The leashed we can do: Effects of targeted conservation messaging on dog leashing behaviour

Abstract

The current study investigated whether the viewing of posters conveying kiwi conservation or dog safety messaging would influence behaviour change in the form of reasons given to leash their dog: would participants leash their dog more for concerns about dog safety and welfare, or more for concerns related to kiwi conservation. The results showed that both Poster A (kiwi conservation message) and Poster B (dog welfare message) had a significant effect on how participants answered, “how likely are you to leash your dog in the bush?” with participants choosing both the kiwi conservation message and the dog welfare message more frequently post survey than they did pre survey. This finding supports previous NZ based research by Macdonald (2015) and Macaskill (2025) who both found that highlighting pet welfare was more effective at increasing conservation behaviour than highlighting the intended conservation behaviour.