[Bagelbeagle1]

I've had my beagle puppy since he was 8 (he's now 6 months old) weeks old and he didn't have any issues when feeding. At about 14 weeks old he started to get food aggression when I went near him while eating and it got worse from there. He has bitten me quite deeply many times. I feed him on a leash, have elevated his food and if he growls or shows aggression he has to leave the food and lay down until he is calm again. He got better for a while, but lately he's started again and it's again very aggressive and even while on the lead, it takes all my strength to keep him from biting me again. He isn't calming down at all for about 30mins. Has anyone experienced this?

 

[Cassie]

Wow..i haven't experienced that but some ideas...
Have you taken the dog to the vet for an exam..to rule out anything medical?
Give your dog some hard chews to take out his aggression.
What are you doing regarding training? Put some of his focus into following commands and use a Clicker for everything. Watch YouTube videos on how to use one.
Also is the dog getting exercise?

 

[Bagelbeagle1]

Thanks for your ideas! I will try the clicker
Yep we've been to the vet and he's all fine. He has lots of chew toys and gets plenty of exercise, I live in an apartment so I make sure to take him out for at least 1-2 hours per day.

Hes so sweet and friendly in every other situation, it's like a completely different dog

 

[Cassie]

Geez I dont know why I didnt mention this before....
Put the food in your cupped hands and let him eat out of your hands for all meals the next 2 weeks... as the saying goes..
" Dont bite the hands that feed you"..
He will be more gentle and you will two bond around feedings..

 

[Nebuchadnezzar]

I would say - if your dog wants to be left alone while eating, leave him alone. I wouldn't appreciate someone messing with me while I was eating and it may make things worse. He feels defensive, reacts, and it's a cycle. I think it's Karen Pryor who has some good stuff on resource guarding too you could search up.

 

[allymcbeagle]

My Ally McBeagle was food possessive; just a growl to let us know it was hers, she never bit any of us. She would take treats from the hand just find but didn't want anyone near her when food was in the bowl. We just went with it, like Neb suggests and made sure any visitors or other dogs didn't approach her when she was eating. It does sound like he's exerting his authority and if he shows a pattern of other agression (e.g., trying to be the boss, then you have an alpha dog and you seek some training for him).