Dog Guides · Karen Nguyen Reports
We do the research so you don't have to.
The loudest debates in dog care — raw food, e-collars, spay timing, adopt vs shop, annual boosters — read down to the same problem: too much volume, not enough evidence. Karen Nguyen reads the studies, summarizes the camps, and tells you where the science actually lands.
The research desk exists on one conviction: the information that saves dogs already exists. It is written for specialists, priced for institutions, and buried where no ordinary owner will ever find it. Dogs are lost to that distance, not to the disease. Closing a few feet of it is the whole job.
Karen Nguyen
Senior research correspondent · Why she does this work
More from the desk
10 more guides
Are Doodles Ethical? The Case For and Against the Designer Cross
Are doodles ethical, or is the goldendoodle a marketing invention? The honest case for and against the designer cross — the hypoallergenic myth, hybrid vigor, and what really separates a good breeder from a bad one.
12 min read
Are Pit Bulls Dangerous? What the Bite Data Can and Cannot Tell You
Are pit bulls dangerous? The honest answer starts with why the bite data is so hard to read — breed-ID errors, missing denominators, and reporting bias — and where the professional consensus actually lands.
13 min read
Can Dogs Be Vegan? The Evidence, the Risks, and the Fights
Can dogs be vegan? The ethics are real, the survey signals are intriguing, and the nutritional risks are serious. Here is what the evidence shows about plant-based diets for dogs — and where the disasters happen.
12 min read
Is Crate Training Cruel? America and Europe Can't Both Be Right
Is crate training cruel? America treats the crate as a normal tool; parts of Europe restrict it. Here is what welfare science actually says about crating a dog, how long is too long, and the red flags.
12 min read
Is Grain-Free Dog Food Bad for Dogs? What the FDA's DCM Investigation Actually Found
Is grain-free bad for dogs? Vets linked grain-free diets to a serious heart disease called DCM. Here is what the FDA investigation actually found, what it did not, and what a careful owner should do.
12 min read
'Adopt Don't Shop' vs Ethical Breeders: What the Argument Actually Comes Down To
Rescue advocates and preservation breeders agree on almost nothing — except that puppy mills are bad. Here's the case each side actually makes, what the shelter data shows, and where most owners realistically land.
19 min read
Balanced vs Force-Free Dog Training: An Honest Look at Both Sides
E-collars and prong collars vs purely positive reinforcement — the debate gets ugly fast online. Here's what the behavioral research, the AVSAB position, and practitioners on both sides actually say.
18 min read
Annual Vaccines vs Titer Testing: How Often Does Your Dog Actually Need Boosters?
Annual boosters, triennial, or titer-driven? What the AAHA 2022 guidelines actually say, what duration-of-immunity research shows, and how to think about non-core vaccines for your dog.
17 min read
Raw Food vs Kibble: What the Canine Nutrition Research Actually Shows
Raw feeders cite ancestry; kibble brands cite balanced nutrition; vets cite bacterial risk. We read the trials, the FDA stance, and WSAVA guidelines — here's where the evidence lands.
19 min read
When to Spay or Neuter Your Dog — and Whether You Should at All
Newer research links early spay/neuter to higher cancer and joint-disease risk, especially in large breeds. Here's what the cohort studies show, the alternatives, and how to time the decision.
20 min read
Editorial standards
Every claim is cited. Every camp is heard.
Karen's articles cite peer-reviewed sources at the bottom of every section. We represent both sides of contested debates fairly before saying where the evidence actually sits. Where the science is mixed, we say so. Where the popular consensus isn't supported, we say that too.