Children and their pet dogs : How they communicate

Millot, Jean-Louis; Filiatre, J.C.; Gagnon, André; Eckerlin, A.; Montagner, Hubert

doi:10.1016/0376-6357(88)90046-0

Cited by 35 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…When a human and a pet are interacting, each partner uses signals emitted by the other to adjust their behavior: the behavior of one influences the response of the other (e.g. between a dog and a child [65]–[67]). A bond or a relationship emerges from these series of interactions where both partners have expectations on the next interaction on the basis of the previous ones [68].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does Pet Arrival Trigger Prosocial Behaviors in Individuals with Autism?

et al. 2012

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Alteration of social interactions especially prosocial behaviors – an important aspect of development – is one of the characteristics of autistic disorders. Numerous strategies or therapies are used to improve communication skills or at least to reduce social impairments. Animal-assisted therapies are used widely but their relevant benefits have never been scientifically evaluated. In the present study, we evaluated the association between the presence or the arrival of pets in families with an individual with autism and the changes in his or her prosocial behaviors. Of 260 individuals with autism - on the basis of presence or absence of pets - two groups of 12 individuals and two groups of 8 individuals were assigned to: study 1 (pet arrival after age of 5 versus no pet) and study 2 (pet versus no pet), respectively. Evaluation of social impairment was assessed at two time periods using the 36-items ADI-R algorithm and a parental questionnaire about their child-pet relationships. The results showed that 2 of the 36 items changed positively between the age of 4 to 5 (t0) and time of assessment (t1) in the pet arrival group (study 1): “offering to share” and “offering comfort”. Interestingly, these two items reflect prosocial behaviors. There seemed to be no significant changes in any item for the three other groups. The interactions between individuals with autism and their pets were more – qualitatively and quantitatively - reported in the situation of pet arrival than pet presence since birth. These findings open further lines of research on the impact of pet’s presence or arrival in families with an individual with autism. Given the potential ability of individuals with autism to develop prosocial behaviors, related studies are needed to better understand the mechanisms involved in the development of such child-pet relationship.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does Pet Arrival Trigger Prosocial Behaviors in Individuals with Autism?

et al. 2012

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“…Children's age has previously been shown to influence interactions with companion animals (e.g., dog: Millot et al 1988). Children's fear of animals reaches a peak around 4 to 5 years of age and then decreases (Bowlby 1973).…”

Section: Influence Of Different Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Strange Animal Situation Test

et al. 2011

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International audienceMany tools assess the reactions of humans encountering familiar or unfamiliar partners or environments. Companion animals belong to our everyday environment and influence our lives. Whereas many standardized tools test companion animals' reactions to humans, few evaluate humans' reactions to companion animals. We present here a test with a guinea pig that can be applied to a wide range of people in the home environment. This standardized test and simple coding system enabled us to characterize individual behavioral profiles of children and compare them in relation to different factors (e.g., gender, age, pet ownership). We observed 59 children (32 girls, 27 boys), aged between 6 and 12 years old. Our results show that most children first looked at the guinea pig (72%), smiled when they saw it (49%), and then went directly towards it without looking at their parent (79%). Many children touched the animal without hesitation (86%). Moreover, this test reveals more than the mere interest of children in guinea pigs. Indeed, a cluster analysis differentiated four behavioral profiles that reflected aspects of the children's experience, gender, and lifestyles. When encountering the unfamiliar guinea pig, children could be "confident" (go straight to the animal and touch it; 64%), "anxious" (look at parent; 12%), "indirect" (hesitate and touch; 14%), or "careful" (emit vocal and/or verbal behaviors; 10%). The potential future application of this research is to compare behavioral profiles quantitatively over the long term, taking into account the development and experiences of people with typical development and those with atypical development (e.g., autistic disorders)

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“…There is only a very limited number of studies on child–family dog interactions: observations of 2- to 5-year-old children interacting with their family dog lasting about 20 min showed that the initiative came mostly from the child and that the interactions were of short duration compared to interactions with humans ( 24 ). In contrast to interactions with other children, the child more often sought body contact to the dog by touching the dog with the hand, petting, or hugging the dog.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Caregiver Reports of Interactions between Children up to 6 Years and Their Family Dog—Implications for Dog Bite Prevention

2017

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In children up to 6 years, interactions such as interfering with the dog's resources and also benign behaviors (e.g., petting) commonly precede a bite incident with the family dog. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to explore the development of everyday interactions between children up to 6 years and their family dogs and whether parents' attitudes to supervision are related to those interactions. Additionally, we investigated whether behavior of dogs that had lived in the family for longer than the child differed from those that grew up with children. A self-selected sample of caregivers living with a child up to 6 years and a family dog was surveyed via an online questionnaire (N = 402). Frequency of observed child behaviors directed toward the dog and dog behaviors directed toward the child were scored on a six-point scale (1-never and 6-very often). Data on characteristics of the caregiver, the child, and the dog were collected, and a section surveying attitudes to supervision of child-dog interactions was included. Additionally, we asked whether the dog already injured the child. Benign child behaviors toward dogs were most frequently reported (mean ± SD: 4.1 ± 1.2), increased with child age (rs = 0.38, p < 0.001), and reached high levels from 6 months on. Overall, resource-related interactions were relatively infrequent (2.1 ± 1.1). Most common was the dog allowing the child to take objects from its mouth (4.1 ± 1.7). This behavior was more common with older children (rs = 0.37, p < 0.001). Reported injuries during resource-related interactions occurred while feeding treats or taking objects from the dog during fetch play. Dogs that had lived in the family for longer than the child showed less affiliative behaviors toward the child (e.g., energetic affiliative: U = −7.171, p < 0.001) and more fear-related behaviors (U = −3.581, p < 0.001). Finally, the caregivers' attitudes to supervision were related to all child behaviors (e.g., allow unsafe behaviors-benign child behavior: rs = 0.47, p < 0.001). The results of this study underline the need for a dog bite prevention approach directed toward the caregivers very early in the child-dog relationship, taking into account the child's age and individual needs of the dog.

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Children and their pet dogs : How they communicate

Cited by 35 publications

References 7 publications

Does Pet Arrival Trigger Prosocial Behaviors in Individuals with Autism?

Does Pet Arrival Trigger Prosocial Behaviors in Individuals with Autism?

The Strange Animal Situation Test

Caregiver Reports of Interactions between Children up to 6 Years and Their Family Dog—Implications for Dog Bite Prevention

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