Lhasa apso aggression and biting

[RanjivOberoi]

Hi I have a 3.5 months old Lhasa apso and he doesn't liked to be groomed or if anyone touches his collar he aggressively bites the family member

There have been several incidents of him biting me or my family and it ends up bleeding 

Please suggest the course of action 

[Adrienne]

Hello and welcome to the forums,

Your puppy is still very young and we want to nip this behavior in the bud to prevent it from getting out of hand. It sounds like this may be a handling issue, where the pup doesn't like to be touched or groomed because he wasn't used to it or simply dislikes it. However, it may be important stopping by the vet just to make sure there's nothing going on physically. Sometimes, pups may react this way when they are in pain/sick, and we don't want to try to work on something that needs to be addressed differently. So if your pup is due anytime soon for his next vaccinations, I would suggest mentioning this behavior to the vet just to ensure there's nothing possibly hurting him or making him more irritable. 

Once health issues have been ruled out, the next step would entail working on the issue which means working on gentle handling exercises. Ideally, handling exercises are started even before puppies are welcomed into their new homes at 8 to 12 weeks of age. It all should therefore start while the puppy is in the breeder's care. Good breeders should have therefore already started getting the puppy used to being handled from an early age, often weighing the pups on a daily basis and getting them used to human touch.

As pups grow, handling should continue with the breeder having their pups stand on a coffee table and getting them used to being rubbed over the head and back areas, having their paws lifted and touched, having their teeth inspected all in a positive way so to show the pup that body handling is a good thing. This work will prep the pup once they go to their new homes.  Not always though things go as wanted as if may difficult to come by such committed breeders and many pups nowadays are sourced from pet stores or shelters. 

In such cases, not all is lost.  This is where body handling exercises come into place.  Before doing basic handling exercises, it's important to understand how they work and what to do if your puppy seems to be growing impatient/frustrated.

Basic handling exercises are based on two behavior modification techniques known as desensitization and counterconditioning.

Desensitization aims to introduce the puppy to touch using baby steps so to introduce touch in a gradual method, always at the pup's pace.

Counterconditioning aims to create positive associations with touch so that the puppy looks forward to touch because it leads to happy outcomes.

When doing these exercises, it is therefore very important to work at the pup's pace, always paying attention to his body language and ensuring the pup is not sent over threshold, the imaginary line where things starts deteriorating. Therefore, if you reach a point where the pup gives early signs of getting uncomfortable or frustrated, stop and keep track of this point and consider it as an intermediate goal.

So take a few steps back and once you gradually build back up to this point with your puppy being calm, then progress a little closer to your final goal, always making sure your pup is doing OK. The goal is obtaining what is known as a conditioned emotional response which is the pup looking forward to being groomed or having his collar touched because this has led to wonderful things. 

Now, puppies have needle sharp teeth and they can surely hurt, so since you mention that his biting has led to bleeding, it may be helpful to wear some leather gloves for the time being. Here are some exercises for grooming and collar touches. 

Brushing:

Many pups struggle with being brushed. They many not want that unfamiliar object near them or perhaps they don't like to be touched with the brush in certain areas, or maybe they got accidentally hurt when the brush met a knot or an area with matted fur. For this, a step-by-step approach is needed. 

Start by creating positive associations with the brush. Hold the brush behind your back and then present it your puppy. Feed a tasty treat when your puppy looks at it or sniffs it. Then, once your pup has finished eating the treat, place the brush once again behind your back and repeat the sequence. Treats happen only when the brush comes out!

Next, start placing the brush on his back(or any area he seems to not mind much being touched), and feed a treat, brush touch/treat, brush touch/treat, brush touch/treat. Repeat several times, until your puppy looks forward to being touched with the brush.

Next, start passing the brush with a small stroke, and feed a treat. Once done eating, stop the brush stroke. Rinse and repeat. Move on to brushing different areas while you feed treats, brush stroke/treat, brush stroke/treat. Be very careful with the tail as many pups struggle with that, be very gentle and feed treats as you pass the brush and once done, stop the treats. 

My last case of touch sensitivity was a Pomeranian that dreaded going to the groomer and would try to bite any time you brushed her. I used the above method going slowly, and she soon started jumping on the couch to be brushed she became so enthusiastic about it. The tasty treats she was fed worked wonders!

Collar Touches/Grabs

Puppies may struggle with being grabbed by the collar especially if the collar grab leads to something unpleasant. It's therefore a good idea habituating puppies to collar grabs in case we need to get ahold of the puppy in an emergency situation.

So work on this, equip yourself with high-value treats. Call your puppy show a tasty treat and slightly touch the collar while you simultaneously feed him the treat while you are touching the collar, then remove your hand from the collar the moment your puppy is done eating the treat. Repeat several times, collar touch/treat, collar touch/treat, collar touch/treat until upon touching the collar your dog looks at you for treats.

Next, start raising criteria: slide your fingers gently under the collar, feed a treat, once done eating, remove your fingers from under the collar. Rinse and repeat until your pup seems happy when you slide your fingers under the collar.

Next, gently hold the collar with your hand and feed a treat, once done eating, remove your fingers from under the collar and release. Rinse and repeat.

Next, grab the collar and gently let your pup walk a step while you feed a treat, once done eating, release. Rinse and repeat.

Next, grab the collar and gently guide your puppy towards a treat you are holding in your other hand. Once done eating, release. Rinse and repeat. 

Next, call your pup from a distance and when he arrives, grab the collar, make him walk a few steps and feed a treat. Once done eating, release.

As seen, the goal is to make great things happen when the pup's collar is touched. 

Putting on a Collar

Start by creating positive associations with the collar. Hold the collar behind your back and then present it your puppy. Feed a tasty treat when your puppy looks at it or sniffs it. Then, once your pup has finished eating the treat, place it once again behind your back and repeat the sequence. Treats happen only when the collar comes out!

Next, unbuckle the collar and allow it to briefly touch the top of your dog's neck as you feed a treat at the same time. Touch neck with collar, treat; touch neck with collar, and treat. Rinse and repeat several times always looking for that lovely conditioned emotional response. Treats happen when the collar touches the neck. .

Next, place the collar on your puppy's neck and try to make the two ends of the collar touch while you have a helper feed your puppy treats at this point if you can't do this with two hands. Remove the collar when your pup is done eating. Rinse and repeat making always sure that the tasty treats occur contingent upon the collar being on the neck.

Next, advance to doing the same exercise, only that this time, you'll pretend to buckle the collar as your helper feeds the treats. Once done eating, remove the collar.

Now, aim to actually buckle the collar making sure though that it remains loose. Have your helper feed treats and rinse and repeat various times. As your pup looks comfortable, gradually buckle it more and more snug (as your helper feeds treats) until it's snug enough that you can fit two fingers between the collar and your dog's neck. Then unbuckle once your puppy is done eating treats.

Once your pup seems OK wearing the collar, make a big deal of it, tell him how good he looks in it and let tasty treats fall to the ground. Then, remove the collar and act boring, no more praise and treats.

Keep up the great associations with the collar by making great things happen when he's wearing it. For example, you can let him wear it before feeding his meals and remove it right after. Or you can let him wear it before taking him on a car ride (if he loves them) and remove afterward.

Extra tips that come to mind: 

• At least initially, avoid touching your puppy when he is overly excited. Focus instead on practicing low stress handling when your pup is chill. This may be challenging if you have young kids who rev your puppy up.
• Ensure your puppy is getting enough sleep. Puppies tend to get cranky and nippy when they lack sleep.
• Wait for a time when the puppy is calm and quiet to do the exercises.
• Always end the exercises on a positive note, possibly, with your pup wanting to be touched more rather than resisting.
• Never correct your pup physically or by scolding as this will make your pup defensive and may cause him to even dread being touched more.

As seen, the exercises mostly consist of creating baby steps and positive associations with them. If your pup seems to be struggling with one step, take a step back and split it into smaller steps until you can move forward.

Since your mentioned though that your pup seems to act aggressively and his biting draws blood, it would be best to consult with a force-free behavior professional to guide you though for both safety and correct implementation. 

I hope this helps,

Let me know if you have any questions or if you're struggling with other things (e.g. lifting paws, touching ears, attaching leash to the collar). Each of these behaviors need tackled differently. 

Best, 

Adrienne 

Disclaimer: behavior modification comes with risks. If your dog is acting aggressively, please seek out the in person-guidance of a dog behavior professional for safety and correct implementation. 

[RanjivOberoi]

Thank you so much for the advice 

But apart from this I'm facing issues with attaching the leash to the collar, cleaning his eyes and ears, also he never lets me clean his paws.

There is nothing in specific which triggers the aggresive behaviour of my pup

We never know when he might snap, like sometimes if he's chewing on something he's not supposed to and I stop him then he kind of gets aggressive

Please suggest what I should do 

[Adrienne]

If this is happening when he is chewing something he's not supposed to, I urge to not physically intervene with collar grabs or pushing, but rather work on training the "leave it" and "drop it "cue.  Here is how to train these cues: 

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/take-leave-it/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/drop-it/

In the meanwhile, as you work on teaching that, it helps to "puppy-proof" the home as much as possible, leaving out things that your pup may get a hang of and is not supposed to, while leaving out legit safe items to chew such as durable toys, edible chews, food puzzles. Rotating toys helps keep the interest alive, so you can aim to keeping some out of sight for some time and then presenting them and swapping them. 

If your pup should get a hold of something he shouldn't before he's trained to respond to leave it/drop you can grab his attention with a new toy (or one he hasn't had access for a while) and swap it for the item he was chewing. Alternatively, you can try to toss some kibble/treats and retrieve the chewed item as he goes grab them. 

I will be posting shortly some behavior modification examples for attaching leash to collar. cleaning eyes and ears and paw handling. As always, these will be based on desensitization and counterconditioning and the same principles apply. 

[Adrienne]

Cleaning Paws

Start by touching each paw slightly and feeding a treat. Rinse and repeat several times looking for that lovely conditioned emotional response.

Next, progress to picking the paw off and feeing a treat. Rinse and repeat.

Once your puppy looks comfortable having his feet touched and picked up, start to lightly wipe the paw, always feeding a treat so to create positive associations. Gradually build up to spending a few seconds touching each paw, aiming to keep it short and sweet and feeding tasty treats.

Once the pup seems happy with this operation, progress to wiping more like between each toe and feeding a treat each time. Repeat several times until you can wipe those paws and your pup looks forward to it, or at least is more collaborative. 

If you need to trim the nails eventually, here's the guide on getting a pup used to a Dremel tool:

Attaching the  Leash

Start by creating positive associations with the leash. Just as with the collar, hide behind your back and then present it, feeding your puppy treats when he looks at it and sniffs it and then once he's done inspecting it, place it behind your back and no more treats.

Next, start getting your pup used to the sound of the clasp. Keep the leash behind your back, then make the snapping sound of the clasp and feed a treat. Clasp sound/treat, clasp sound/ treat, clasp sound/treat.

Next, proceed to attaching the leash, give a treat, then unclip it once your dog is done eating it. Rinse and repeat. The leash snapped to the collar should become a cue that a treat is coming!

Once your dog gets used to this, snap it on before mealtime and then unsnap it once he is done eating.

Next, have a helper snap the leash on feed a treat and then you call your dog to you with him dragging it and give a treat. Unclip the leash when he's done eating. Rinse and repeat.

Next, further raise criteria. Snap the leash on and hold it, walk a few steps ahead and call your dog to you, give treats when he reaches you. Try to avoid pulling your dog harshly on the leash considering that this will create negative associations with its use.

Teach your pup to give into the leash pressure rather than resist it. Sit on the couch and if he moves away, gently put pressure on the leash and show him a treat so that he learns to give in to the pressure. Praise and reward.

Start walking your pup on leash. If your pup lags behind or pulls in another direction, coax him to catch up and keep walking by showing a treat. The moment the leash becomes loose when he catches up, praise and reward with the treat.

More on leash training here:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/heeling-attention-heeling/

Cleaning ears and eyes coming up in the next post....

 

[Adrienne]

Cleaning Ears 

Start by very lightly touching your pup's ear, while feeding a treat. If your puppy moves/balks away, split this further and work on approaching. Therefore, start by approaching with your hand towards the ear, and feeding a treat. Move hand towards ear-treat, hand towards ear- treat, hand towards ear- treat. Look for anticipation.

Next, start by very lightly touching your pup's ear, while feeding a treat. Touch ear/treat, touch ear/treat, touch ear/treat.

If you need to wipe ears, hold your cotton ball/pads behind your back, and then present it, allowing your dog to sniff, give a treat. Once done eating the treat, hold it behind your back again. Rinse and repeat. 

Next, start by very lightly touching your pup's ear with the cotton ball, while feeding a treat. Touch ear with cotton ball/treat, touch ear with cotton ball/treat, touch ear with cotton ball/treat.

Next, touch your pup's ear with the cotton ball and progress to wiping the ridges of the outer ear, while the pup is fed a treat (you may need a helper to feed or clean). Rinse and repeat several times, working on both ears. 

If at any time your pup seems uncomfortable, as always stop and go back to a previous step and work until comfortable, splitting the more challenging exercises into smaller steps.

If your dog's ear appears red, has an odor or there is discharge, or if your pup strongly objects, consult with a vet as your pup may be suffering from a painful ear infection.

Cleaning Eyes 

If you need to clean the area around the eyes, hold your eye cleaning pad behind your back, and then present it, allowing your dog to sniff it, give a treat. Once done eating the treat, hold it behind your back again. Rinse and repeat. 

Next, start by very lightly touching the area around your pup’s eyes with the pad, while feeding a treat. Touch the area with the pad/treat, touch the area with the pad/treat, touch the area with the pad/treat. 

If your puppy moves/balks away, split this further and work on approaching. Therefore, start by approaching with your hand towards the eye, and feeding a treat with your other hand. Move hand towards eye-treat, hand towards eye- treat, hand towards eye- treat. Look for happy anticipation.

Next, touch your pup's area around the eye with the pad and progress to wiping, while the pup is fed a treat (you may need a helper to feed or clean). Rinse and repeat several times, working on both eyes. 

If at any time your pup seems uncomfortable, as always stop and go back to a previous step and work until comfortable, splitting the more challenging exercises into smaller steps.

If your dog's eye/eyes appears red or there is discharge, or if your pup strongly objects, consult with a vet as your pup may be suffering from a painful eye infection.

I hope this helps,

Best, 

Adrienne 

Disclaimer: behavior modification comes with risks. If your dog is acting aggressively, please seek out the in person-guidance of a dog behavior professional for safety and correct implementation.