I would suggest using real-life photos are references to be fair, since some tutorials go out of realistic add (Fun fact: Disney used real life animals for TLK, btw), all of it you do need is a redline skelet of it (gesture I suppose?).
Then without a rush keep using a different colour over it till you get a nice rough sketch, that can be done on paint using a red pencil (not the brushes, but just the pencil pixel thing), then use example a blue to do another sketch, you can erase the red by using the paint bucket and keep pressing left click and right click and it'll remove the excess colour. And keep on sketching with different colours will you get a nice satisfied picture.
If you go about in traditional style, then yeah the only help there will be real life animal poses, but there, don't press the pencil too hard, sketch lightly the gesture lines/skelet, then a tiny bit darker when you get the idea, then just use a TLK characters look, or create your own.
I myself being canine artist, don't draw hyenas, because well yeah... I'm not a big fan of them XD but I know how to draw them, just don't wanna.
I hope that's somewhat helpful ^_^;; DeviantART has lot of photos, I know many great artists on there who use a real life animal picture and pose for their art, and if you have a pet, that's even a more bigger help. Spotty (my cat<3) is my pose master lol, he loves the camera and helping me :B
Whoa... that's one huge text I've written in a while LOL I should become a teacher some day
