No matter why your dog is acting in this manner, there are things you can do to improve the dog barking and help your dog and the mail carrier have better experiences when around each other. Teach your dog a new response based on a new emotional reaction. If your dog is upset — fearful or irritated by the sight of the postal worker — they will continue to react by barking and growling.
That can be done by teaching your dog that every time a mail carrier or a mail truck shows up, they get their favorite thing. For most dogs, that favorite item is either treats perhaps stuffed in a Kong for longer-lasting enjoyment or a toy such as a tennis ball, squeaky fleece animal, or a rope toy. Just be aware that while some mail carriers are willing to be involved in this process, others would rather face snow and rain and heat and the gloom of night.
Step one: Never bend over a dog or put your face close to theirs. Karen B. London, Ph. Skip to main content. How to get your pup and the mail carrier to be friends.
Share article Facebook Pinterest Email. This can turn a casual incident into an ongoing issue. Canines also experience a flood of emotions when they start barking at intruders.
Chemicals like adrenaline and noradrenaline are released whenever they experience fear or excitement. These chemical changes in their brain are rewarding all on their own. It's something that breaks up the monotony of their day and makes them feel good. As a result, the things they feel when they start barking at your mailman become addictive.
They'll start to do it regularly because they associate the behavior with positive emotions. Before you know it, your dog won't just be barking at the mailman. They'll eventually start learning that they can reap the same emotional rewards with other stimulants. For example, your pup may begin to recognize the signs that a postal worker is coming.
They may learn the distinct sound of their vehicle or realize that they always visit at the same time every day. When this happens, your dog will begin the bark-fest before the mailman can even get into your yard. If you have multiple mail carriers, they may learn to associate those feelings with uniforms or the fact that they're carrying something. Ultimately, the same habits will start to apply to every visitor. Food delivery workers, plumbers, and even your trusted guests will start to experience the wrath of your dog.
At this point, you need to seriously consider some behavioral training before things start getting out of hand. Not all dogs are the same.
Every dog takes a unique approach to things that they experience in the world. Now that you understand why your dog hates the mailman so much, we need to delve a bit deeper into why dogs bark. Barking is the simplest form of communication for canines.
While all barks may sound the same to us, there are many reasons why your dog may be doing it. There are a few different types of barking. Understanding the differences can help you tremendously during the training process. This type of barking is most commonly associated with intruders, such as your mailman.
Essentially, your dog is alerting you to a possible threat. As we mentioned earlier, dogs do this to keep their territory protected. It's an innate behavior that's impossible to get rid of completely. However, you can help to control it by showing your dog that the behavior is unacceptable.
The easiest way to tackle alert barking is to simply introduce a new command to their training regime. Something as easy as "quiet," is more than enough. Every time your dog starts barking because of the mailman or a passerby, show them a treat and give your command.
The treat will provide enough of a distraction to get them to stop barking. Eventually, they'll learn that they can get a reward if they stay quiet. There may be a bit of fear lurking behind your dog's aggressive behavior. Many dogs fear the unknown.
They don't know who your mailman is or what they want, so they become fearful and lash out to protect themselves. Addressing this issue can be a bit tough. But, if you're diligent, it can make a world of difference in how your pup reacts to new things. You'll need to do some counter conditioning.
Basically, you want to reward you with treats each time they experience the offending stimuli. In this case, that would be when your mailman visits. Give them a treat as a sign that everything is alright. Speak to them in a soothing voice. If possible, try to get your mailman to meet your dog personally. Sometimes, all it takes is a friendly introduction to smooth things over. Sometimes, dogs just bark because they want something.
Your pup may bark at you because they're hungry or expect some kind of reaction. This kind of behavior can quickly get out of control, so it's important that you take action as soon as you realize that this is becoming an issue.
The only way to stop it is to avoid giving your dog the thing they crave. When they start barking at you, ignore them. This shows that the behavior doesn't work on you. If you suspect this is why your dog is barking at your mailman, keep your dog away from them. Place them in a separate room whenever the mail arrives. If your dog spends much of his or her day lounging around inside the home, your mailman's daily visit is a nice change of pace.
It's not uncommon for dogs to react to this new person in some way or another. Some dogs that appear to act out of territoriality are actually frustrated greeters. These are dogs who lack self-control and will bark because they are frustrated by the fence. If there was no fence, these dogs would run straight towards the mailman and just greet him as a long-lost friend. If your dog is a frustrated greeter, work on establishing self-control through the Premack principle.
In other words, ask your dog to sit or another command before he goes towards the mailman and once he sits, the mailman can toss a stuffed Kong or a bone you have left in the mailbox for the mailman to deliver.
Please make safety your top priority. Behavior modification comes with some risks. This article is not to be used as a substitute for professional behavioral advice. If your dog is aggressive in any way, please consult with a veterinary behaviorist, a certified applied animal behaviorist or a force-free trainer well-versed in dog behavior modification. By reading this article you accept this disclaimer and agree not to hold the author of this article liable.
It is not meant to substitute for diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, prescription, or formal and individualized advice from a veterinary medical professional. Animals exhibiting signs and symptoms of distress should be seen by a veterinarian immediately. Andrew, so sorry to hear that. Are carriers still entering through gates where there is a dog loose in there? I hope not, as that's surely a scary and potentially dangerous situation.
Letter Carrier here. We are explicitly forbidden by management to feed dogs treats. I am not the only person who carries my route. I have a regular sub who carries on my day off and any number of different carriers may carry my route when I am on vacation.
If the dog assumes the carrier has a cookie for them, they rush toward the carrier, often scaring us into thinking the dog is attacking, and boom: you're getting a call from animal control and your mail stops being delivered. My dogs love my husband friend who delivers for ups unless he is in any of his work clothes they bark and growl. Wondering if it's all different scents? That's cute SusannaDuffy, my cat used to love waiting for the pizza delivery guy.
She loved pizza. My cat, slaughter in his heart, lies in wait for the mailman. Fortunately my cat doesn't bark. Hello bipolartist, it would be ideal if you could give your dog treats when he sees the mailman, this way the mailman is safe, or have him toss a cookie from behind the fence.
So glad I found this hub. I will be writing an apology card for our mail carrier tomorrow because he is new. Our old mail carrier changed locations and though our dogs despised her, it is nothing like the ire they feel over this one. If they could, they would shred him. I will ask about the "cookie" solution and see what he says. That's the coward approach, they feel like their barking is what's sending you away and some will even bite when you turn your back to them. Many do that to dogs as well, they will bark at them the moment they make an about-face and are about to leave.
Very interesting points. I am delighted that you recognized that not every dog hates the mailman - many of them love the mailman and are all sweetness when he comes by, even when they bark at others who stroll through the neighborhood.
One dog I know likes only the mailman and barks at everybody else. One question: There is a dog I know that is very nice when I show up in the yard, but begins to bark at me when I start to walk away. I have noticed this behavior in other dogs too - some of them only bark when you are leaving. Hi Giblingirl, countless dogs are that way, it's highly reinforcing behavior and as mentioned even addictive.
Thanks for stopping by! My dog goes ballistic every time the mailman, or anyone, walks in front of our house.
Thanks for sharing these tips. Hi Lawrence, thanks for stopping by. It's great your dog has a good relationship with your mailman, that's how I think it's supposed to be. Mailmen have so many bites incidents and the sprays and other deterrents they use make only matters worse, Great tips for the outside mailbox! Hi Moonlake, some dogs also don't like uniforms, hats and other things that change our shapes.
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