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Regular exercise for dogs has health and welfare benefits. This study sought to address a gap in existing research regarding what constitutes 'common' age-specific walking practices by owners of young dogs, and how these practices change as the dogs reach adulthood. Dog owners living in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland participating in a longitudinal study reported the frequency and duration of their average weekday and average weekend walks when their dogs were aged 16 weeks (n = 2225), 9 months (n = 1200) and 15 months (n = 808). Owners also reported the amount of time their dogs spent on lead during these walks. For the statistical analysis, a subpopulation of dogs with data regarding walking practices at all three timepoints were used (n = 609). At all three timepoints dogs were most commonly walked twice a day. Commonly, 16-week-old puppies were walked for a total of 30 min on weekdays and weekend days, whereas dogs aged 9 and 15 months were walked for a total of 1 h on weekdays and 2 h on weekend days. Commonly, 16-week-old puppies spent ≥75% of total walk time on lead, whereas the older dogs mostly spent < 25% of total walk time on lead on weekdays and weekend days. Most owners reported using a short lead rather than a long lead (for example, a flexi-lead, training line, long line). For the subpopulation of dogs for which data were available at all three timepoints, the total duration of walks on both an average weekday and average weekend day increased significantly as the dogs aged. The proportion of total walk time spent on lead on both an average weekday and average weekend day significantly decreased as the dogs aged. This study can provide veterinarians and dog behaviourists with an insight into the common walking practices of owners with puppies and young dogs, which potentially could help them advise their clients on appropriate practices for the health and wellbeing of their dogs. Additionally, this study can potentially be used as a baseline for comparison for other populations of dogs at these age points, as the practices described by owners within this large sample offer an indication of the walking practices by owners of young dogs. Future research within this longitudinal study will explore how walk frequency and duration are associated with dog behaviour, welfare indicators and health outcomes, and what factors are associated with walk frequency and duration. • Walking practices by owners of young dogs living in the UK/ROI were explored. • Dogs under 15 months were typically walked twice a day on weekdays/weekend days. • As dogs aged (from 16 weeks to 15 months), walk durations significantly increased. • As dogs aged, the proportion of walk time spent on lead significantly decreased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Dog. • Behaviour problems. • Dog owner perceptions. Problem behaviours may lead to compromised welfare, risk of relinquishment and euthanasia for dogs, as well as distress and safety issues for owners. This study used data provided by 1111 UK and Republic of Ireland participants in the 'Generation Pup' longitudinal study of canine health and behaviour. The aims were to; i) identify the proportion and type of problem behaviours reported by owners when their dogs were 6 and 9-months; ii) identify risk factors for behaviours owners reported as a 'problem' when their dog was 9-months old; iii) identify risk factors for behaviours reported to occur but not recorded as a 'problem' by owners when dogs were 9-months old; and iv) identify whether and how owners sought help for undesired behaviours. In the 6 and 9-months questionnaires, 31 % and 35 % (respectively) of owners reported their dog to be showing behaviour(s) that they found a problem. Owners most often sought help for these behaviours from dog trainers (72 % at 6-months and 68 % at 9-months), and online sources excluding those associated with welfare organisations (which were listed separately) (34 % at 6-months and 27 % at 9-months). The most commonly reported problem behaviours at both ages were pulling on the lead, jumping up at people and poor recall. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that female owners, owners who were unemployed/homemakers/pensioners/retired, owners who did not attend (nor planned to attend) puppy classes, and owners who reported they used a mixture of positive reinforcement and positive punishment or positive punishment only training methods at 9-months had increased odds of reporting a problem behaviour in their dogs at that age. Further investigation determined risk factors for owners reporting one or more of the three most commonly reported problem behaviours (pulling on the lead, jumping up at people and poor recall) in their dog's 9-months questionnaire compared with those owners who separately recorded the occurrence of these behaviours, but did not report any to be problematic. Owners who were employed/self-employed/students, owners who reported that they used positive reinforcement only, owners that had not attended puppy class, and owners of small dogs had increased odds of not reporting a behaviour to be problematic despite evidence of the behaviour having been observed by the owner. These results indicate that not all potentially concerning canine behaviours were perceived by the owners to be problematic, and has identified groups of owners more likely to require support with behaviour issues in their dogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]