April 12, 2011
My 4 year old black lab suddenly began to act aggressive to our gardener. Should I be concerned?
Full Question:
We have a four-year-old lab that in general is a very likable dog. She has developed an aggressive behavior that is quite odd. On her background, she came from a very reputable breeder of field Retrievers and has had solid obedience training. She is quite active and strong. She is friendly to strangers and children in our yard.About twelve months ago, I noticed one day after the gardeners had been to our house, she was acting odd. I inspected her and immediately noticed that she had an injured tail. I took her to our vet who confirmed that she had probably had something Heavy fall or drop on her tail while we were not there. I then noticed that whenever the gardeners came, she stayed well away and suddenly would bark or growl at them if I went near them. I asked them if something had fallen on her or if perhaps one of the younger fellows had been frightened and struck her in the tail. The gardener, who speaks mainly Spanish, was very evasive and I think fearful of telling the truth.
Clara now barks or growls at men that are Hispanic with dark pants on. She always ran leashless with me on the bike path and behaved beautifully with dogs and people alike. Now I have her on a leash so she won't frighten this particular type of person. I truly believe she is a good dog that is developing an aggressive behavior.
Elizabeth
Ed's Answer:
I think you are wrong about your dog and the aggression. Not everyone likes dogs like you and I. In fact, there are a lot of people out there who, for one reason or another, do not like dogs.
From what you describe, this dog was hit very hard, probably with a shovel, by one of your gardeners. Things do not accidentally drop on dogs' tails. Dogs are not fools, they have very good memories and your dog is not doing anything any other dog would not do if hit hard enough to injure it that bad.
My advice is to get a new gardener or at the very least have a very serious talk with the headman. Don't worry about your dog, just put her away when these guys are there. In reality it's your job to protect your dog.
From what you describe, this dog was hit very hard, probably with a shovel, by one of your gardeners. Things do not accidentally drop on dogs' tails. Dogs are not fools, they have very good memories and your dog is not doing anything any other dog would not do if hit hard enough to injure it that bad.
My advice is to get a new gardener or at the very least have a very serious talk with the headman. Don't worry about your dog, just put her away when these guys are there. In reality it's your job to protect your dog.
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