Aggression and other behavioral systems
One might ask why a person would keep as a companion animal a dog
which growls and bites. In fact, all of the aggressive dogs observed were
aggressive only under certain specific stimulus conditions, and were friendly,
playful and affectionate under most other stimulus conditions. Some of the
most aggressive dogs were also the most friendly and affectionate. The
stimulus-specificity of these aggression problems is, of course, to be predicted
based on a general scientific understanding of animal behavior, but is
confusing to the average pet owner.
This general confusion about how animal behavior works is further complicated
by the rapidity with which the dog switches from non-aggressive to
aggressive behavior, and back again. The most dramatic instances of rapid
switching between behavioral systems occurs in dominance aggression. The
very social behaviors of the owner which elicit play, for instance, at one
time and circumstance, elicit growling and biting at another, perhaps immediately
followed by further play behavior. Furthermore, mixing of behavioral