How effective are interventions designed to help owners to change their behaviour so as to manage the weight of their companion dogs? A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective: The present review sought to evaluate whether – and to what extent – targeting owners’ behaviour is an effective way to reduce the problem of overweight and obesity among companion dogs. Methods: A systematic search of electronic databases identified 14 studies that evaluated the effect of an intervention targeting owners’ behaviour on (i) the owner's behaviour or (ii) the weight, (iii) body fat, or (iv) body condition of the dog. We coded aspects of the study design (e.g., the outcome variable), intervention (e.g., use of theory, specific behaviour change techniques or BCTs, inclusion of nutritional intervention alongside the behavioural intervention), and sample (e.g., age, gender, and weight of the dogs at baseline) that could influence the effect sizes. Results: The interventions had, on average, a medium sized effect on outcomes (d+= 0.59, 95% CI: 0.23 to 0.96, k = 14, N = 384). The effect sizes from the primary studies were relatively homogenous, Q(13) = 12.10, p =.52 and the nature of the intervention, methodological and sample characteristics did not moderate the effect sizes. Conclusions and clinical relevance: The findings of the review suggest that targeting owners’ behaviour can be an effective way to reduce overweight and obesity among companion dogs. However, this conclusion is based on a limited number of studies and so we hope that the present findings serve as the impetus for further research in this area.