beagle bouts with aggresion

Question
QUESTION: My male beagle is 1year 8 months old.We got him when he was 6 months old.a couple months ago he gets this look on his face like he is a different dog.He acts annoyed at my other dog(2y/o LasaApsathat we had first)he starts with a stance then a look than he will go after him meanly.Today before he did it he went behind the couch layed down ,Inoticed he was quit so said you alright, he came out with that look went in his cage layed down my husband called him over he sat down next to husband when the other dog went over he started fighting with him.He is a loving fun friendly dog most of the time. He seems to love the other dog most of the time. I dont think its just about the other dog.He hasnt gone after us but he that look.Have you heard of this before could use some advice. THank you

ANSWER: Hi, thanks for contacting me, sorry for the delay, holidays and all caught up with me.

I had a hard time understanding parts of your question, some of it didnt make sense. Can you tell me more about what has been going on with him lately and describe his behavior again. When did you notice a change and did anything happen recently that could have caused it?

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I am sorry.I am new to e mail. Sunny is my beagle,his mood changes.We have had him 1year 1 month.When he changed, about 3 months ago.I dont like crates, when we got him we let him sleep with us to watch him so he didnt chew anything.When I moved he would wake up snarling and attacking(Not us)He would have this look on his face and scary eyes until you talked him out of it.Needless to say I took him out of bed.He seems happy and relieved that he doesnt have to get in bed.There is no problem he sleeps on the couch.Aweek ago he got that look in the morning and went after Lucky I had to put him in cage till he was his self.3 days later what I wrote about above happened.We dont know what happened in his first 6 months of life.We got him at a pet store because he was 6 monthold and never out of a cage.The first 7 months there were no problems.No food aggresion.I try to make sure he gets exercise.I have to say I have become a little leary of him,I know that is not good.I have tried to make sure he knows I am the alpha just when I think it is going good another incident.I have been home for holidays,I try to keep their routine.When i am home they dont sleep.I know I shouldnt make excuses but he is always tired when it happens.Do they go through changes as they grow up? He is so loveable otherwise.Do you think this could be normal and fixable or he has a loose wire? Thanks again Beth

Answer
Hi, ok first YES this is fixable. Unsure if he had trauma in his prev times, or it was because of being in a cage for so long as a pup and he became possessive of his space, poor breeding or if it is related to him not feeling like you are the Alpha.... or a combination of all of that. My suggestion is that you need to call a hands on trainer for a few sessions who can diagnose what is going on in person. This is not normal behavior and aggression doesnt go away, it just increases if let alone. He is only at the start of his life and mildly aggressive now and still a pup so it is imperative that he get this under control now. Your (understandably) being leery of him is also not a good thing as it reinforces to him that he has the upper hand so it is a Catch 22. Unfortunately in this situation there is no easy thing I can tell you to do to solve it, it requires someone there in person to see how he is and how you interact with him and is well worth the cost of a few sessions to get direction from another professional. In the meantime, he should not be given his food or any treats or anything for that matter without working for it, meaning he has to sit to get it or come and sit to get it. No Free Lunch as the saying goes, this is only one small aspect of establishing that you are Alpha but it will help until you can get some in person direction.