Canine Behavior & Psychology Flashcards
7 cards from real CDT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Canine Behavior & Psychology flashcards as text
A dog shows intense excitement at the sight of the leash but freezes and refuses to walk once outside. Which concept best explains this pattern?
Answer: Approach-avoidance conflict
Approach-avoidance conflict occurs when the same stimulus elicits both desire and fear, causing ambivalent behavior like excitement followed by freezing.
According to the Ladder of Aggression model, which behavior typically appears EARLIEST as a warning sign?
Answer: Yawning and blinking
Yawning, blinking, and lip licking are among the earliest, most subtle displacement and stress signals on the Ladder of Aggression.
Which type of aggression is most likely when a dog bites a child who approaches its food bowl and then immediately retreats and wags its tail?
Answer: Resource guarding aggression
Guarding a food bowl and biting when approached is classic resource guarding; tail wagging afterward reflects conflict, not friendliness.
The concept of 'learned irrelevance' in dogs refers to:
Answer: Reduced responsiveness to a stimulus after it has been repeatedly presented without consequence before training begins
Learned irrelevance occurs when a stimulus is pre-exposed without significance, making it harder to later use that stimulus as an effective cue.
A certified dog trainer notices a dog constantly licking its paws, spinning, and chasing its tail despite no medical cause. These are most consistent with:
Answer: Compulsive/stereotypic behaviors
Repetitive, seemingly functionless behaviors with no medical cause are classified as canine compulsive or stereotypic behaviors, often stress-related.
Which social structure best describes feral dog groups based on current scientific research?
Answer: Loose, fluid social groups without fixed alpha roles
Research on feral dogs shows loose, opportunistic social groupings rather than the rigid dominance hierarchies once assumed from captive wolf studies.
When a previously housetrained dog begins eliminating indoors after a new baby arrives, the most likely explanation is:
Answer: Stress-induced behavioral regression
Behavioral regression under stress — reverting to earlier, less reliable behaviors — is a common canine response to major environmental changes.