How to Get Your Dog to Stop Barking at the Postman
The relationship between dogs and mail carriers is complex. As a common TV trope , it is often played for laughs, but for the estimated 5,400 postal workers who were attacked by dogs in the U.S. in 2021 alone, it is a major job hazard.
Of course, if your dog barks while delivering mail, it doesn’t mean he’s going to attack, but it’s annoying and possibly unnerving for you, your neighbors, and your postman.
Here’s what you need to know about getting your dog to stop this part of their daily routine and why they’re so worried about delivering mail and packages.
Why do dogs bark at the postman?
Even if your dog isn’t part of the breed known as a guard or watchdog , it’s likely still territorial and makes it his duty to protect his home and the people in it. According to the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA), dogs learn early that barking at someone they think is an intruder causes that person to leave.
Enter: Postmen and other people who make deliveries. They come to your territory – usually to your door – leave mail or a package, and then immediately leave.
If your dog starts barking as soon as the courier arrives (or, in some cases, before they can, for example, detect the sound of USPS or FedEx truck brakes), they will think their ferocious barking has done the trick, causing the postman to flee from their property, and that they have again successfully defended their home and family.
But what’s particularly tricky about this situation is that the mailman probably comes to your house six days a week, which, as the American Kennel Club (AKC) points out, “provides the perfect training stimulus to reinforce this behavior.”
How to stop your dog from barking at the postman
After regularly getting rid of the postman with his barks, your dog is probably very pleased with his ability to drive away this pesky intruder, which unfortunately makes him hard to stop.
Also, as noted by the MSPCA , this is a type of “alarm barking” that is a natural behavior and cannot be completely eliminated. However, it can be controlled. Here are a few strategies you can try, courtesy of dog handlers and animal behaviorists:
Give the command “quiet”
The MSPCA recommends teaching your dog the “quiet” command. To do this, ask someone to walk past your house or start approaching it, which will provoke your dog to bark. After your dog barks three or four times, show him a special treat (such as chicken, cheese, or another of his favorites). When they stop barking for a treat, say “quiet” and give the treat.
Repeat this exercise until you tell your dog to “quiet” and he stops barking about a dozen times. Once your dog learns to calm down with a treat, try using the command without showing him the treat and see if he stops barking. If they do, give a treat as a reward.
According to Dr. Mary Birch , certified animal behaviorist and director of AKC Family Dog, the key here is to convince your dog that the reward he gets for not responding is more desirable than the satisfaction of barking his nemesis. .
Make them work
You can also try giving your dog a “job” to keep her busy during her daily mail delivery, according to AKC experts . For example, some people teach their dogs to grab a toy and move to another room when the postman approaches.
Of course, for some dogs, barking at delivery people is their highest priority at the moment, so they may not be interested in toys or fake jobs when they think they have a real job.
Role-playing games
A variation on the “quiet” team strategy that involves having someone your dog either doesn’t recognize or your friend he doesn’t really care about take on the role of postman – walks up to your door, and (if applicable ) rumble your mailbox.
Every time a pretending postman comes to the door, let the dog sit quietly for a treat. But here’s the difference: this time, let the postman stay at the door until the dog calms down. The idea is to convince your dog that his barking is no longer an effective way to drive an intruder away from his property and not to try again in the future.
wear them out
Some dog behavior experts recommend making sure your dog moves a lot before the mailman arrives—just enough so that he’s too tired to get up and bark when he comes to the door. But not everyone has a backyard or can take their dog for a long afternoon walk, so it’s not an option for everyone, but it’s worth a try if you can rock.
Ignore the barking
If you are at home when the mailman arrives, try ignoring the dog and its barking rather than rewarding it with your attention. Similarly, don’t yell at your dog to stop barking: you may take this as a negative reaction to his behavior and scold him, but there’s a good chance he’ll take it as attention (and/or think you’re playing with them) , and hence the reward, according to the AKC .