Introduction
As the population of pet owners steadily increases, people now regard companion animals as family members rather than mere pets. However, this rise in pet ownership has also brought about social issues such as animal abuse and abandonment (Kim, 2021). According to the 2022 National Survey on Public Awareness of Animal Protection, 22.1% of current pet owners reported considering abandoning or giving up their pets (Korea Agency of Education, Promotion, and Information Service in Food, Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, 2022). Furthermore, 59.1% of cases of animal abandonment were due to a lack of owner responsibility (Animal Welfare Issues Research Institute, 2023). This issue is closely related to deficiencies in pet owners’ competencies, negatively impacting both pets and non-pet owners (Park, 2022). Safety concerns, such as dog bite incidents, have also become prominent social issues. According to 2021 data from the National Fire Agency (2021), approximately 11,000 dog bite incidents occurred over five years, with an average of six patients transported daily. The agency emphasized the importance of raising owner awareness and education to enhance accountability. Additionally, problems such as noise from pets and improper management in public spaces have caused conflicts between pet owners and non-owners. With more than 120,000 abandoned animals reported annually, the need for mandatory pre-adoption education has become a critical issue (Lee, 2021).
Existing domestic studies on companion animals primarily focus on the effects of pet ownership, experiences with pets, and animal-assisted interventions (Kim and Park, 2017). Research has also explored enrichment programs and reward-based training to address behavioral issues in dogs, the development of caregiving competency scales, and lifecycle caregiving education programs (Yu, 2020; Sim et al., 2022; Lee, 2021). While these studies contribute to solving behavioral problems and enhancing caregiving competency, systematic analyses of the characteristics and educational formats specific to dog owner education remain insufficient This study analyzes the characteristics, trends, and educational content of dog owner education in Korea through a scoping review and examines future research directions. Based on these findings, it proposes strategies for the advancement of educational research. The findings provide foundational insights for improving the educational standards of dog owners and advancing pet culture.
Research Methods
Research design
This study applied a type of literature review called a scoping review. A scoping review systematically examines existing literature to identify and address knowledge gaps and provide a foundation for future research planning (Levac, Colquhoun, and O’Brien, 2010). Unlike systematic reviews, which focus on synthesizing findings to answer a specific research question, scoping reviews are broader in scope. They comprehensively cover all relevant materials, including academic articles, policy reports, and seminar data, making them particularly suitable for topics that are complex or not well-defined, like research on dog owner education (Arksey and O’Malley, 2005).
This study followed the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) guidelines, conducted in six stages (Tricco et al., 2018): (1) identifying the research question, (2) identifying relevant studies, (3) selecting studies based on predetermined criteria, (4) extracting core data, (5) synthesizing and reporting findings, and (6) consulting with experts. The study adhered to the guidelines of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) to ensure transparency and consistency (Munn et al., 2018). Through this process, the study systematically identified the current state and trends in dog owner education and derived directions for the advancement of research.
Research scope and data collection
Identifying the research questions
The research emphasizes clearly defining objectives and questions to guide the study direction (Peters et al., 2015). It aims to analyze the characteristics, trends, educational content, and future research directions of dog owner education in South Korea and propose strategies for the advancement of research. The study addresses the following research questions:
Identifying relevant studies
This study established a search strategy for identifying literature on dog owner education in South Korea through a scoping review approach and conducted a comprehensive search to identify all relevant evidence. To achieve this, data collection included not only electronic databases but also references, manual searches, conference abstracts, reports, and articles, incorporating a diverse range of sources (Seo, 2020; Peters et al., 2015). Additionally, this study targeted literature, gray literature, and references related to dog owner education published between 2010 and 2024. The literature search period was from August to October 2024. The academic search engines used included the Research Information Sharing Service (RISS4U), the Korea Studies Information Service System (KISS), the National Library of Korea, and the National Assembly Library. Keywords for the search were combined in various ways, including “companion animal care,” “dog ownership,” “companion animal owners,” “pet owners,” “dog owners,” “companion animal training,” “dog training,” “companion animal education,” and “dog education”.
Study selection
The procedure for selecting literature in this study followed the PRISMA-ScR guidelines and was organized using a flowchart, as illustrated in Fig. 1 (Tricco et al., 2018; Haddaway, Page, Pritchard, and McGuinness, 2022). The collected data were extracted, categorized, and organized using Microsoft Excel to ensure systematic literature management.
The inclusion criteria for this scoping review were as follows: (1) Studies published in Korean between 2010 and 2024, (2) Studies that included content related to dog owner education in the research., (3) Studies employing all research methodologies, including qualitative and quantitative approaches.
The exclusion criteria were as follows: (1) Studies that did not include insights related to dog owner education, (2) Studies unrelated to dog owner education, such as those focused on food, healthcare, insurance, business, or facility development, (3) Dissertations that were later published as journal articles, in which case the journal publication was excluded.
Charting the data
To extract data from the final selection of 18 documents, we used Microsoft Excel to organize the content in a designated format. Table 1 presents the final 18 documents. The study’s data included general information about the research (author, publication year, publishing institution, keywords, research subjects, research objectives, and research methods) and specific information related to the research questions (definitions of dog caregiving competencies, dog caregiving education programs, development of dog caregiving competencies, improvement strategies for dog caregiving competencies, and the necessity of dog owner education). We sorted 18 selected documents alphabetically by the first author’s name (in Korean) and then numbered the documents, followed by the publication year. We used the numbers to refer to the corresponding documents in presenting the research results.
Results
Characteristics of research on dog owner education in South Korea
Table 2 summarizes the 18 selected studies analyzed in this research, including keywords, research topics, subjects, objectives, and methods. An examination of research trends shows that studies related to dog owner education began in earnest in 2018, with one study published in 2018, three in 2019, two in 2020, three in 2021, three in 2022, four in 2023, and two in 2024. This finding indicates that, while earlier studies from 2010 primarily focused on dog training, research on dog owner education has only recently gained momentum.
In terms of research methods, quantitative studies were the most common, accounting for seven studies, followed by five literature reviews, three mixed-method studies, two policy studies, and one qualitative study. Notably, the single qualitative study was from 2024, highlighting a predominant reliance on quantitative approaches, such as statistical analysis, in previous research.
Regarding research topics, the utilization of training and educational programs (seven studies) and the development of educational programs (six studies) comprised the largest proportion, demonstrating that dog owner education primarily focused on training and program development. This trend underscores the emphasis on providing practically applicable educational opportunities for dog owners. However, studies on current status analysis (three studies) and policy development and improvement (two studies) were relatively fewer, suggesting a need for more research to assess the state of dog owner education and to propose policy-driven support strategies.
Research content of dog owner education in South Korea
Table 3 summarizes the topics covered by the 18 studies analyzed in this research. Four studies (1, 4, 8, 10) focused on dog training and behavioral problem-solving, emphasizing the importance of training methods for preventing and correcting behavioral issues in dogs. These studies highlight that dog owners learning and applying training techniques in real-life situations are essential for fostering positive relationships with their dogs. The findings suggest that systematic training and behavioral correction programs are effective in preventing and addressing behavioral problems. Additionally, we found that educational approaches such as enrichment programs and reward-based training methods enhanced owners’ confidence and sense of responsibility.
Two studies (5, 15) explored socialization and communication training for dogs and their owners, discussing the positive effects of socialization education on strengthening bonds and reducing stray dog occurrences. These studies emphasize the need for tailored programs that consider puppies’ socialization periods and environments, highlighting the effectiveness of socialization education in promoting interactions between dogs and their owners and preventing behavioral issues. Socialization education should include puppy training, which focuses on early socialization for dogs under one year old, incorporating basic command learning, play-based training, and exposure training to help puppies adapt to various environments and social stimuli. Particularly, customized education programs should be developed to suit apartment living and the characteristics of small-breed dogs in Korea, covering essential topics such as puppy health management, separation anxiety reduction, and the establishment of daily routines. Furthermore, collaboration between veterinarians and trainers is essential to provide behavioral guidance, prevent behavioral problems, and help owners understand and appropriately respond to their dogs’ social signals. These efforts maximize the effectiveness of socialization education and contribute to improved animal welfare and the development of a more mature pet culture.
Six studies (2, 3, 12, 14, 16, 17) focused on responsibility and ethics education for dog owners, emphasizing the importance of lifecycle management and ethical responsibilities in pet ownership. These studies discussed the essential role of owner responsibility and ethical attitudes from the adoption stage to post-care management. They proposed the need for mandatory pre-adoption education and strengthening legal and institutional foundations. Particularly, they stressed the importance of building systems that recommend suitable pets for owners and provide enhanced information services, enabling responsible pet ownership. The studies also highlighted the necessity of policy approaches to promote animal welfare and protection.
Two studies (7, 18) examined emotional stability and psychological support for dog owners, discussing the critical role of owners’ emotional stability in improving dog behavior and fostering positive relationships. These studies demonstrated the effectiveness of emotional support programs, such as mindfulness and self-compassion interventions, in alleviating owners’ stress and enhancing emotional well-being. They further showed that these changes positively influence the mitigation of behavioral problems in dogs. Owners’ psychological stability was a key factor in improving the quality of care and animal welfare.
Three studies (9, 11, 13) focused on competency development and self-assessment education for pet owners, addressing the importance of evaluating and enhancing the knowledge, attitudes, and skills needed for pet care. These studies emphasized the need for educational programs that identify and address deficiencies in owners’ capabilities through pet caregiving competency scales. Specific aspects such as caregiving competency, support competency, and regulatory competency are vital in improving the quality of care, fostering positive relationships between owners and their pets, and promoting social responsibility.
Future research directions for dog owner education
Table 4 summarizes the future research directions for dog owner education derived from the 18 selected studies in this research.
Among the four studies focusing on dog training and behavioral problem-solving education, there is a need for research that empirically validates the practical application and effectiveness of training. Developing practical educational approaches that combine various training techniques with behavioral correction methods is essential. Personalized education for dog owners should include continuous feedback and leverage innovative tools, such as technology-based methods, to maximize training effectiveness. This approach aligns with existing research emphasizing active owner participation, consistent training, and hands-on practice as key factors in improving dog behavior and learning (Deldalle and Gaunet, 2014; Arhant et al., 2011).
The two studies on dog socialization and communication education highlight the need for creating socialization training programs that enhance social interactions. These studies emphasize the need to make training accessible to owners without imposing significant burdens. Strengthening the professionalism and effectiveness of such education requires collaboration between veterinarians and trainers, along with integrating theory and practice in training models. These findings are consistent with previous research demonstrating the critical role of socialization training in preventing behavioral problems and enhancing dogs’ social adaptability (González-Martínez et al., 2019; Vaterlaws-Whiteside and Hartmann, 2017; Howell and Bennett, 2011).
Six studies on responsibility and ethics education for dog owners call for elaborating lifecycle management plans for companion animals and reinforcing mandatory pre-ownership education systems. Policy-driven approaches are necessary to enhance ethical responsibility through legal and institutional frameworks. The studies also propose developing technological tools to assess the compatibility between owners and pets and provide tailored information. These findings align with existing research emphasizing the importance of ethical care attitudes and preventing animal abuse (Wensley et al., 2020; Powell et al., 2022; Endenburg et al., 2022; Coghlan, 2022).
The two studies addressing emotional stability and psychological support for dog owners underscore the necessity of programs that assist in managing stress and promoting emotional well-being. In particular, there is a need to empirically verify the effectiveness of mindfulness-based self-compassion (MSC) programs across diverse age groups and experience levels of dog owners. The studies call for comprehensive educational approaches that integrate training and socialization education. This finding is consistent with existing research highlighting the essential role of emotional support and psychological stability in fostering positive relationships between owners and their dogs (Merkouri et al., 2022; Barcelos et al., 2023).
The three studies on competency development and self-assessment for pet owners propose self-assessment systems and feedback mechanisms to enhance caregiving competencies. The studies also suggest developing specialized evaluation tools tailored to different pet species. Other recommendations include measuring owners’ emotional regulation abilities and social responsibility awareness and incorporating these aspects into educational programs for industrial training and professional development. These findings align with existing research indicating that caregiving systems and styles significantly influence interactions between owners and their pets (Herwijnen, 2021; Glanville et al., 2023).
Discussion
This study systematically analyzed the key characteristics, trends, educational content, and future research directions of dog owner education in South Korea. The findings highlight the necessity of a multidisciplinary approach that integrates educational science, psychology, ethics, and policy research in dog owner education. Research in this field has gained momentum since 2018, with a strong emphasis on the development and implementation of training and educational programs. However, studies focusing on status analysis and policy development remain insufficient, underscoring the need for further research to enhance the effectiveness of educational programs and improve policy measures. Additionally, while quantitative and mixed-method studies dominate the field, the lack of qualitative research suggests a gap in understanding dog owners’ lived experiences, which calls for a methodological expansion.
The content analysis identified training and behavioral problem-solving, socialization and communication, ethical responsibility, emotional support, and competency development as key themes in dog owner education. Studies emphasize the importance of active participation, consistent training, and continuous feedback in addressing and preventing behavioral issues in dogs (Powell et al., 2021; Stevens et al., 2021). Moreover, research highlights that emotional stability and stress management in dog owners significantly influence their dogs’ behavior and psychological well-being (Barcelos et al., 2023). The necessity of strengthening ethical responsibility, establishing legal frameworks, and implementing lifecycle management systems has also been emphasized (Wensley et al., 2020). Furthermore, developing systematic competency scales for dog owners and designing practical educational programs based on these frameworks have been proposed as essential strategies to improve dog owner education (Glanville et al., 2023).
The future development of research on dog owner education can be discussed as follows.
Adoption of Coaching-Based Education. Implementing coaching-based education is essential to encourage active participation, ensure consistent training, and provide continuous feedback. Coaching facilitates personalized learning experiences by offering tailored feedback, fostering self-awareness, and enabling individuals to recognize and address their strengths and weaknesses (Timonen and Ruokamo, 2021). This practical educational approach allows for meaningful behavioral changes and improvements in dog ownership skills (Sollie et al., 2021). Therefore, future research should focus on conducting longitudinal studies to evaluate the effectiveness of coaching-based dog owner education and analyze how coaching programs influence owners’ behavioral changes and improvements in their dogs’ behavioral issues.
Strengthening Ethical Responsibility and Legal Awareness. Enhancing dog owners’ ethical responsibility and legal awareness is crucial for improving animal welfare. Studies indicate that higher legal awareness among dog owners directly correlates with better animal welfare standards (Keogh et al., 2022). Therefore, future research should examine the relationship between dog owners’ legal awareness, ethical responsibility, and overall animal welfare. Additionally, comparative studies between South Korea and countries with mandatory pre-adoption education, such as Germany, could provide insights into best practices and help shape more effective policy frameworks.
Integration of Emotional Support Programs. Dog owners’ emotional stability is closely linked to their dogs’ psychological well-being, and mindfulness practices involving interactions with dogs can enhance overall mental well-being (Barcelos et al., 2023; Kogan and Bussolari, 2021). Studies have shown that mindfulness and yoga programs reduce anxiety and depression while improving overall mental health (Park et al., 2020). Therefore, future research should empirically validate the effectiveness of mindfulness-based meditation programs (e.g., MSC) in reducing stress in dog owners and improving dog behavior (Kang, 2024). Additionally, comparative studies assessing program effectiveness based on owner and dog characteristics should be conducted. These findings could support the structured development and broad implementation of emotional support programs at local government and private sector levels.
Development of Professional Coaches. The need for professional dog owner education coaches (Pet Parenting Coaches) has been emphasized in previous research, which identifies owner and dog characteristics as key predictors of educational success (Stevens et al., 2021; Herwijnen, 2021). Professional coaches play a critical role in providing structured training, ongoing support, and personalized feedback, thereby helping dog owners develop effective caregiving skills. Future research should focus on defining the core competencies required for professional dog owner coaches and developing specialized training programs. Additionally, empirical studies should investigate the impact of coaching-based education on dog owners’ competence, problem-solving abilities, and emotional well-being, while also comparing the effectiveness of coaching-based education with traditional lecture-based education through experimental studies.
Conclusion
This study emphasizes that dog owner education must extend beyond basic training and behavior correction, requiring a multidisciplinary approach that integrates educational science, psychology, ethics, and policy research. To advance this field, coaching-based education models, emotional support programs, ethical responsibility training, and policy improvements should be systematically developed and integrated. Future research should ensure a balanced approach between empirical studies and policy research to establish a more structured and effective model for dog owner education. Furthermore, since this study primarily focused on domestic literature, future research should expand to include international studies to capture global trends and best practices in dog owner education. Given that this study was conducted mainly as a literature review, future studies should incorporate experimental research and survey-based methodologies to empirically validate the effectiveness of proposed educational approaches. Bridging the gap between theoretical insights and practical applications will be critical in establishing a structured and effective framework for dog owner education.
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