr>About ElancoElanco Animal Health provides innovation and veterinary support to help pets live longer, healthier, higher-quality lives. Please visit <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.elanco.us/">www.elanco.us</a>&nbsp;to learn more.INDICATION Galliprant is an NSAID that controls pain and inflammation associated with osteoarthritis in dogs.IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION Not for use in humans. Keep out of reach of children and pets. Monitoring is recommended if used long term. Should not be used in dogs who are allergic to grapiprant or with other anti-inflammatory drugs. The safe use of Galliprant has not been studied in dogs younger than 9 months of age and less than 8 pounds, breeding, pregnant or lactating dogs, or dogs with heart disease. The most common adverse reactions were vomiting, diarrhea, decreased appetite and tiredness. View <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.elancolabels.com/us/galliprant-with-tear-off">full product label</a> for complete safety information or contact your veterinarian.REFERENCES 1Johnston, SA. Osteoarthritis: joint anatomy, physiology, and pathobiology. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice. 1997; 27:699-723.© 2019 Elanco. Elanco and the diagonal bar logo are trademarks of Elanco or its affiliates. Galliprant is a registered trademark of Aratana Therapeutics, Inc.PM-US-19-1628

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FitBark and Elanco team up to promote pet health and well-being

<h2>Log My Dog: Perceived Impact of Dog Activity Tracking</h2>Abstract: The pet industry is catching up in the wearables market, and pet activity and location trackers are increasingly worn by our furry friends. We report on an empirical study investigating the user perceptions of a popular dog activity tracker. Results show that these trackers have a positive impact on owners' motivation to increase their physical activities with their dogs.Read the full article on&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8812161">IEEE</a>. A previous version of this article is available on <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330888131_Log_My_Dog_Perceived_Impact_of_Dog_Activity_Tracking">ResearchGate</a> (no subscription required).<hr>A recent study by the Tech4Animals lab, published in IEEE Computer (<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8812161">https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8812161</a>), a high-impact leading magazine on technological innovations, features the FitBark product, posing some fascinating questions on the dog-human bond through the lense of technology. By interviewing more than eighty FitBark users, the study showed that FitBark is perceived to have positive impact on owners' motivation to increase their mutual physical activities with their dogs. Moreover, the human-dog bond is perceived to be further reinforced, increasing human awareness to animals’ needs by giving them a “digital voice”, potentially improving the quality of human caregiving.<img src="https://fb-strapi.s3.amazonaws.com/Fit_Bark_Love_My_Dog_Chart_1be3199289.png" alt="A research chart" srcset="https://fb-strapi.s3.amazonaws.com/thumbnail_Fit_Bark_Love_My_Dog_Chart_1be3199289.png 245w,https://fb-strapi.s3.amazonaws.com/small_Fit_Bark_Love_My_Dog_Chart_1be3199289.png 500w,https://fb-strapi.s3.amazonaws.com/medium_Fit_Bark_Love_My_Dog_Chart_1be3199289.png 750w,https://fb-strapi.s3.amazonaws.com/large_Fit_Bark_Love_My_Dog_Chart_1be3199289.png 1000w," sizes="100vw">The study shows that “healthier together” is more than just a slogan, as dog and human activity go hand in hand. Several participants particularly noted the effectiveness of synchronization of FitBark with their own FitBit on increasing their mutual daily activity with their dogs. Thus activity trackers such as FitBark may increase the depth of our understanding of what motivates people to increase their activity not only for their own good, but for that of their pets as well.A next step will be to see how product integration between FitBark and Fitbit can play into this joint increase of activity to stimulate more enduring benefits to activity and health than 'individual' devices tracking only human fitness have so far been shown to have.&nbsp;In general, the authors believe that smart collars and activity trackers are the “underdogs” of the IoT world, and that these devices will have a significant impact on society in more ways than we can imagine today. One aspect of this is that dogs and cats are beginning to generate huge amounts of wellbeing data, and that the insights scientists will eventually obtain through analyzing this data are about to transform the way we take care of our companion animals’ needs today.<img src="https://fb-strapi.s3.amazonaws.com/Fit_Bark_tech_4_animals_7920f2e114.jpeg" alt="A dog wearing a FitBark" srcset="https://fb-strapi.s3.amazonaws.com/thumbnail_Fit_Bark_tech_4_animals_7920f2e114.jpeg 208w,https://fb-strapi.s3.amazonaws.com/small_Fit_Bark_tech_4_animals_7920f2e114.jpeg 500w,https://fb-strapi.s3.amazonaws.com/medium_Fit_Bark_tech_4_animals_7920f2e114.jpeg 750w,https://fb-strapi.s3.amazonaws.com/large_Fit_Bark_tech_4_animals_7920f2e114.jpeg 1000w," sizes="100vw"><img src="https://www.fitbark.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/FitBark_tech_4_animals-900x675.jpg" alt="">Becky, a founding member of the Tech4Animals Lab, proudly trying her new FitBark

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University of Haifa taps FitBark to show that dog health monitors motivate humans to be more active

We’re thrilled to announce our partnership with Fitbit. Together, we aim to inspire humans to be more active with their pets, generating better health outcomes for both.We’ve long believed that our pets not only are great life companions, but also get us moving - each and every day. Over and over, we hear from our users that since starting to use their FitBark, they have become more active themselves. Today, we are closing the loop in encouraging healthy habits for all family members.And we’re doing it in style, partnering with a global leader in health technology! As much as Fitbit has inspired our mission here at FitBark, we hope to inspire many Fitbit users to better care for their pets. Together, we have the potential not only to improve care giving, but also to enhance pet-owner interaction as well as the human-animal bond.<img src="https://fb-strapi.s3.amazonaws.com/Fit_Bark_Composition_Fitbit_Versa_59b4d6e52a.png" alt="FitBark on Fitbit" srcset="https://fb-strapi.s3.amazonaws.com/thumbnail_Fit_Bark_Composition_Fitbit_Versa_59b4d6e52a.png 245w,https://fb-strapi.s3.amazonaws.com/small_Fit_Bark_Composition_Fitbit_Versa_59b4d6e52a.png 500w,https://fb-strapi.s3.amazonaws.com/medium_Fit_Bark_Composition_Fitbit_Versa_59b4d6e52a.png 750w,https://fb-strapi.s3.amazonaws.com/large_Fit_Bark_Composition_Fitbit_Versa_59b4d6e52a.png 1000w," sizes="100vw">Available in Q1 2019, the FitBark app and watch face for Fitbit Versa and Ionic shows your daily Fitbit stats such as activity, distance and calories burned alongside those of your furry companion - right on your wrist!And if you have a FitBark, you can already visualize your Fitbit steps in the FitBark mobile apps for iOS and Android, which also provide a unified leaderboard with the pets and the humans in your life.<img src="https://fb-strapi.s3.amazonaws.com/Fit_Bark_Composition_Leaderboad_Comparison_900x872_c566808ff4.png" alt="App screenshots" srcset="https://fb-strapi.s3.amazonaws.com/thumbnail_Fit_Bark_Composition_Leaderboad_Comparison_900x872_c566808ff4.png 161w,https://fb-strapi.s3.amazonaws.com/small_Fit_Bark_Composition_Leaderboad_Comparison_900x872_c566808ff4.png 500w,https://fb-strapi.s3.amazonaws.com/medium_Fit_Bark_Composition_Leaderboad_Comparison_900x872_c566808ff4.png 750w," sizes="100vw">Ready to get healthy together? Head over to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://investor.fitbit.com/press/press-releases/press-release-details/2018/Fitbit-Enhances-Health-and-Fitness-Smartwatch-Experience-Powered-by-Fitbit-OS-30-Update-New-Popular-Brand-Apps-and-Advanced-Developer-Tools/default.aspx">Fitbit's Website</a>&nbsp;and read the announcement!<img src="https://fb-strapi.s3.amazonaws.com/Fit_Bark_Fitbit_OS_3_350x518_d0a9fa9116.png" alt="A Fitbit" srcset="https://fb-strapi.s3.amazonaws.com/thumbnail_Fit_Bark_Fitbit_OS_3_350x518_d0a9fa9116.png 105w,https://fb-strapi.s3.amazonaws.com/small_Fit_Bark_Fitbit_OS_3_350x518_d0a9fa9116.png 338w," sizes="100vw">

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FitBark and Fitbit team up to get dogs and their humans healthy together

Researchers at the University of Cambridge completed a One Healthy study that has the potential to improve outcomes in treatment of a wide range of orthopedic diseases in humans and animals, including osteoarthritis.The researchers explain that several potential treatments fail at the animal to human translational stage; one of the primary causes being a lack of technology available to measure changes in behavior and pain in free living conditions.This study validates use of the FitBark activity monitor for tracking movement and activity of experimental sheep before and after surgery, through a correlation between FitBark data and radiography, macroscopic and histological scoring (well recognized outcome measurements). In other words, the FitBark allows for the measurement of behavioral outcomes in animals in a way that more closely replicates the increasing emphasis on "patient reported outcome measurements" in humans.<img src="https://fb-strapi.s3.amazonaws.com/Fit_Bark_sheep_a8eeb872fb.jpeg" alt="A sheep walking" srcset="https://fb-strapi.s3.amazonaws.com/thumbnail_Fit_Bark_sheep_a8eeb872fb.jpeg 245w,https://fb-strapi.s3.amazonaws.com/small_Fit_Bark_sheep_a8eeb872fb.jpeg 500w,https://fb-strapi.s3.amazonaws.com/medium_Fit_Bark_sheep_a8eeb872fb.jpeg 750w," sizes="100vw">In the article, the researchers highlight the benefits of FitBark's cost and ease of use and conclude suggesting that telemetry (wireless monitoring) should be considered for inclusion in outcome measures in preclinical orthopedic research.Congratulations to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://sciences.musculoskeletal.group.cam.ac.uk/members/karin-newell/">Karin Newell</a>,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.smartbell.io/">Dr. Jose Chitty</a>&nbsp;and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.orthopaedics.cam.ac.uk/people/dr-frances-henson/">Dr. Frances Henson</a> for completing this groundbreaking work that has the potential to improve not only animal health but also human health as it relates to osteoarthritis and other&nbsp;orthopedic diseases.Head over to PubMed to review the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29087600">abstract</a>, and read the full article <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jor.23790/epdf">here</a>.