Small Animal Management
Canine Behavior Development 3D
Case Studies
“Every time we have a houseguest, my dog goes nuts. She barks and
growls while staring them down. It’s a real nuisance to our guests. It
would greatly help to know why she does this.”
“My dog is impossible to bring to the vet. She even knows the word
‘Vet.” If she overhears me talking to my husband about it, she runs and
hides behind the couch. Can you explain why?”
“Sam is a great dog. We’ve had him ever since he was about 5 or 6
weeks old and haven’t had a problem out of him yet, until recently. My
wife went to pull him off the couch and he growled and snapped at her.
Why did he do this?”
“Tigger was a rescue puppy that we picked up from the pound. The
entire litter was dropped off there. He’s a great dog, but for some
reason, he has a problem approaching people outside our family. Why
do you think he’s doing this?”
“Our dog Penny has a deep-rooted fear of loud noises. Loud trucks, fire
crackers, you name it and she’s afraid of it. We would like to take her out
more, but if she hears a loud noise, she tries desperately to hide. Why
does she do this?”
“Meeka is a wonderful dog. We bought her from a very reputable
breeder. We are having a little trouble with her around children.
Whenever she sees a child she gets really nervous, hides behind us and
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will even growl when the child approaches. We don’t let children come
very close to her because we don’t know what she will do. Why does
Meeka behave this way?”
“Bob is just an old backyard dog. We don’t do too much with him. We’ve
had him ever since he was 6 weeks old. The only problem we get out of
Bob is when anything goes into the backyard, whether it’s a person, a
cat, another dog…Bob becomes really aggressive. Why is this?”
“Fifi is only 6 pounds, but she rules the house. If she wants to be petted,
she’ll push her head under your hand. If you don’t give her attention,
she’ll actually bite you. If she wants on the bed, she gets up there. If she
wants us off, she’ll run us away, snapping and growling. We’ve tried to
correct her bad behavior, but she reacts in such an aggressive way that
we can’t even put our hands on her. Why do you think that she behaves
like this?”
“Maxine is the perfect dog. She loves everyone! She gets along with
cats, and she adores children. She is a fairly happy dog; however, she
has a deep-rooted fear of men with beards. She goes from sweet,
adoring, loyal family pet to this crazed vicious dog in a matter of
seconds when a man with a beard is near. Why does she do this?”
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