Dr. Kendy Tzu-yun Teng, lead author of the study from Taiwan National University, said: “Dog life charts offer new ideas and ways to look at the life expectancy of pet dogs. “They are also strong signs of endangered health and well-being in breeds with short, flat faces, such as the French Bulldog and the Bulldog.” Dr O’Neill added: “The short life expectancy for flat-faced breeds such as the French Bulldogs shown in the VetCompass Life boards supports the UK’s Shorthand Working Group appeal to all owners. ‘Stop and Think Before You Buy a dog with a flat face “. ”. “
Do not judge a dog by its breed
The study is published in the journal Scientific Reports and came as a separate study from the US found that dog breed is not as good a predictor of behavior as previously thought. Analysis of the genes of more than 2,000 dogs, combined with research by their owners, found that there was no genetic link between breed and aggression, for example, despite common stereotypes. They found that, on average, only nine percent of the behavior is explained by breed, indicating that there is much more individualism than previously thought when it comes to dogs. The researchers did not directly measure aggression, as it is difficult to define scientifically, but looked at the “racing threshold”, which indicates how easily a dog reacts to a stimulus and shows resentment. That could be anything from rolling his eyes, lifting his face or grunting, experts said. Dr Kathryn Lord, co-author of the study from UMass Medical School, said: “We found [agonistic threshold] it was not really a very hereditary factor. ” Dr Elinor Karlsson, a biologist at UMass Medical School, added: effect of racial origin on this particular factor “.
