Q: Roscoe is a Lhasa mix, found on a city street and adopted by us--Mom and two teenage boys--in January. He had been in a foster home with other dogs and humans for about a month before we came along. He was wonderful for the first few weeks. Suddenly he's developed intense crate fear and will run and hide to avoid being put in the crate when he sees me getting ready to leave for work. Today he bit me and I had to leave him locked in my bedroom as I could not be late. He is usually not in the crate longer than 4 or 5 hours.

This is not the first biting incident. He snarls and snaps at times, particularly to my 18-year old. My son is becoming afraid of him for that reason, which exacerbates the problem. He'll bite him on the leg if he moves suddenly, makes a loud noise or leans over to hug me (which I guess Roscoe saw as a threat). He will snarl and snap at me if I try to get him to do something he doesn't want to do. Other times the very same thing will produce no hostile result. Hey, it's like having another teenager!

This is a dog who allows me to put eye ointment in his eyes twice a day, so there is some level of trust here. That did take a bit of time to achieve. His eye problem makes him snappier if someone approaches from his bad side. One eye is partially clouded over and we don't know why.

We have started obedience classes and I am trying hard to be the alpha, but this biting thing today really upset me. I have read that some dogs are schizophrenic and it is almost like he has another personality when he does the biting. In fact, in between bites today he had a happy little panting smiley face! We really love him and want everything to work out. Private training is too expensive though.

There are two other things you should know. When he's in the crate (again, only in the past 4 to 6 weeks or so, not from the start) he has begun to drool so much that he is soaked when we return even if only gone for a half-hour. This is causing his hair to get matted, though I have been cutting the mats off and trying to comb out the easy ones. Again, he doesn't love the combing, but will let me do. He also scratches at the floor of the crate like a madman from the moment he gets in. It's the plastic kind.

The other thing is that he scratches himself a lot. He's been checked for ear mites and he gets flea stuff rubbed in once a month, so I don't think it's that. We took him away last weekend to my mother's house out of state, where he scratched himself much less and was much more docile, although he did have two snapping incidents. I am wondering if it's an allergy thing. My mother has carpets just as we do and I doubt hers are cleaner, but anything is possible. Could it be the material in the carpets?

I spoke to a trainer today who recommended putting him in the bathroom instead of the crate. I have also heard that if the dog fears a plastic crate to try a wire one. I would not mind leaving him out in the house all day if I could trust him, but for the first 8 to 10 weeks or so he was marking the house all the time. My 12-year old and I just realized while writing this that  that behavior has stopped! Maybe there's hope! Although substituting biting for urinating is hardly the answer.

I forgot to say he's somewhere between 2 and 5 years old and was neutered in early February of this year. He weighs about 22 pounds. My son wants to tell you that after Roscoe scratches his head sometimes, he licks his paw for a while, and then starts chewing on it. He also scratches like a cat does in its cat litter after he does his business outside, but that is more funny than anything else! Thanks.

A: I would guess that he has allergies. Dogs can be allergic to things outdoors and can have bad reactions even when they are outside only for potty trips. They can also be allergic to their food. When the veterinarian can't find the answer, a veterinary dermatologist usually can. Allergies also often cause ear problems, and painful ears are one reason dogs bite.

The eyes could explain some of the biting, if he can't always fully see what is going on, and gets startled. It sounds like a behavior specialist is definitely indicated, and your vet may be able to recommend someone.

Also, it's important to comb him so often that he stays free of all mats in the coat. Mats quickly pull the skin into painful invisible sores, under the hair and often are the cause of aggression in this breed. After a while it becomes a habit in the dog.

I agree about putting him in the bathroom instead of the crate provided he doesn't mark in the bathroom or do damage in there. If you absolutely must use a crate, he needs the help of a behavioral specialist for a desensitization program to the crate and probably medication to help him through that.

However, there is nothing magical about a crate. You simply need to confine a dog however much it takes to keep him out of trouble when no one can watch him. Most dogs do best if freedom is added a little at a time, perhaps one room at a time rather than all at once.

Normally I am 100% for obedience training but I wonder if this dog may need more time to get the health problems worked out first. I would not be at all sure that any of this is about him trying to be alpha. It sounds much more like he is trying to protect himself.

If he were mine, I'd want to get him used to a thorough daily combing out and let the skin have time to fully heal. Get the eyes stable, get a good diagnosis on the skin and get that under control and in the meantime maybe, be working with a private behavior specialist perhaps just once or twice a month.

In a few months I expect he would benefit more from obedience class than now. I guess if class is going okay though, maybe you shouldn't pull him out of it. Just do be sure and keep working on all the other stuff. Especially the grooming. It can make a huge, huge difference.

I hope things work out with this little guy. It certainly sounds like your family is committed to helping him, always a great sign. Just don't dismiss biting. It has to be taken as a very, very serious problem, and dealt with carefully. God bless.