If you are a dog owner then at some point you may have cause to wonder like so many others - why do dogs hate mailmen? The key to understanding why dogs seem to "hate" mailmen lies in the dog's instinct to protect the pack (us) territory. Dogs are territorial in nature, so the mailman represents someone who is invading his pack's territory. So understanding why Rover is always barking and growling at the mailman is easy to understand, that is if you view the situation from his view point.



It has to do with his instinctive need to protect the pack's territory. And his human family is his pack and the house and yard is their territory.

That is why when Rover sees the mailman, he barks and growls, the mailman does his delivery quickly as possible and leaves; mission accomplished as far as Rover is concerned. He thinks that his barking and growling made the intruder (mailman) leave. What Rover doesn't know is that the mailman was leaving anyway. So this just reinforces in your dog's mind that his behavior is what made the mailman leave. That is if the mailman is lucky. There hasn't been a current national statistic done since 1997 but the numbers of dog attacks in general have been growing.

There are several other reasons besides being territorial that may cause Rover to bark at the mailman. Some dogs may feel threatened or even act aggressively to the mailman simply because of the uniform or simply because someone who wears dark clothes and a hat in general makes him feel threatened.

This behavior is disruptive of you and the neighborhood and may cause the neighbors to complain to the local authorities about the dog. This may lead to the dog being removed from your home.

However there is a solution to the problem. This solution to break Rover's habit of barking at the mailman however will take time and consistency on your part. The way of counteracting his self-reinforcement that his barking and growling is the reason the mailman is leaving. This involves providing negative feedback to barking and growling and rewarding him when he doesn't.

You will to need sit with him a few minutes before the arrival of the mailman. You also need a spray bottle and a pocket of treats. This exercise is to teach him that the mailman isn't going away just because he barks. When the mailman approaches and he starts to bark, interrupt the barking by squirting him and a firm sharp "No!" When Rover's attention is on you, you need to put him into the "Stay" or "Sit" position. When he does, give him a treat. This is going to take some time to teach him that the mailman isn't leaving just because of him.

There is one mail lady that actually took the time (with her boss's permission) to actually try to make friends with the dogs on her route. She would spend a little time each day to actually play with the dogs and had treats ready for them. Now the dogs look forward to their friend every day.