Dog owners were recruited online via open calls on social media (N = 47). Three of owners had two dogs and therefore the total number of dogs in study was 50 (22 males, 28 females).

Relocated dogs (N = 30; 16 males, 14 females; mean age = 5.6 +/- 0.51) were recruited from September to December 2020. Non-rescue dogs (N = 20; 6 males, 14 females; mean age = 5.8 +/- 0.75) were recruited for the control group with a separate open call during October to December 2020.

The owners were provided with a link to a Microsoft Sway page containing both written and video instructions for how to carry out the cognitive tests, in addition to information on how to upload the videos. Dog owners were asked to record themselves performing four cognitive tests with their dogs at home. These videos were then uploaded to a Microsoft One Drive folder where they could be accessed for behavioural analysis.