Even when the story is about big cats, he doesn’t budge. Comfortably stretched out on a red bench seat, a blanket under her paws, Ixo is enjoying the moment. It must be said that this cute 9-year-old chihuahua, carefully brushed for the occasion, is the star of the Etienne-Caux media library of Saint-Nazaire (Loire-Atlantique), this Wednesday afternoon. A dozen children have collected their tickets to come and tell a story to him and his mistress, as part of the free operation “Read with a dog” which takes place here once a month.
In the small cozy space set up under the stairs, it’s Adrien’s turn to spend some time, between 10 and 15 minutes per session, with the doggie. The boy, in class of CP, sits down and launches. In a small voice, he applies himself to pronouncing the words of the occasional book he has chosen, The Bone Wizard. If he keeps one hand free to turn the few pages, he doesn’t forget to give his new companion hugs with the other. “I don’t know if Ixo understood the whole story, but at least he will have learned a few words,” smiles his older brother Alexis, who also had this amazing experience.
“The animal does not judge”
If this head to head surely pleased the chihuahua, rewarded each time with a small kibble, this method is primarily aimed at children, for whom the benefits would be numerous. Specialized in animal mediation, the mistress of Ixo, requested by the media library of Saint-Nazaire for interventions, confirms: “The objective is to play down the reading, to push for pleasure and not necessarily for success, explains Linda Ouvrard, who stays next to the child throughout the session, without taking it back or correcting it. The animal does not judge and does not expect performance. By his presence, he offers a reassuring, calm and gentle moment, which the child will be able to remember when he gets back into a reading situation. »
This Wednesday afternoon, the toddlers who follow one another at the media library seem comfortable with words, even if some had to overcome their shyness to leave their parents for a few moments. But the Reading with the Dog, or LAC, method has already proven itself with students in difficulty. “Researchers from Boston (United States) have shown the importance of animals in giving the audacity of the loud voice in reading, abounds Chantal Hazard, retired from National Education who imported the concept in France. The dog does not learn to read but helps to free the child who has difficulties at school, for example because he lisps and is pointed at. »
Regain self-confidence
Chantal Hazard, which reports training a hundred people (teachers, psychologists, school nurses, etc.) in this method per year since 2019, is well aware that the activity may seem crazy, and yet. “The high voice is essential because when there is no more, there is generally no reading in a low voice either, she continues. And it can quickly become very embarrassing, just to fully understand an instruction. “If the National Education is for the moment rather cautious, some schools play the game. In Saint-Nazaire, Linda Ouvrard follows a small group of CP, as part of the educational success program.
“Some start by telling me that they don’t like to read, and finally they feel more and more at ease,” she says. Even if it’s the last sentence or the last words, they regain their self-confidence. » An experiment was also carried out in a secondary school in Martigues (Bouches-du-Rhone). “Fifteen minutes of weekly reading to dogs would increase reading ability by 12% for school children and up to 30% for out-of-school children”, assure the promoters of the project, aimed at 6th graders.