Dogs in remote areas of the Northern Territory can travel up to 70 kms in a single day, new CDU research using GPS tracking devices has found, as part of a new study that promotes responsible pet ownership.

The program dubbed “The Secret Life of Remote Dogs” ran for two weeks in five communities near Alice Springs in the MacDonnell Regional Council, including Santa Teresa, Wallace Rockhole, Hermannsburg, Areyonga and Amoonguna.

Ten dogs were involved in the study with two dogs in each community tagged with GPS tracking collars.

The study was a partnership between the Animal Management in Rural and Remote Indigenous Communities (AMRRIC), Inspire NT, and the Charles Darwin University (CDU).

The program included CDU researchers, who taught scientific methods to children in remote communities, by helping them to develop a research project that tracked their animals through the GPS dog-tracking exercise.

Students were asked to design a research study to discuss and predict where they thought their dogs would travel to during the day and night, and why they might be going to certain places.

According to CDU researchers, the students analysed the data and were able to view maps of locations of the dogs, heat maps of where they have spent the most time and graphs of speed and distance on computers.

CDU PhD student and Inspire NT Officer, Amy Kirke, said some of the remote dogs travelled distances of up to 70 kms in a single day.

Ms Kirke said dogs in remote communities usually roam much further than dogs typically do in urban settings.

“This was a fun and engaging way to teach kids the scientific method with their beloved companions,” she said.

The study found that remote dogs were mostly at home, the shop, or a popular community area because they wanted food, water, medicine, care, baths, family or play.

“One of the dogs that travelled the furthest – 71kms in one day – he may have spent some time in a car, but we never found out for sure,” Ms Kirke said.

AMRRIC Education Officer Michelle Hayes, who is also a trained veterinary nurse, said the program was a great joint initiative for the collaborators and communities involved.

“The kids were really engaged, and the two parts of the program synced nicely together to reinforce the value of science in everyday life and support the promotion of responsible pet ownership,” Ms Hayes said.