Miss Kitty Litter

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

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

Pepper spray ready, day by day hundreds of postal workers are in constant fright while they make their routes. Lawsuits and large fines frequently follow dog bites.

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

First of all, don’t allow your dog to scamper free, unfenced, or unsupervised. The next no-brainer: if you need to keep your dog tethered outdoors, choose a place far off from your mailbox. Look into an electric dog fence and let your mailman know where the boundaries are.

Since dogs are pack animals by nature, they have a specified pecking order inside their pack. Dogs maintain that pecking order when they become a part of your family and will continue to display the pack behavior .

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

Being the dog’s owner, you have to take on the chief position in the pack. You are the master and the dog’s task is to answer to you.

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

Your dog must acknowledge the mailman if you tell him to, and your dog should be able to respect your decision.You need to demonstrate to your dog that the mailman isn’t a threat and that he or she is a companion of the pack.

So, technically, the myth regarding dogs hating the mailman is incorrect. By and large, dogs dislike all intruders! Nevertheless, it is possible for your dog and the mailman to develop into good friends by way of appropriate socialization.