Advances in the Study of the Relationship Between Children and Their Pet Dogs

Abstract

AbstractWe report in this paper data from research carried out in two fields: 1. the study of the characteristics and mechanisms of the spontaneous child-dog interactions and communications in a familiar setting, home and immediate surroundings, for both individuals, and 2. an experimental analysis of the sensory characteristics that regulate child-dog interactions. The main results can be summarized as follows:1. Of the child's behavioral and verbal patterns, touching behavior is the most frequent.2. The frequency of the child's touching behavior as compared to non-touching behavior is significantly different when the child is in front of or behind the dog's head.3. Only 43% of the child's behaviors are followed by an observable modification in the dog. The dog reacts aggressively to the child's behavior in fewer than 4% of the observations.4. Forty-eight percent of the dog's behaviors are not followed by an observable modification in the child's behavior.5. The age of the child appears to be the most di...