The medical model approach to describing and explaining behaviors uses the same principles and strategy as used when addressing medical issues. The behaviors are labeled normal versus abnormal and categorized into groups such as dominance or aggression based on intuition and passed down medical protocols
The behavioral approach to describing and explaining behaviors is that behavior is a function of its environment and not genetics. The behavioral approach is a far more effective approach to describing and explaining behavior because behavior is not an illness or disease but rather a dependent variable within an environment and we must look at the functional relationship between the behavior and its environment to understand its cause and how to change it (O’ Heare p 16).
O’ Heare J. Domestic Dog Behavior 103 (2010)