Behavioral rehabilitation can actually start as soon as you meet your chin, it can become part of the bonding process that you share: Do this every day, no more than twice a day, for at least ten minutes at a time during the evening, the chin's natural waking hours:



1) If the chin is biting, start by handling him carefully, needless to say, don't put yourself in a position to get bit, wear thick cloth gloves for now.



Female chins that have lived singly for awhile before being rescue/ rehome d are especially likely to spray urine when relocated. Before picking up a chin who sprays (males can but rarely, this is primarily a female defensive behavior), have ready a container of Baby Cornstarch Powder (no Baby Powder, nothing containing talc!) that can be purchased from the grocery store baby section.



When the female rears up to spray, squirt the cornstarch at her lower extremities, it may take a couple squirts and you need to take aim at the chin's LOWER half only, DON'T get the powder in her nose or eyes. Eye irritants can be flushed out using Natural Tears, nothing else unless vet prescribed.



Scoop the chin up gently with both hands and hold him/her on your lap, in a quiet place away from noise and distractions.





2) While holding the chin, kiss (dry kisses!) his tummy and toes (just in case he's worried, this demonstrates that you won't eat him) and then rub his tummy, under the chin, behind the ears or on the forehead; find what he likes best and do that most. Then speak softly, soothingly, things like "good boy/ girl, good -name-, good -name-" and "good boy/ girl, you're my little angel, I love you."



Use loving praise and sweet talk in a reassuring tone, quiet the fears, calm the anxiety and keep crooning in a loving way. Remember, this will not be perceived by the chin as "rewarding" the anti-social behavior, it's resolving their fear and replacing it with trust, security and love.





3) Continue holding, massaging and soothing the chin every day for at least ten minutes at a time, until you feel confident that the biting chin is relaxed enough to be picked up without gloves, and the urine-spraying chin has ceased that defensive behavior.



Then work up to the point where you can kiss the biting chin on the cheek or forehead and he wouldn't even think of biting you, and the urine-spraying chin should reach a point where she no longer backs into a corner and rears up, threatening to spray.





4) Make out-of-cage exercise time an extension of the BR time and then let the chin approach you. You should move slowly around him, allowing him to take the initiative- see Playtime Bonding.





5) Give him TV during his waking hours! This is a tremendous rehabilitative tool for chins with behavioral issues, see The TV Attraction.





6) Provide a setup that is relatively quiet and peaceful (away from prying pets, excessive traffic) and cover his cage with a sheet (as described on Routines) for privacy and security. You can choose to play some classical music very softly in the background . The BR process works, but it takes time, sometimes a few days, sometimes a few weeks or more than a month- it depends on the type of anti-social behavior, what caused it and the personality of the chin. Gradually, your persistent love and patience WILL win him over and in time he'll relax, become calmer, curious and receptive to you as his fear and apprehensions fade away.







