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Posted by PHRascal on January 05, 2003 at 10:17:43:

In Reply to: Need help diagnosing problems with tempermental beagle posted by haydenm315 on January 05, 2003 at 03:20:20:

Hi there. My first suggestion would be to have the beagle checked by the vet. She may have pain in her rear legs. Beagles are pretty active and she may have been injured at some point. It could even be her hips or back hurting and causing referred pain to the rear legs.

Second, stop feeding the table scraps and start feeding the dogs separately, in their crates if they have them.

Third, you need to check around and find an animal behaviorist or a very good trainer because the beagle's behavior is not normal. You didn't mention where you purchased the dogs, but it is possible that that the beagle was separated from its mother and siblings too early. If the beagle was adopted, it is possible that something happened to her before you adopted her and she was traumatized. A little jealousy and territorialism is one thing, but the kind of snapping you describe is not normal and must be addressed. Your concern is warranted. Ask your vet for suggestions on a trainer or behaviorist.

Good luck and keep us posted.
~Rascal

:My family has a female beagle who is very independent, agile, and athletic. She's about 1.5 years old and does not usually like to be handled if she's laying down on the couch. She will growl, show teeth, and bark if a familiar face tries to move her or pick her up. The bark/bite will be followed up by a wimper or whine. Is this classified as fear biting? Strange enough, the dog doesn't seem to mind having her belly rubbed or most other parts of her body. If someone touches her in front of her rear legs around her side she will most likely growl, turn, and bite you. What is this behavior classified as, and is there anything that can be done to improve the temperment. She has been growing up with an adult female west highland terrier who doesn't exhibit these symptoms and loves to be picked up and handled. The beagle is larger/stronger/faster than the terrier and doesn't hesitate to show dominance. This brings up another issue. Our dogs have been given items such as table scraps and pizza crusts. This sometimes causes a battle between the two dogs. There have been 2 occasions when the beagle has tried to bite the west highland terriers head off. Usually these 2 dogs get along just fine and have no problem laying next to eachother on the same blanket/couch. Both dogs are spaid. Please let me know if there's any information which would help in narrowing this problem.

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