Why does my dog hate mailman

It is called counter-conditioning. Get some really yummy treats hot dogs, chicken, cheese. Set up scenarios in which the person or thing your dog is afraid of arrives on the scene, but is far enough away that your dog is aware of it but does not react.

Start giving him the treats when the scary thing comes into view and stop when it leaves. Slowly have the person or thing get closer and closer while you are giving your dog the treats. Over time, your dog should change his opinion about the person or thing he was afraid of because he will associate it with getting treats. If your dog barks when he is left alone he may just be bored. Increasing his physical and mental stimulation should help.

Try the following suggestions:. Dogs with separation anxiety often show other signs that indicate that they are anxious about being alone. If your dog is overly attached to you and follows you from room to room, or if he shakes, pants or cries as you get ready to leave for the day, he may be suffering from separation anxiety.

Consult a behaviorist to help him overcome the problem. If your dog barks at intruders, like the mailman, delivery people, or neighbors walking by his property, his barking probably stems from territorial behavior.

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.

If they don't bark, they may start to whine loudly in hopes that the mailman will come inside and play with them. Dogs get just as bored with their daily routine as you do. The only way to stop this kind of barking is to improve your dog's quality of life.

Give them some ways to stay entertained. You can try going on walks more frequently. Regular exercise is the best way to keep the boredom at bay. Alternatively, there are many mental stimulation toys on the market that can keep your dog entertained for hours on end. In addition to some of the tips in the previous section, there are some ways you can prevent your dog from barking. The goal is to improve your pup's relationship with your daily visitors.

Doing so will make your dog view the mailman as a positive person instead of someone they need to bark at. You should start introducing your dog to your mailman as soon as possible.

If you know your postal worker pretty well, take a few minutes to introduce the two personally. Some reserved physical contact on your mailman's part can make a huge difference. You can also place a treat in your mailbox every day so that your mailman has something they can reward your dog with each time they visit. This is a surefire way to make your pup love them. Alternatively , you can do the rewarding yourself.

Keep a short leash by the door. Whenever you hear your mailman approaching, put the leash on and tell your dog to sit down. What do they do? From a dog's perspective they are intruders who are trespassing property. They are loud, uninvited and don't stop by to say hello. Many dogs have a natural inclination for passively alert barking and some may engage in a more active approach that's meant to protect territory. There is likely also an element of fear at play when it comes to territoriality, but shhhhh Why they do this: The behavior may be reminiscent of the old days when the dog's ancestors lived in packs and they had an innate tendency to be alert and protect their resources through urine marking and more active displays tended towards intruders who weren't part of their social groups and ignored their scent marks invading their "no-passing zones.

Dogs were selectively bred for their ability to bark when they spotted dangers such as predator animals or enemies. Still as today, many dogs are still appreciated for their alarm barks, even though nowadays a more active role may be frowned upon due to its potential for liability.

What makes dogs really upset about postal workers is that despite all their barking directed towards these delivery guys, they keep coming back and gain no validation as other guests entering the home. These postal workers therefore risk gaining the status as eternal intruders and they fail to hang around long enough for your dog to get accustomed to them, but let's take a closer look at the dynamics through Rover's perspective.

Why they do this: The dog sees the mailman so he starts barking, and every time he barks, the mailman leaves because that's part of what mailmen do, deliver the mail and then leave to continue their jobs. From Rover's perspective, his barking is what is making the mailman leave and therefore it's highly reinforcing. You can almost hear him thinking out loud "Hey, intruder, get off my turf, you hear me? To put ourselves in our dog's shoes, let's imagine the following scenario. Every morning, a cat comes into your yard.

You like cats, but many stray cats are fixated on urine marking your favorite flowers and wall, leading to a terrible odor. So one day you start making a hissing sound to send the cat away. The more your dog rehearses the behavior, the more it will put roots. Stop letting your dog out to send the mailman away.

Of course, secluding him in a room while the mailman arrives does nothing to fix the behavior but at least it prevents your dog from rehearsing it. This is a big start. Your next step is to then classically counter-condition him to associate anything about mailmen with good things. To accomplish this, I recommend that you read these articles:.

Once those positive associations are made, you can shift into operant counter-conditioning by training your dog an alternate, default behavior differential reinforcement of alternate behaviors A sit or automatic watch works fine in this scenario.

Basically, with time, your dog may learn to sit or watch you as in COR instead of barking and aggressing. In her book The Cautious Canine , Patricia McConnell suggests having the pizza delivery guy come to your home and deliver a slice of pizza just for your dog.

While in the wild dogs acted territorial to protect resources such as food, now your mailman has become an actual source for resources! 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.