title: Olfactory and visual cues in the interaction systems between dogs and children.
abstract: Various studies have established the importance of olfactory cues in the relational systems between conspecifics by the canids and humans. The study of the behaviour of dogs towards children with clothes impregnated with body odours has led to the definition of different functions of olfaction in interspecific relational systems. An experimental situation in kennels details the behaviour of dogs in response to different combinations of visual and olfactory stimulations reproduced with a realistic child dummy. The discussion of the results deals with the contingent socio-cognitive abilities of pet dogs and their relational strategies based on the integration of different sensory modalities present in the 'social' stimulations.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Psychophysiologie, U.F.R. des Sciences et Techniques, Route de Gray, 25030 Besancon Cedex, France.
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Millot