How do I get the growling and snaping under control? I just adopted him from the SPCA and don't really know a lot about his background. I have 3 children and I do not want them to get bitten. He is otherwise a good dog. We love him and want to help him but I am just not sure how to do it.

Seeing as he is a rescue I am sure his past is unknown. It will be best that you make sure your children do not bathe or pick up him until he becomes a little more comfortable with his new surroundings.

It's always important to make sure your kids have proper dog etiquette. Especially when it comes to strange dogs.

If he is aggressive just for the sake of being aggressive then you may need to consider giving him back in order to get a dog that may fit your life style a little better.

In the mean time, when your dog snaps at you, you say in an 'I mean business' voice "NO" and turn your back on him. Another thing you should consider is obedience classes, this will help him build his self esteem as well as start a nice bond between you and him. You can get your kids involved with this too.

Is he only growling when he is being bathed or picked up, or other times too?

Bellas suggestions are great.
I have never owned a rescue so scenrios like this are a bit foreign to me.

I would however let him know you mean business. Rescue or not he needs to know that the growling and snapping is not on. If you can correct this behaviour quickly and establish yourself as being the pack leader now you shouldn't have any problems in the future.

My usual method for correcting mine if they growl I certainly wouldn't use on a rescue but lets just say it does involve a physical correction.
Time outs might be a good idea for a dog whose background you do not know (placing the dog in solitary confinement in somewhere like a bathroom for a few minutes)

He has growled when his legs were touched (he was just neutered 2 weeks ago) and when I tried to dry him off from his bath. He did act like he was going to bite but did not come close to my skin.

When he was in the bath and growled I did grab his muzzle shut and tell him sternly to stop it. He did not seem to care that I did that since he kept on doing it.

Luke's mom, if you snap his snout shut, you are feeding his aggression. Does it seem like he was abused or neglected in his previous home? The thing is, aggression will only escalate as he becomes more comfortable in his new home, usually dogs are in the "honey moon phase" they are usually on their best for about the first 6 months, and where he is already showing aggression, this has me a bit worried for your children's safety.

Time outs may work, but next time you are bathing or touching his legs, make sure to speak to him in a very soft, encouraging voice. Have a few treats on hand, and treat the expected behavior. Don't expect to go through the whole bathing process with out agitation from him before you treat. Treat along the way. So if you are washing his fur, and he is just standing there, offer a treat and LOTS of praise.

Get him used to you having your hands in the pick up position, by rubbing his sides, and offering a small treat and lots of praise when he allows you to do this. You can do this through out the day, in 5 min intervals.

If you yell or hit back, this will feed his fear, and he will be more likely to lash out. One thing I can not stress, is when your dog growls do NOT discipline this, it's like saying to him "I don't like it when you give me warning when you are scared or upset" and soon you will have a dog that snaps with out warning.

How long have you had your new up for?

I have to commend you for choosing the adoption option. :)

I was speaking to him in a gentle voice and I did have treats on hand but he would not take a treat at all. I have only had him for a week and when I took him to the vet she was the one that told me to hold his muzzle shut and tell him "quit it".

I really don't want to give up on him he is such a sweet heart otherwise. I want to get him out of it while he is young. I believe this behavior is correctable just not sure how to do it. You have been very helpful. Thank you. :)

Wow, I can't believe your vet suggested that. Vet's aren't really the best ones to discuss animal behavior with. If you really want him to work out, I would suggest obedience classes. They can help with specific trouble areas you are having.

Sounds like he was pretty stressed out in the tub, poor little guy.

And your welcome!

We love pics! :D

I am new to this, but I will try to get some pics up soon.

Perhaps there is a trauma attached to shower time. It would be better to see the corelation between water temperature and your dog's behaviour. Also, it would be nice if you change the shower place (if possible).

When I was taking care of my friend's dog, who was adopted and had a history of massive violence, he used to snap if the water was too hot or cold or if it went anywhere near his face. For that we used to be two adults washing him softly and gently. I had to hug him continuously to make him sure that I was not going to harm him. If I released him, he used to get out of hand. After each shower, I would give him his favorite treats, which he only got after showers. I also used to praise him continuously during and after the shower time. It took me almost 3 months to calm that baby down.

Adopting a dog is a great thing to do, but we have to be careful because most of them are sensitive when it comes about trusting humans. But it would be nice to go for obedience class because you also have children to take care. Good Luck!

Luke goes everywhere with me and is usually a really good boy. He rides with me every morning to take my daughter to school and walks with me to pick her up in the afternoon. He seems to always be happy to see her.

How do I get the growling and snaping under control? I just adopted him from the SPCA and dont really know alot about his background. I have 3 children and I do not want them to get bitten. He is otherwise a good dog. We love him and want to help him but I am just not sure how to do it.

Would you describe a bit more of what actually happens when he bites?

1. Is it possible your dog might have some injury in the areas you want to bathe or touch?

2. it is possible you might be handling the animal a bit rough?

3. Where do you place your hands when you pick him up? Are you picking him up by the legs or any of the extremities?

4. Might you be getting soap in his eyes or in an open wound and thereby causing pain?

Just as it is important to know how to pick up a human child, every dog owner needs to learn how to pick up a dog so that the dog does not experience any pain or discomfort. That normally creates a self defense response from an injured animal.

In the meantime, I recommend you read my suggestion for establishing your dominance with a power walk here:
https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/why-does-dog-angry-bedtime-501857.html#post2502746

And as usual, I recommend you learn dog psychology so that you will be able to better understand what your dog is communicating to you. Cesar Millan is the best in this field.

Beagles are pretty strong-willed, I don't know if De Maria's "power walk" would be the best first step but it might be handy down the road.

Learning how your dog communicates, or dog psychology if you prefer, is going to be very useful throughout his life.

If he only growls in the bath, try using the same strokes and motions outside of the tub. Figure out if a specific stimulus causes the growl and whether it's from pain or fear. In other words, find out why he's saying "Don't do that."

I have had dogs very sensitive about certain parts of their body, often from past trauma. They were healed, but were afraid of it hurting again.

He has not actually bitten me. Just snapped with an angry bark. And it was while I was bathing him. I was calm and gentle with him. I kept the soap out of his eyes, using a wash rag on his face.

I lifted him up with one arm under the neck and the other under the belly near his hind legs. He was just fixed within the last 3 weeks and I thought that may be it.

But when I got him out he growled when I tried to dry him and then again when I put his harness on him. I haven't had one problem since the bath incident. I have been reading his body language and learning a little more about his likes and dislikes.

My solution is very simple - I wouldn't bathe him OR pick him up. Obviously he doesn't like either one. Why further stress the dog when everything is so new to him. Take him to a groomer if he MUST have a bath.

One of my dogs is a rescue from a dog fight ring - she was very, very anxious when handled for a very long time. She still doesn't like to be bathed and will growl if she is bathed. She has never snapped at me. When she growls I say, "Stop that" and keep on doing what I'm doing. I run the show.

When I talked to my Vet about it he asked why I was bathing her. Was she dirty? Did she have an odor? Did I brush her regularly?

And so she doesn't get baths but she gets brushed and she's much better about being handled.

You have to know and understand the dog before you can even begin to understand why it becomes anxious. I'll never know what happened to my dog to make her anxious - so we work on it with her.

I have problems with Caesar Milan (as do some training experts) - his "drag the dog if you must with a choke collar around its neck" advice is, at best, cruel; not all dogs are dominant; the "roll the dog on the ground" advice can create a frightened, defensive dog. If Milan's advice works for you, fine, but I would consult with other trainers before I followed him to the letter.

He is growling at you because you are doing something to him that he doesn't feel comfortable with and the growl is his doggy way of letting you know. He needs to learn that co-operation with people brings reward so the best thing you can do is get going with some positive re-inforced training. This involves rewarding the dog when he does what you want. The more rewards he gets for co-operation, the more he will associate co-operation with nice things. Eventually, this association should be so strong and automatic that it doesn't enter his head not to co-operate when you ask something of him. Be patient and ask your children to be so. Even better, get the kids to do some training if you feel it is safe. Only under supervision though. Be wary of punishing growls as a growl is a warning which is a good thing (that the dog is warning first rather than just snapping straight away). When you see a dog that snaps or bites with no warning grows first, the chances are, he has been punished for growling.