Doglogbook has been designed by animal welfare scientists in the Faculty of Veterinary Science to be a dog’s new best friend, helping ensure optimum quality of life and happiness – from puppyhood through to old age to assist with difficult end-of-life decisions.
The free app draws on the University of Sydney’s new science of ‘dogmanship’ – a term coined by Professor Paul McGreevy in the School of Life and Environmental Sciences. For more information on ‘dogmanship’ please refer to the Dogmanship User Guide
The app was featured as the final instalment on of the ABC’s Catalyst 2-part series ‘Making Dogs Happy’.
Doglogbook enables dog owners to gather and review real data about their dog’s healthcare and management. The data generated by users of doglogbook, as valued citizen scientists, will be available to researchers and also used to inform and educate the next generation of veterinarians. Doglogbook can help owners to become more mindful of their dogs’ overall happiness and wellbeing and may also help take some of the pressure off owners in identifying and acknowledging decline as dogs near the end of life.
There is also a ‘working dog’ channel in doglogbook that logs training investment and tracks assessment outcomes, as well as assisting in the health management of dogs working in roles as diverse as scent detection, guide/seeing eye, livestock herding, guard/protection dogs, and racing greyhounds. Funded in part by the Australian Government Office for Learning and Teaching, the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation, Meat and Livestock Australia, doglogbook has the support of the Working Kelpie Council of Australia, the Dog Ownership and Human Health node at the University of Sydney, and was developed in collaboration with the Australian Working Dog Alliance and Smart Sports.
Excerpt from ABC’s Catalyst program, ‘Making Dogs Happy’.