Dog vs Mailman

3500 postal carriers are bitten by dogs every year, according to statistics.  What is it with dogs and mailman?  It’s not like the dog is able to truly read the mailman’s uniform and distinguish him from the meter reader, paper delivery guy or girl scout.

However day by day across America, dogs can sense the arrival of the mailman and begin barking even before the post reaches the box!

And each day, hundreds of postal workers are frightened out of their minds–pepper spray ready–as they walk their routes. Lawsuits and large fines often follow dog bites.

So why do dogs loathe postal workers and what can you do about it?

First of all, do not permit your dog to scamper free, unfenced, or unsupervised. The next no-brainer: if you have to keep your dog tethered outdoors, choose a spot far off from your mailbox, the mailman or his pathway.  Or, consider investing in an electric dog fence.

Because dogs are pack animals by nature, they have a chosen pecking order within their group. When dogs become part of the human family, they continue to sustain pack actions and want to retain family territory.

In the dog’s eyes, the postal worker is an intruder and a danger to the pack (i.e. your family).

You, in the role of the dog’s possessor, should take up the alpha spot; specifically, head of your pack.  Being the head of the pack, the dog must respond to you.

Your dog will be taught to admit people into the pack, or his territory as guests, if you introduce your dog to the newcomer.

If you instruct the dog to acknowledge the mailman, it will accept your choice and instruction as its leader.The dog will observe that you are talking to this being as a companion and realize that the courier is not a threat to the pack.

So, technically, the myth regarding dogs hating the mailman is incorrect. Generally, dogs loathe all intruders! However, it is possible for your dog and the mailman to grow to be good buddies due to appropriate socialization.