How can I stop my beagle's aggressive behavior?

My beagle is three years old and he has developed an aggressive behavior around other dogs. He will bark and growl and lunge. He has never snapped at them or tried to bite them, but it is hard to go places with him. My beagle isn't fixed but we are looking into it. In the meantime, what should I do about this problem?

Get a professional trainer.

"My beagle isn't fixed but we are looking into it."Look harder. And seek out training.

Contact a professional for one-on-one training. You'll be happy you did. Ask your vet for a recommendation.

If he has only just been introduced to other dogs, this is probably just excitement, and should be dealt with by socializing him--very carefully, to avoid potential attacks. Your best bet is a good trainer, and probably a good training class, where he can learn social manners, and meet other dogs in a controlled setting. The thing is, if another dog is not something they often see, they can find it both too exciting and a little threatening, especially if you tend to haul on him whenever they are near.Till then, when you see another dog coming, try to focus his attention on you, or distract him from the confrontation with a turn or a little treat or like that. Above all, don't communicate your doubts to him, cause he will tend to think you've got an enemy to defend against. And that would just exacerbate the problem.

Does this only happen when he's on a leash? I don't have an easy answer for you, but we had a similar problem with our dog (beagle mix). When we were out on walks, he would get really excited when he saw another dog and would be sooooo overexcited by the time we met up with the other dog that he would do that bark/growl/lunge. Your dog may not really be being aggressive, but may be expressing that pent-up energy in a way that us humans don't like! Our dog is fine when he's off-leash in the dog park. Have you ever taken your dog to one off-leash? This would help figure out if he's always aggressive or just getting overexcited (make sure you can step in quickly, though, if he is really aggressive).We use a prong collar, which looks mean but really isn't (I tested it on my arm). When we're on walks and see another dog approaching, I make him sit or lay down on the tree lawn. Often we have to correct him by yanking on the leash to focus his attention back on us. He's not 100% perfect, but far better than he used to be (like when we had to stand on the outside of our Petsmart class because he wouldn't stop barking at the other dogs).Good luck! And give your beagle a tummy rub from me!

Lots of dogs are like that. Just learn to train them by preteding to hit them with a rolled up newspaper everytime they act aggresive. Don't let them get away with everything and even if you think its a little harsh you won't regret once they are loving and enjoying their life too. Step up to the plate and be the good owner your dog deserves!;)

abasaurus, I love the look of a beagle. They are so cute.