Most of our posties love dogs, but dogs are by nature territorial and even the friendliest dog can give a nip or become unpredictable if they feel their territory is being threatened. We are asking dog owners to help keep their dogs and our posties safe and deliver your mail securely.
What can you do to keep both your dog and our postie safe?
We have put together some simple tips for dog owners:
- Always make sure your dog is safely locked away before opening the door, or letting your children open the door.
- Let us know there is a dog on the property by putting up a sign.
- Consider having an outdoor postbox or SafePlace, in an area your dog cannot get to.
- Make sure your garden is secure, and your dog can’t get out.
Thank you for thinking of our posties, if you would like more tips and tricks from dog behaviourist Anna Brehaut, please read on below.
Tips from dog behaviourist Anna Brehaut
When the postie arrives
- Make sure your dog is safely out of the way when the postie arrives.
- Pop the dog in another room if you can and keep the doors shut. Consider using stair gates/pens if you have an open-plan house.
- Make sure the garden is secure so that your dog can’t run out at the postie (or visitors).
Controlling your environment
- Lock back gates and doors if necessary, from the inside so no one can just walk in.
- If a post box on the side of the house is not possible, consider having a cage on the inside of your door, around the letterbox.
Controlling your dog’s behaviour
- Try not to let your dog to sit and watch for the postie’s arrival through windows/gates. This might mean having to move furniture or being proactive, but it prevents your dog from anticipating arrival. If they are anticipating arrival, this will be building stress hormones such as adrenalin and cortisol and feeding into anxiety levels.
- Give your dog something to do while they are in a different room, where they cannot see the postie, at the time when they normally come. This could be a kong toy, a lick mat or even a scatter-feeding exercise. This helps to keep them busy but also helps encourage calm.
If you are concerned about your dog’s behaviour when the postie arrives, contact a professional and qualified behaviourist.
Don’t sit on it and wait for something to happen, be proactive, not reactive.