Canine Behavior & Psychology Flashcards

Which behavioral process explains why a dog that was once afraid of car rides may become comfortable with them after many neutral or positive car ride experiences?

Answer: Habituation

Habituation is the reduction of a response to a stimulus after repeated exposure with no negative consequence, distinct from the graduated protocol of desensitization.

A dog that pulls on leash is switched to a front-clip harness and immediately pulls less. Which learning principle best accounts for this change?

Answer: Antecedent management — altering the environment changes behavior without conditioning

Antecedent arrangement (changing equipment) alters the physical mechanics of pulling before the behavior occurs, reducing it without a conditioning protocol.

What distinguishes 'fear aggression' from 'offensive aggression' in dogs?

Answer: Fear-aggressive dogs prefer to escape and aggress when cornered; offensively aggressive dogs move forward and initiate

Fear-aggressive dogs display escape-motivated aggression when flight is blocked, while offensively aggressive dogs actively approach and initiate without retreat motivation.

A dog who once had a bad experience at the vet now refuses to enter the parking lot. This generalization of fear to associated cues is called:

Answer: Context conditioning

Context conditioning occurs when environmental cues associated with an aversive event acquire fear-eliciting properties themselves, even before the original trigger is present.

According to the LIMA (Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive) principle, trainers should use which strategy first when addressing an unwanted behavior?

Answer: Antecedent arrangement and positive reinforcement of alternative behaviors

LIMA requires starting with the least intrusive, least aversive approach — modifying the environment and reinforcing alternatives before considering any aversive methods.

Which phenomenon explains why a dog trained to sit on a verbal cue may struggle when the owner changes posture or voice tone significantly?

Answer: Stimulus control has not generalized across variations of the cue

Dogs learn very specific features of cues; if those features change (tone, body language), the trained stimulus may no longer effectively trigger the behavior.

A puppy repeatedly returns to nip the trainer's hands during play despite the trainer yelping and withdrawing. The most appropriate next step is:

Answer: Implement a brief, consistent time-out by ending play entirely and leaving the area

When yelping and withdrawal don't reduce nipping, a brief time-out (removal of all social reward) is the appropriate escalation using negative punishment.