Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 5, 2025
08:59
The Other End of the Leash: An Experimental Test to Analyze How Owners Interact with Their Pet Dogs
Published on: October 13, 2017
17.8K
The Dolittle factor: 'Talking to the animals' during veterinary consultations
Michael P McDermott1, Malcolm A Cobb2, Iain J Robbé3
1Circa Healthcare, Malvern, Pennsylvania, USA.
The Veterinary Record
|January 29, 2022
Summary
Veterinary surgeons frequently use pet-directed speech, including praise and explanations, during consultations. This communication style may enhance the bond between veterinarians, pets, and owners.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Medicine
- Animal Behavior
- Communication Studies
Background:
- Routine companion animal consultations involve significant verbal interaction directed at pets.
- Pet-directed speech is a common feature in veterinary-client-patient interactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and analyze the frequency and types of pet-directed speech used by veterinary surgeons.
- To understand the role of animal-directed communication in veterinary consultations.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of video transcripts from 55 routine companion animal consultations in the UK and US.
- Identification and coding of pet-directed speech instances.
Main Results:
- Pet-directed speech occurred in all consultations, totaling 779 instances.
- 12 unique dialogue codes were identified, with 'praise,' 'small talk,' and 'explanation' being most frequent.
- A higher number of instances were observed in the United States (495) compared to the United Kingdom (284).
Conclusions:
- Veterinary surgeons employ a diverse range of communication strategies when addressing animals.
- Further research into pet-directed speech can deepen the understanding of the veterinarian-animal-owner relationship.
- This communication may be crucial for building rapport during veterinary visits.
Related Concept Videos
01:16Tonicity in Animals
4.7K
Tonicity describes the amount of solute in a solution. The measure of the tonicity of a solution, or the total amount of solutes dissolved in a specific amount of solution, is called its osmolarity. Three terms—hypotonic, isotonic, and hypertonic—are used to relate the osmolarity of a cell to the osmolarity of the extracellular fluid that contains the cells. In a hypotonic solution, such as tap water, the extracellular fluid has a lower concentration of solutes than the fluid inside...
4.7K
01:30Therapeutic Communication
5.8K
Communication is a lifelong learning process. Through therapeutic communication, nurses can collect relevant assessment data, provide education and counseling, and interact during nursing interventions. Sending and receiving messages occur through verbal and nonverbal communication techniques and can happen separately or simultaneously.
Verbal communication depends on language or a prescribed way of using words so that people can share information effectively. The critical aspects of verbal...
Verbal communication depends on language or a prescribed way of using words so that people can share information effectively. The critical aspects of verbal...
5.8K