20 May 2017

A (working) dog's life

From This Way Up, 12:25 pm on 20 May 2017

New Zealand is reputed to have more working dogs per capita than anywhere else in the world – an estimated 200,000.

So what's in a day's work? A groundbreaking study is using canine fit bits to find out.

The new project aims to measure the wellbeing, behaviour and activity levels of 150 farm dogs across the South Island.  

Data gathered by these sensors could provide future generations of our working dogs with better vet care, shelter, and food.

This Way Up visits a sheep station near Cromwell to see the first of these trackers being fitted with researchers Naomi Cogger and Katja Isaksen from Massey University.