vicious 4 month old beagle puppy

Question
2 weeks ago we bought a Blue Beagle puppy at a pet store. I said I would never do that again and had all intentions of getting my next dog at a rescue or shelter. My family also currently shares a home with a 11 year old Doberman mix and a 2 year old lab mix. My oldest dog stays out of the way and minds his own business, however my 2 year old loves to play with the puppy. I noticed on the first night we had the puppy home she was aggressive with my 2 year old and even aggressive with us around her food. I have separated them during eating time. Occasionally the puppy will growl at us but it is mostly my 2 year old dog that she for lack of other words, attacks. They may be playing and in an instance the puppy with viciously bite my other dog around his neck and face. My 2 year old is wonderful and tries really hard to get away and avoid her. I have never had a puppy with this type of aggression and it scares me a bit. Raising my voice does not get her attention at all and when I attempt to get between her and my 2 year old dog she growls and bites at me. Considering her age I am hoping this can be corrected, but I don't know where to start.

Answer

Hi Jenny,

12-16 weeks of age in a puppy's life is a critical period when your puppy will begin to test you to see who the pack leader is going to be. She'll may to bite you in play or as a real challenge to your authority. Such behavior is natural in the pack, though it's undesirable. It is important, at this stage, that you establish your position as pack leader, and not just another sibling.  Growling is a dominance vocalization, designed to warn another pack member that they better not confront the growler or she will bite. Puppies do this in situations where they have been allowed to dominate. This is the stage when serious training should begin. Training establishes your pack leadership in a manner that your puppy will understand.

Now is the time to get your Beagle puppy spayed. Once that is done, your best bet is a well-run obedience class where your puppy will be exposed to other dogs in a controlled setting. Also put her on a strict "Nothing In Life Is Free" program and make her earn everything she gets. The instant she starts to growl at someone or one of your other dogs, remove her from the room for a brief period of time, then bring her back in and do whatever action was that she growled at before. Repeat as needed. You are in charge and she needs to learn that in a hurry.

Read more about the Nothing In Life Is Free program here:

http://k9deb.com/nilif.htm

Best of luck,

Patti