Characteristics of communication skills in children belonging to multispecies families

PURPOSE: to investigate the communicative skills of children belonging to multispecies families whose pet is a dog. METHODS: this is an exploratory, descriptive, qualitative, cross-sectional study. Sample: 34 subjects of both sexes aged three aged 3 to 4 years and 5 months belonging to multispecies families. The study was conducted at the subjects’ own homes. Procedure: The data were collected through observation and filming of a 30-min interaction situation in the family routine involving the presence of the dog. Analysis of the results: The data were analyzed and content analysis categories were then established regarding the most relevant verbal and nonverbal elements, with emphasis on the child-dog-adult interlocutor communicative interactions. RESULTS: the results showed that the dog played the role of interlocutor during the interaction scenes, with effects on the child’s communicative functions. CONCLUSION: the results of this study point to possible benefits to communicative skills in multispecies interactions. Further studies on this theme are suggested.