No to dogs’ euthanasia?

Invoxia will contribute to a better understanding of dog's health by participating in a scientific research study based on canine's aggressive behaviour. This has the final objective to help rehabilitate dogs and thus avoid euthanasia.

Paris, France, December 10, 2022 - Invoxia, a leading consumer brand and top producer of GPS  trackers with a strong record of contributing to pet health, is partnering with Cardiff University to conduct a research study  on the behavioural characteristics of aggressive dogs. This research study has the objective to uncover the origins behind aggressive behaviour and what solutions can be put in place to treat these dogs so they are no longer destined for euthanasia, but instead can find the affection needed in a new family. For the research study, Invoxia will provide several copies of their newest product the Smart Dog Collar, which is the first biometric health collar for dogs. The device allows GPS and activity tracking as well as monitors important health data such as  resting heart and respiratory rate. According to PETA, about 700,000 dogs are put down each year in the United States, with aggressiveness being a contributing factor. This research study will help get to the root of canine aggression and identify the best way to deal with extreme problem behaviours, in order to properly rehabilitate dogs. 

As society progresses, canines are becoming more integral to our lives. Dogs show empathy, providing human beings with a sense of joy and compassion in the face of hardship. In addition, dogs help us to connect with new people and form new friendships. They are members of the family that they live with, and in most cases their owners do not expect to find aggressive behaviours post-adoption. Nevertheless, it happens much more often than we can imagine, and we don't yet fully understand the origins of aggression and how best to tackle it. In recent years, some studies were conducted on how diet and physiology can influence different behaviours in dogs, but the psychological factors that contribute to an attack and how to change them effectively to stop unwanted behaviours are not yet fully understood. And even though aggression is often considered as a “normal canine behavior,” in  daily life it can cause many problems for the dog and its owners. A team of researchers at Cardiff University, led by Dr. Sabrina Cohen-Hatton, started behavioural neuroscience research on the causes of aggressive dogs destined to be euthanized. The team's goal is to better understand where these issues come from and to assess the most effective training method for treating these problems. To achieve it, the team will study the behavioral features of around 100 dogs of all breeds. Part of the study will be devoted to the dogs who attack livestock, leading to the death of those animals and often leading to the dogs being shot by the farmers. The preliminary results will be available next autumn.

Due to the use of Smart Dog Collar, the researchers will be able to monitor the dog’s biometric data and in particular the heart rate. The heart rate measurements will help to determine the dogs' levels of stress, fear, anxiety, and nervousness when they experience various stimuli. Collecting data before and after stimulation will let the researchers have better visibility of the dogs’ well-being and better identify the source of behavioral problems. Smart Dog Collar is of essential importance to the study, since this technology allows the researchers to collect data in a non-invasive and non-interrupted way.

“Understanding the roots of canine aggression is crucial for specialists working with animals”, says Dr. Sabrina Cohen-Hatton. “The cost of not understanding the reasons for dogs' behaviour sometimes can be really high, even costing humans’ lives. This study will allow us to better understand such important aspects of animal cognition as how best to learn and unlearn extreme problem behaviours.”  

“When we came up with the idea of Smart Dog Collar, one of our aims was not only to help the pet owners to better understand what’s going on with the health of their pets but also improve our understanding of dogs’ health on the global level”, says Amélie Caudron, CEO of Invoxia. “Using the vast amount of data collected by Smart Dog Collar will make a significant contribution to the research and, in the end, will help to improve the dogs’ life and take the whole canine health ecosystem to a next level. »

The team at Cardiff University is collaborating with Unleashed K9 and Take the Lead Dog Training on the project, with the ultimate goal of identifying the most effective training methods for rehabilitating aggressive dogs. The results of this study will be life-changing for many dogs and their owners, from a slight improvement  of a dog's mental state up to abandoning the act of euthanizing aggressive dogs altogether. 

About Invoxia

Invoxia is a French startup with a strong track record of conceiving smart consumer products from beginning to end and distributing them at scale. Its product portfolio includes a range of best-selling GPS Trackers to prevent vehicles and other valuables from being lost and stolen and specific AI-Powered Pet Tracker, first launched in 2018. With multiple patents and international awards, the Smart Dog Collar leverages Invoxia’s unique innovation capability to reinvent pet health and the way we care for dogs based on data from millions of days of dog activity analyzed since 2018.

About Cardiff University

Cardiff University is recognized in independent government assessments as one of Britain’s leading teaching and research universities. It is a member of the Russell Group of UK research-intensive universities. The 2014 Research Excellence Framework ranked the University 5th in the UK for research excellence. Among its academic staff are two Nobel Laureates, including the 2007 Nobel Prize for Medicine winner, Professor Sir Martin Evans. Founded by Royal Charter in 1883, today the University combines impressive modern facilities and a dynamic approach to teaching and research. The University’s breadth of expertise encompasses the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; the College of Biomedical and Life Sciences; and the College of Physical Sciences and Engineering. Cardiff’s flagship Research Institutes offer radical new approaches to pressing global problems. More information at www.cardiff.ac.uk.