Dogs and Post: Why your dog reacts to the mail arriving and how to get them to behave with the postman

Understanding these reactions and why they may be happening can provide valuable insights into your dog's unique behaviour. 

Each individual dog behaves differently when your delivery turns up at the door and so Carolyn Menteith, Behaviourist and Dog Trainer at Tails.com, has offered her expert insight into canine behaviour at delivery time.

Here’s what she had to say.

Why do dogs react in different ways to post workers? 

When it comes to our dog’s reactions to postal workers, we first have to look back into the history of the dog and their early domestication, and to why they were originally so warmly welcomed into our ancestors’ villages and settlements. With the arrival of the dog into human settlements came a whole host of benefits - including the perfect early warning system and burglar alarm which allowed our ancestors to sleep soundly and never be caught unawares. With their superior hearing, dogs could alert their humans to intruders, strangers – and anything or anyone unusual. And it’s not just traditional guarding breeds that would do that! If you look at some of our current companion breeds like Tibetan Spaniels and Lhasa Apsos, their history was as monastery watchdogs and sentinels, making sure everyone knew about unwanted (or even expected) visitors. Taking this into account, here are some of the reasons that your dog may react to the post person when it comes to parcels and letters:

They are fulfilling their ‘early warning system’ duties

Some dogs are territorial by nature, and these breeds historically found employment as guards – either of livestock, property or people. Dogs are most likely to behave territorially at the perceived edges of their territory - so gates, fences, and of course, doors. So if your dog reacts by barking, growling or lunging at the letterbox, you are getting a demonstration of these instincts. In most cases, this instinct to guard comes less from aggression and much more from a fear of strangers or unknown guests.

This behaviour may well be reinforced as once the post has been delivered, the delivery driver immediately leaves the property! In our dog’s mind, this may well lead them to feel that they have ‘succeeded’ in persuading the intruder to go away, and this perceived success can encourage and even exacerbate their behaviour in the future. They could even believe that they save their owners and their home from disaster every day and with every delivery!

Unpredictable arrivals

Another reason your dog may react or alert to mail and deliveries is that they turn up unannounced and unpredictably. Different delivery companies and postal workers work different schedules, so your dog doesn’t have a chance to get used to a specific person turning up at a regular time. This unpredictability and unfamiliarity triggers the ‘stranger danger’ instinct in most dogs - whether through surprise, excitement, fear or a desire to protect the family from all comers.

Stranger Danger

Finally, unlike other guests in your house - who are probably known and are greeted by you and welcomed in when they arrive - post workers, turn up unpredictably, lurk suspiciously at the edges of our territory (doors, gates etc), often look ‘strange’ due to the large bags or boxes that accompany them, and then leave quickly - making a loud noise as they drop items through your letterbox. No wonder many dogs react in a fearful, territorial or over-excited way! 

What can I do to encourage good behaviour when the post arrives?

It is important to be aware that while you think your dog is friendly and wouldn’t hurt a soul, postal workers and delivery don’t know this - and they often trigger territorial responses in the most mild-mannered of canines. A large proportion of dog bites happen at the perceived edges of a dog’s property - which is where postal workers do their job - and so you want to avoid these encounters. 

Alternatives to the letterbox

Prevent your dog from having access to the letterbox. This might mean putting a box or wire cage over it, using an interior door, using a stair gate - or put a delivery box somewhere away from your door (such as on the gate). This also helps to prevent shredded mail!

If your dog is often loose in the garden or if it is not possible to prevent your dog from having access to the front door, have an alternative place for mail and deliveries to be left that is set as your delivery preference so they avoid your front door and don’t have to meet your dog at the gate. This could be a wall/gate-mounted lockable box, having a secured gate with an intercom, or designating a safe space your dog can never access.  

Door duties

Do not open the door to deliveries unless you have first made sure your dog is securely in another room or behind another door. It’s too easy for them to slip past you while you are taking parcels or signing for things.  Remember that to a delivery driver or post person, an overly friendly dog can be just as scary as a more territorial one.

Socialise to strangers

While postal workers will always behave unpredictably and often trigger fearful, excited or territorial responses in dogs, you should also socialise your dog with visitors to your house. This certainly isn’t instead of the above, but it will give you and your postie a safety net if your dog escapes or they have an unexpected encounter.

Get your dog used to people coming to the door

You can also get your dog used to people coming to the door, putting things through the letterbox and leaving again. Get a friend to help you and pretend to be a postperson. Every time they come to the door, throw your dog a treat - no matter what they do.

Repeat this a lot over several days and at unexpected times. Your aim is to change your dog’s feelings about someone delivering things from fear, excitement, or guarding behaviour to ‘ooo, it’s treat time!’.

Understanding why your dog behaves as they do towards delivery people is the most important step to preventing unwanted incidents, and keeping your dog relaxed, calm and happy. And always remember that it is your responsibility to keep delivery and postal workers safe from your dog - and not for them to have to run the daily gauntlet past all of the local canines.