Why Does My Dog Hate The Mailman?

I have been involved in training dogs for law enforcement for almost 3 decades. My training facility trains dogs for detection work as well as officer protection (bite work). One thing that we trainers always laugh about is the fact that FedEx, UPS and the U.S. Postal Service have trained more attack dogs than anybody else in the country and let me tell you why that is.

Let me paint a picture for you. The mail truck pulls up to a house the driver gets out of the truck to bring a package to the door. As the driver approaches the house, here comes the family dog around the corner barking and baring its teeth. The driver runs back to the truck and leaves.

Well the dog said, wow! That was fun I wonder if I can get the FedEx guy to do the same thing. So the game continues and even gets worse as the dog becomes more and more aggressive as his confidence builds. He has learned that he can protect his territory by barking and charging the driver.

For some dogs it is simply a game but for other dogs it has to do with fear. Quite often the uniform, a hat or sunglasses can trigger the aggression. Maybe a driver wearing a hat kicked at him in the past or did something that the dog perceived as a real threat. Now the dog feels a need to protect himself from people with hats, in uniform or with sunglasses.

Of course there are those dog that are simply nasty. They don’t have a preference for the mailman they simply do not like anyone and or always aggressive to anybody entering its space.

So when your dog seems to have a dislike for the mailman it probably dislikes anybody in a uniform that approaches your house. Here is something to keep in mind if you have a dog like this. As a good pet owner you should not have it in a place that it could bite somebody and create a liability situation for you. Besides creating a liability situation for you, its life could be in jeopardy. If the bite is reported you may be ordered to put the dog down.

One last reason to be careful with this type of dog is your homeowners insurance. When you have a dog bite reported most of the time your insurance will be canceled and no other company will want to insure your home. Your only option is usually with a company like Lloyds of London which is much more expensive.

So protect your dog and the mailman by keeping your dog in a safe place.

Does your dog need training? If so visit us at and give us a call, or for our out of town readers .

Until next time,

P.S. Do you need some advice from a Canine Behavior Specialist? If so CLICK HERE now!

About the Author: Wayne Booth is owner of . Wayne has been teaching people how to become Professional Dog Trainers since 1990 and he is the Training Director of Canine Behavior Specialists Network.

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